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Here we go again: "Delta worker to dad: Give up the seat you bought, or go to jail!" (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter gianmarco
- Start date
gianmarco
Footballguy
Yeah, I'm not sure why people are assuming he just changed the kids flight with a change seat. I doubt that's what happened and why the dad was upset, even though he still made a mistake. It seems that they made the initial flight over with the youngest kid in their laps. When that didn't go well, they decided it would be best for the young child to have his own seat. I'm assuming no seats were available, so he bought another ticket for his older kid on an earlier flight in order to have the seat for his infant. What he didn't realize, I'm sure, is that the name needed to match since the moment his older kid doesn't board that seat is being made available to people on standby.
I understand Delta refusing to allow him to do so (likely due to regulations, but even if not, he didn't do it correctly). What was wrong was threatening the Dad with jail and also lying that the kid couldn't be in a car seat during takeoff when the exact opposite is true (they encourage it).
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Aerial Assault
Footballguy
Yes, but only three seats for the flight in question. One ticket went for a seat on an earlier flight.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Correct, and they were only allowing him to use two of the three once the oldest son didn't board. That was his problem with the scenario and I can understand where he's coming from but also understand that when a person doesn't board, they forfeit that seat whether its paid for or not. Delta could have done a much better job explaining that to him.
Aerial Assault
Footballguy
Agreed. I already mentioned that the flight attendant was a doosh. But I don't think dad-dude was innocent here either.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Some are implying he was trying to "game the system" by not paying for all seats being used or doing some kind of change seat maneuver. I don't think that's the case at all. As I explained above, I think he truly didn't realize that they don't get to keep the seat when their son no longer is on that flight. And if you're not aware of that, I can understand the frustration. Add in the situation, traveling with two young children on an overnight flight trying to get back home, and I think under the circumstances he wasn't a tool at all as some of you here are calling him.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Right, that was the analogy I was about to use. His assumption was that since they paid for the seat, it's theirs whether or not their son boards (i.e. he can lay down and sleep). But I'm pretty sure that once you don't board, that seat is opened back up for standby whether you paid for it or not.
And if the Delta folks had explained that, I think things may have gone differently. He probably decides to keep the kid on his lap and they move on. But when they start threatening jail and start telling him that infants can't ride in a car seat (completely false), it escalated the situation where he dug down deeper and ultimately got his whole family kicked off the flight.
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Sweet J
Footballguy
He was asked to give up JUST the one seat. That is really weird, since regular standby rules are such that a general announcement is made that there is an overbooking, they are going to pay for someone to volunteer, etc. etc. And, when this happened last time with the doctor getting dragged off, the general rules were published indicating that families traveling with young children were generally not asked to give up a seat.gianmarco said:
So why was this guy in particular focused on? So something else had to be going on. I'd be really surprised if this was a normal "bumping" kind of thing. BEST case scenario, he paid for a fourth seat in his older kids name, and his older kid was nowhere to be seen. If you or I do something like that, we know that we are in the wrong, but we still try and pull it through, but we probably aren't d^cks about it. Because we know this isn't within the bounds of the rules. And if we get called on it ("I'm sorry sir, you can't pay for the ticket for one son who isn't here and then put your other son in the seat"), we probably are a little abashed, maybe push just a little, but at the end of the day, not following rules is not following rules.
This HAD to be a middle aged white guy, probably a former bro, who is used to getting his way if he pushed hard enough.
I'm sure I could be wrong.
Also, "calm" doesn't necessarily equal "not a #####."
Also the POLICE looked like they were there. At some point, you may want to back down, dude. Just put the kid in your lap.
fatness
Footballguy
OK, thanks, but he article sure does not make that clear (that they bought 3 tickets for one flight and 1 ticket for another flight). Where did you get that from?
Sweet J
Footballguy
This video isn't the beginning of the confrontation, it's the end. We have no idea how it went. The police are already there.
