United Airlines is one of the largest American carriers and has a massive presence in Tel Aviv. In addition, it has services from its hubs such as Newark, San Francisco, Chicago-O’Hare, and Washington- Dulles. The airline experienced flight disruption on one of their flights.
The flight was to depart at 16:25, but it was postponed to the following day at 07:00. Flight UA84 operates daily from Newark using the Airline’s Boeing 787-10 airplane. The American airline experienced a flight delay earlier this month, August 6th, on one of their planes, Flight UA84.
Moreover, the airline management said the disruption was caused by a curfew at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport. The reason United Airlines gave their passengers flying from Newark to Tel Aviv for the flight delay was heavily challenged.
However, passengers who were to board the flight refuted these claims by United, citing they were given a different reason. In addition, an agent had made an announcement saying that flight UA84 pilots declined to take the plane during that time.
The Summon
The plaintiff’s lawsuit was filed by Migir Ilganayev of Ilganayev Law Firm. The lawsuit states that United Airlines committed negligence, fraud, and breach of contract charges. According to the legal summons, United Airlines was fraudulent and dishonest against the plaintiff and all passengers who were to board the UA84 flight when its crew refused to execute their roles. Also, the summons further states that the airline knowingly lied about their flight delay.
What is the confusion over the flight disruption?
On the day of the flight disruption, United Airlines, through a statement, told the passengers of flight UA84 that a curfew contributed to the delay. In addition, the airline also confirmed the reason for the disruption on their website.
The confusion began when The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli Newspaper, asked for clarification from a Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport representative who said there was no curfew. To add more to the confusion, the newspaper reported what the representative told them.
When the plaintiff contacted United again after the delay, they were told it was caused by bad weather. They were later informed that the disruption was due to a maintenance issue before giving the final reason for the curfew at the Tel Aviv airport.
Due to this confusion, there were questions to be asked, why did the flight crew decline to perform their duties on that day? Was it due to the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel? In addition, this might have been a possibility since there were reports that rockets had been fired, which raised safety concerns.
No compensation package for the United Airlines Flight disruption
Following the delay, several passengers said they were offered a $40 meal voucher as compensation from the airline. On its website, United Airlines stated that they do not offer free hotel stays for flight delays since their occurrence is beyond their control.
For this reason, the airline claimed a curfew imposed at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport was the cause of the flight disruption. Also, this situation would be considered beyond their control to avoid compensating their passengers.
The plaintiff summons also stated that the airline lied to their passengers by giving other reasons instead of saying their flight crew declined to fly since it would make them liable for such a situation. The lawsuit is still in court as we wait for the final verdict.
What do you think will be final verdict for this lawsuit? You can answer through the comment section below.
