4 ms·

In this case, semantics matter. Overbooking is a legally protected practice, but what you're trying to wedge into the definition of 'overbooking' is not.

churn1 10y ago
If terms and definitions matter, the legal term you are looking for is actually "oversales", not overbooking which is a colloquial term
- eridius 10y ago
  Overbooking is generally used as a synonym of oversales. Trying to redefine overbooking right now to mean something else is just going to cause confusion.
  - rhizome 10y ago
    There's a rhetorical difference where "overbooking" puts the onus on the customer, and "oversales" puts it where it should be: on the airline who sold the extra tickets. And at any rate, the flight was not oversold anyway. It was merely the 4 extra United employees who put the plane over capacity.
    - eridius 10y ago
      How can "overbooking" possibly put the onus on the customer? Overbooking is entirely within the control of the airline, and the customer doesn't have the capacity to overbook, or even the knowledge as to whether overbooking could possibly occur. > And at any rate, the flight was not oversold anyway. It was merely the 4 extra United employees who put the plane over capacity. Well yes, that's the whole point of this discussion, that calling it "overbooking" or "oversales" is wrong.
      - manigandham 10y ago
        Yes, overbooking/oversales are effectively synonyms, but that's not the issue at all here. Overbooking is purchased and reserved seating over capacity. The plane was fully booked and boarded at capacity, and then 4 more seats were cleared by physically removing passengers. Collapsing these events by saying it's an overbooking issue overlooks the very important timeline in between the plane being booked/boarded and then initiating a removal of said passengers, instead of denying them in the first place. The request for 4 seats should've arrived before the boarding process (or at least before it ended), that's the problem.
        eridius 10y ago
        I don't know why you're trying to make this argument with me, since it's unrelated to the actual discussion taking place in this subthread.
      - rhizome 10y ago
        Overbooking: People bought too many tickets Oversales: The airline sold too many tickets It's a thin distinction to be sure, but it reads with rhetorical significance to me.
        eridius 10y ago
        No, there is literally no distinction at all. The customer cannot possibly buy too many tickets, they can only buy as many tickets as the airline sells. So the only way to overbook is by the airline selling too many tickets.

churn1 10y ago

If terms and definitions matter, the legal term you are looking for is actually "oversales", not overbooking which is a colloquial term

eridius 10y ago
Overbooking is generally used as a synonym of oversales. Trying to redefine overbooking right now to mean something else is just going to cause confusion.
- rhizome 10y ago
  There's a rhetorical difference where "overbooking" puts the onus on the customer, and "oversales" puts it where it should be: on the airline who sold the extra tickets. And at any rate, the flight was not oversold anyway. It was merely the 4 extra United employees who put the plane over capacity.
  - eridius 10y ago
    How can "overbooking" possibly put the onus on the customer? Overbooking is entirely within the control of the airline, and the customer doesn't have the capacity to overbook, or even the knowledge as to whether overbooking could possibly occur. > And at any rate, the flight was not oversold anyway. It was merely the 4 extra United employees who put the plane over capacity. Well yes, that's the whole point of this discussion, that calling it "overbooking" or "oversales" is wrong.
    - manigandham 10y ago
      Yes, overbooking/oversales are effectively synonyms, but that's not the issue at all here. Overbooking is purchased and reserved seating over capacity. The plane was fully booked and boarded at capacity, and then 4 more seats were cleared by physically removing passengers. Collapsing these events by saying it's an overbooking issue overlooks the very important timeline in between the plane being booked/boarded and then initiating a removal of said passengers, instead of denying them in the first place. The request for 4 seats should've arrived before the boarding process (or at least before it ended), that's the problem.
      - eridius 10y ago
        I don't know why you're trying to make this argument with me, since it's unrelated to the actual discussion taking place in this subthread.
    - rhizome 10y ago
      Overbooking: People bought too many tickets Oversales: The airline sold too many tickets It's a thin distinction to be sure, but it reads with rhetorical significance to me.
      - eridius 10y ago
        No, there is literally no distinction at all. The customer cannot possibly buy too many tickets, they can only buy as many tickets as the airline sells. So the only way to overbook is by the airline selling too many tickets.