Aerial Assault
Footballguy
Once a ticketed passenger does not show up for a flight (in this case the son who flew earlier), the airline has the right to resell the seat. It's sort of hard to believe that the dad didn't understand this.
fatness
Footballguy
Sweet J
Footballguy
No way in hell he doesn't know that. I'm a blazing idiot, I don't have kids that age anymore, I have no reason to look up the rule (like he would if he made the last minute changes), and even I know that. Anybody who flies knows that you can't buy a ticket in one person's name and then give the ticket to another person to fly.
32 Counter Pass
Footballguy
Deregulation seems to be working out very well for us consumers. 
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
I would have stayed on the flight and made the trip an utter ####### nightmare for the poor sapp stuck in the seat and the flight attendants. I'm talking diaper changes, vomit, the works. This is horse ####. Did they refund the guy this money for the seat or give him a voucher? Airlines and insurance companies can both blow me. Worst industries ever.
Cliff Clavin
Footballguy
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
"Oooo. But the fine print! Our profits! #### this guy and his whole family."Great way to act when you're wrong
What ever happened to customer service? Just drop the charade and get rid of the seats all together and push everybody into a pile on the floor.
Cliff Clavin
Footballguy
Fine print? I'm pretty confident most people know that the name the seat is purchased under, is the name that must use the seat. Any airline I've flown makes that abundantly clear.
Threads like these always show you which posters actually bother to read the story. I hate the airlines as much as anyone. But Delta was in the right here. The seat belongs to the passenger whose name is on the ticket. The named passenger no-showed for the flight. The dad either (A) Knows this this and is being a manipulative d-bag or (B) Is the stupidest MFer on earth.
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Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
Because they are greedy ####s. There is no legitimate reason for it other than to fleece a customer base with no real alternative choices.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/12/23/airline-ticket-transfer-name-change/4174145/
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
Or the airline might as well be staffed by robots (guess what's coming!) for the amount of critical thought they allow their moron employees to apply to situations.
Cliff Clavin
Footballguy
Great. I don't think it is a good rule either but that doesn't mean ####. Follow the airlines rules or get kicked off. It's pretty simple for 99.99% of people.
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
Because he already bought that seat for his other son and his name was etched in blood on the ticket.
top dog
Footballguy
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
We all have to stop being sheep for this ####. Do you think it's a good business decision for the airline to say "We have full profit on this flight. We can help a customer out and hopefully he'll be loyal or we can screw him for $400 more plus the millions of PR fallout. Let's screw the guy!" Ultimately we are headed for 1 airline conglomerate (EAD Air) and it won't matter. But we don't have to take this ####. You wouldn't put up with it in any other industry. Why air travel?
Eta, I don't really get worked up over things but I hate air travel and airlines. So. Much.
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MarvinTScamper
Footballguy
Ted Lange as your Bartender
Footballguy
Why should the standby customer get screwed if there is an empty seat? Isn't his loyalty important too?
(and again, I wish it was crystal clear whether he purchased an extra ticket for the earlier flight - everyone seems to be assuming one way or the other here)
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
According to the article he did have an extra seat, though in the name of his other son whom he bought yet another seat for him to go home early.
Letter of the law, airline is ok. Still massive di cks though.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Stop being ridiculous. The guy wasn't putting some completely random person that hadn't bought a ticket on the plane. It's his under 2 year old son who flies for free sitting in his lap. His thinking, while faulty, was that he had already purchased the seat for his older son and it would be available so that he can not keep the infant on his lap and instead put him in that paid for seat, not realizing it would be given to someone on standby. In fact, if there were no standby passengers on this flight, that would have happened without any issue whatsoever because the infant was checked in and boarded and it would be completely fine to use the available seat in a car seat.
There's a thread dedicated to things everyone should know but don't. If you don't travel often, I can completely see someone not knowing that your paid seat will be given to someone on standby if you don't show up. And that simple explanation could have been given to him and I would venture to say that he would be far more likely to "give in" with that explanation. The explanation you DON'T give is "you're going to jail, your wife is going to jail, and your kids are going to be taken from you if you don't give us that seat". Or an explanation that an infant can't ride in a car seat when your airline not only allows it but ####### recommends it.
