Couple
tries to steal free upgrade from United Airlines in Houston
HOUSTON
-- A couple
headed to
Costa Rica for their wedding Saturday had to be removed from a United flight
by a
U.S. marshal for not following crew member directives after trying to steal
upgraded seats without paying for them.
Michael
Hohl and his fiancé, Amber Maxwell, were near last to board United Airlines Flight
1737,
headed
from Houston to Liberia, Costa Rica. According to Hohl, a man
was already
in their assigned row napping
when they approached their seats. They used this as an excuse to
move to higher-fare-seating three rows up, in row 21 "economy plus" seating, without permission and without paying the required fee.
After
explaining to the couple that upgrading was not an option at this point in the
boarding process, the couple was told to return to their assigned seats.
After multiple attempts to sit in the wrong seats, and refusal to follow the
crew’s directives and return to their assigned seats, a U.S. Marshall came onto the plane and asked them to get
off.
Unlike
Dr. Dao, who made headlines last week for refusing to exit an aircraft when asked
first by the flight crew, second by the operations agent, and lastly by
law enforcement, resulting in his forced removal, the couple finally cooperated and got
off the plane without further incident.
Airline customers do not have a right to take better seats than they pay for. Nor do they have the right to make their own rules. Refusal
to follow airline policies and aircraft safety procedures will result in removal
from the aircraft for
the safety of the crew and passengers and will not result in monetary compensation.
Adapted from USA Today: United Airlines boots couple traveling to their
wedding on half-empty plane
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