Opinion: United Airlines takes some of the readers’ heat off Donald Trump

In this era of Donald Trump — with its mass protests and historically bad approval ratings for the president during his traditional post-inaugural honeymoon — the language of resistance hasn’t remained confined to politics. This week, it found another target: United Airlines.

The thuggish treatment of a passenger who wanted to keep his seat on a United regional plane in Chicago on Sunday would have sparked outrage with any political environment as a backdrop. But among The Times’ letter writers, there are some people speaking about United’s “re-accommodation” scandal as if they were revolutionaries opposing Orwellian overlords.

People today, especially newspaper readers, are already mad. United made them madder than hell.

Curtis Panasuk compares the roughed-up United passenger to past revolutionaries:

The United passenger is a hero because his sacrifice puts a spotlight on the outrageous policy of forcing customers off flights.

This is an example of civil disobedience popularized by Gandhi, who borrowed the idea from Henry David Thoreau. If a rule is unjust, who among us will be brave enough to break the rule until we are released from its shackles? This is how Martin Luther King Jr. broke down the rules of segregation.

Some would argue that the airlines have a right to make an overbooking rule in the name of profits. In fact, this rule led to United losing $750 million in capitalization on Tuesday.

The problem with United and other corporations is that in their vast collection of rules, they are missing the most fundamental one: Do the right thing.

Costa Mesa resident Jon Rowe lists multiple grievances against the airlines:

The latest outrage perpetrated against a United passenger should be the last straw for the flying public — against all airlines. For starters, passengers should demand the following:

No more overbooking. No more bumping. No more charges for checked bags. No more squeezing of ever-more seats into the cabins. Restore the practice of crediting frequent flier points based on miles flown, not the amount paid for a ticket.

Otherwise, where will the corporate greed end?

Roger Lowell of Santa Clarita wonders about the state of our union:

I have been a United frequent flier club member for more than 35 years. I will end that membership this month. As of this writing, I will never fly United again.

It is appalling that a ticketed passenger was hit and dragged off an airplane to make room for an employee. Could my daughter or wife or I be next if we fly United? What has happened to America, the land of the free and home of the brave, where the rule of the bully has replaced the rule of law?

It is my hope that other frequent flier club members of United will also take a stand against this abhorrent action.

El Segundo resident Ken Hense mentions another ongoing PR crisis:

Now I’m wondering if — in a fit of rage — Trump will send missiles to take out a United hub airport.

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