Flight Overbooked, United Airlines Forcibly Removes Passenger

Video shows him with blood on his face as he's dragged from the plane
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 10, 2017 10:03 AM CDT

People are outraged after video surfaced Sunday night showing a passenger being forcibly and violently removed from a United Airlines flight that had been overbooked. As the Courier-Journal reports, four seats were needed on the Chicago-to-Louisville flight so that crew members could get to Louisville for a flight assignment Monday morning. Passengers were told that volunteers were needed to give up their seats and that they would receive $400, a hotel stay, and a flight the following day. They were told the flight wouldn't take off until four people had given up their seats, but no one volunteered. The airline then doubled the offer to $800 and still no one volunteered. A manager then came on board and used a computer to randomly select passengers who would need to leave the flight. A couple was selected and left, and then the man in the video was selected.

He explained that he's a doctor and had patients he needed to see Monday morning, but was told that security would be called if he didn't exit the flight voluntarily. He said he would be calling his lawyer, and eventually, three security officials came onboard, pulled him from his seat, and dragged him down the aisle and off the plane. Passengers say everyone on the flight was appalled, and children onboard were scared. The man got back on the plane, reportedly "disoriented" and with his face bloodied, and ran to the back of the plane. A medical crew came aboard and passengers were asked to return to the gate while the plane was "tidied up." Eventually the plane departed two hours late. United has since apologized for overbooking, the Week reports, but no update has been given on the passenger who was removed. Video of the incident from two different angles is here and here. (More United Airlines stories.)

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