Numerous people waiting for their departure is the reason for imposing the fine on United Airlines. As a matter of fact, this penalty is considered the largest for flight delays in the USA (Duncan, par. 1). To be more exact, the organization delayed twenty domestic and five international flights “in which passengers were held on the tarmac for longer than three hours,” expecting their departure (Duncan, par. 2). Such delays did not allow passengers to leave the plane, and they were forced to remain in it (Duncan, par. 2). However, United Airline’s main excuse for such actions was their constant priority of their customers’ safety; however, in truth, the flights were delayed due to the inability of planes to withstand bad weather conditions (Duncan, par. 2, 4). As a result, the government fined United Airlines and transferred half of the funds to passengers as compensation.
I was shocked by the fact that United Airlines did not allow its passengers to exit the vehicle in case of ground delays (Duncan, par. 2). Furthermore, people were forced to wait in their seats for a long time, more than three hours. It was interesting to learn that people actually could leave the plane during domestic flights delays, considering that the stop’s duration is more than three hours (Duncan, par. 10). However, United Airlines did not follow the laws and once kept its passengers on board for five hours (Duncan, par. 2). Overall, it bothers me how United Airlines handled the situation of flight delays with their customers on the ground after informing the passengers about the stop.
In the modern world, people frequently face problems with their flights. Sometimes, the reason for the delay is reasonable, like weather conditions. However, sometimes customers are forced to wait due to the technical issues of the airline itself. It seems unfair since the organizations need to check the safety of their planes beforehand. As a result, people are late for crucial events or planned meetings. At the same time, airlines do not always compensate the money for such inconvenience. To sum up, airlines should advance a notification system to inform passengers about flight delays beforehand to provide them with an opportunity to change tickets or book another plane on time. In addition, the organizations need to focus on producing the terms for compensation in case of departure delays or other inconveniences during the flight.
Work Cited
Duncan, Ian. “United Airlines Fined for Keeping Thousands of Passengers Stuck on Planes for Hours.” Washington Post, 2021, Web.