I mean, the guy seemingly spent extra money on a ticket for his older son so that that seat would be available. That happened prior to this flight. He wasn't trying to scam anyone. It seems far more likely that he didn't realize that seat would be given away when his oldest didn't board or else he wouldn't have bothered buying an extra ticket. When you watch the video, his main argument is "I paid for that seat" and it seems he really didn't understand or know that how he went about it was incorrect. I just don't understand why some of you can't see that even a reasonable person may not know that if they don't travel often (or even if they do).
sbonomo
Footballguy
oh come on. He is completely wrong and holding up an entire flight because of his ignorance. He needs to take responsibility for that. Cry me a river that you are an idiot that thought it would be a good idea to travel with two small children on a red eye. He should have his head checked for ever thinking that would work.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Not even a Grade A ######## is going to do a "change seat" and still claim that the seat they changed from is still theirs. I'd say there's a > 99% chance the Dad bought the older son another ticket with the idea that the empty seat could be used to put his already traveling infant instead of in his lap.
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
According to the article he did have an extra seat, though in the name of his other son whom he bought yet another seat for him to go home early.
Letter of the law, airline is ok. Still massive di cks though.
Jobber
Footballguy
Is this a fact? I would think he did not buy a last minute ticket for his 18yr old but instead paid a change fee to get him on the earlier flight.
sbonomo
Footballguy
So they are complete tools. Because the refused to follow the airlines rules they were asked to leave. Not only that but they have now inconvenienced an entire plane of people while they are sorting through their "perceived" rights. What an idiot. The fact that anyone would side with this guy is troubling.
Wife gets a 6-6.5 based on the picture.
sbonomo
Footballguy
You're kidding right? What did the poor guy that got the seat do wrong. You are a complete tool for having this attitude.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
Were they not going to refund his money for the seat? I didn't see anything about that.
sbonomo
Footballguy
so now every scammer out there starts not buying a seat in hopes that their kid gets to fly for free????? This a terrible idea on so many levels.
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
sbonomo
Footballguy
So I inferred by your statement you think they should have gave him the seat correct? If that is the case go ahead and read my comment . If not, I inferred incorrectly.
fatness
Footballguy
This article says he bought 4 seats. I've seen no article saying he bought 3 seats on one plane and 1 seat on another plane.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/05/03/delta-allegedly-threatens-family-jail/
Harry Manback
Footballguy
If they bought the seat for their child, then sure. But they didn't.Doug B said:
They bought it for their teen son, who they then put on another flight. Rather than pay a change fee, they just assumed they could use the seat for their younger child. Since the owner of the seat (their teenage son) was a no-show, a stand-by passenger got the seat.
Their refusal to give the seat up puts them in the wrong. Delta could have/should have handled it better, but the family is the jackass here.
Harry Manback
Footballguy
If he bought 4 seats, he then took the 4th seat for his older son and bought him another seat on a different plane. Because they didn't pay a change fee to transfer the seat the 4th seat they "bought" was a no show. They incorrectly assumed since they bought 4 seats anyone can use those 4 seats.
Federal law requires the person who's name is on the ticket, sit in the seat. Since they checked in with only 3 people they lost that 4th seat per airline policy, and it was given to a standby. There was no way any airline could allow anyone else to sit in that seat.
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
Do I think they should they have allowed him to fill a seat he bought for one son with another son? Absolutely.
Anecdote time. My wife and two kids and I missed a flight because we were stupid. I knew we would miss it so I called the airline. The ###### who answered the phone told me it would cost me 1200 to rebook. We rushed to the airport, missed the flight, and the woman who helped us was excited when she heard my son was born on Christmas and rebooked us for free. The rules are stupid. Airlines can accommodate but they have lost their purpose we all need to push back until they figure it out again
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