The 4 / 11 on Flight 3411
A Letter From The Editor United Airlines & The Big Bumping Debacle
The 4 / 11 on Flight 3411
MAY 2017 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
4
After Islamic extremists hijacked those commercial airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9 / 11 , a phrase became popular , one that quickly morphed into a common joke . It went , “ But then the terrorists have won .” It was handy to attach the phrase to the back of any sentence —” We could save a lot of money by staying home and doing the ‘ stay-cation ’ thing , but then the terrorists have won .” There you have it all — a ready-made quip and a somewhat humorous reminder that we ’ ve moved on , a little sadder , but we survived ( except for the almost 4,000 innocent people who died in that senseless act of mass murder ) and that now we can joke about it , even after a great national catastrophe .
It ’ s stopped being funny , because now , the terrorists really have won . It took those murdering religious fanatics 17 years , posthumously , to do it , but in a profound sense , the terrorists of 9 / 11 have finally won .
They ’ ve managed to take away our human decency .
That realization hit me like a ton of bricks as I watched a video clip of 69-year-old Dr . David Dao from Kentucky being dragged off United Flight 3411 last month because he had purchased a ticket and felt entitled to fly to his destination . Some commentators have said that because he was a doctor that he felt superior and entitled , that he refused to accommodate the airline by getting off the plane . I don ’ t think so . I believe Dr . Dao felt that because he had purchased a ticket from United that it entitled him to fly home with-
out being assaulted . I think that Dr . Dao felt like many of us — tired and fed-up with the bullies and the incompetents of this world and likely thought , “ No , I ’ m not getting off this plane . It ’ s not my fault that United made a big blunder .” He probably felt that he had things to do and people to see , so why should he get off the plane and take a later flight simply because he was randomly selected to do so .
Dr . Dao stood his ground and was bullied for it .
Dr . Dao ’ s brutal treatment was the result of the erosion of service in the travel industry ( along with just about every other industry , but that ’ s another column ) that began on 9 / 11 . For the most part , airlines have abandoned efforts to make flying a positive experience for their customers and now their employees manifest the attitude that as long as passengers arrive at their destination alive they should be grateful to the airline and its staff . “ Kiss her feet . She brought us cashews .” The changes that were made to the airline industry in the aftermath of 9 / 11 have fostered an attitude of bullying that is sickening to watch .
Flying , in post 9 / 11 America , is downright stressful , often creepy . Before you even get near your plane you ’ re molested by TSA agents that are so poorly paid that the profession tends to attract bullies and perverts because the biggest perk they have in their jobs is that they get to embarrass , fondle and humiliate travelers .
Does anyone else recall when flying on a commercial airline was actually fun ? Do you remember when flying was an adventure that bore no resemblance to having a public colonoscopy without the drugs ? That was back when you really could fly the friendly skies of United because the staff members actually were friendly , accommodating and remembered that if it wasn ’ t for passengers they wouldn ’ t have a job at all .
Why , in a time of so much unrest in the world and so many horrifying headlines , is the image of a Kentucky doctor being dragged unconscious out of a plane he ’ d bought a ticket for soooo disturbing ? It ’ s unsettling to most Americans . In Russia , perhaps it ’ s simply a day in the life . Who knows ?
President Donald Trump criticized United Airlines ’ response to Dr . Dao ’ s refusal to disembark the plane in an interview with The Wall Street Journal . The president said the airline ’ s treatment of their customer was “ horrible ” and that the airline should have further increased the financial offer to customers to voluntarily leave the plane , instead of choosing to use force . They offered Dr . Dao a whopping $ 400 bucks to disembark and fly later . Hardly a great incentive . President Trump told The Wall Street Journal , “ You know , there ’ s a point at which I ’ m getting off the plane ... seriously . They should have gone up higher . But to just randomly say , ‘ You ’ re getting off the plane ,’ that was terrible .” Yes , sir , it was . Is this the signal of the end of customer service and the end of the era where you pay your money to an airline with the reasonable expectation that they ’ ll fly you home and you ’ ll arrive safely , in a timely fashion with all your teeth in their rightful place and your nose unbroken ? The new reality is that the airline can easily have you humiliated , get you dragged off the plane , can give you a concussion , break your nose , and knock out your front teeth . Then blogging idiots will pontificate about how you displayed “ an air of entitlement ” when told to leave the airplane you ’ ve paid good money to fly on . To add insult to injury , the airline ’ s CEO , Oscar Munoz , made a statement , justifying the treatment of
Continued on page 31