United Airlines landed in the soup once again when uniformed officers dragged a passenger out of the aircraft after he refused to get off it even as the airlines informed him that it was overbooked on Sunday.
A fellow passenger took a video of the incident and posted it online. Other passengers can be seen outraged in the video at the way the airlines treated the unnamed passenger. The passenger who posted the video told NYT: "it felt like something the world needed to see."
@united @FoxNews @CNN not a good way to treat a Doctor trying to get to work because they overbooked pic.twitter.com/sj9oHk94Ik
— Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges) April 9, 2017
The passenger was reportedly an Asian doctor. His glasses were askew and his shirt rode up his waist as uniformed officers dragged him by the hands.
The airlines reportedly initially offered $400 and a hotel room to volunteers who would deplane. When nobody agreed they offered $800 and said that the aircraft wouldn't take off until four seats are found for their employees.
In the second video, the man can be seen bleeding from the mouth after the brutality he went through.
According to an airlines expert, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, "Airlines overbook because people don't show up for flights and they don't want to go with empty seats."
The flight was going from Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD) to Louisville International Airport (SDF). The airline is being investigated over compliance with rules regarding overbooking. At least four passengers, including the one who was dragged out, were deplaned.
A security officer who was involved in the incident was placed on leave, the authorities said.
Earlier, the airlines had gotten into trouble when they told two schoolgirls to deboard for wearing leggings on the flight.
