After United Airlines overbooked a flight, a passenger was forcibly removed from the aircraft by airport security because he refused to leave the plane.
The man who was removed from Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville said he was a doctor who had to be at work the next morning. Three security guards approached him, and one pulled him from his seat and dragged him down the aisle off the plane.
Multiple videos of the incident have been shared on social media, including one taken by fellow passenger Andra D. Bridges.
In the videos, the man’s yells can be heard as the officer removes him, but he falls silent shortly after. His mouth is visibly bleeding as he is dragged, his shirt riding up his back, glasses skewed and stomach exposed.
@United overbook #flight3411 and decided to force random passengers off the plane. Here’s how they did it: pic.twitter.com/QfefM8X2cW
— Jayse D. Anspach (@JayseDavid) April 10, 2017
According to Bridges, prior to boarding, United offered a $400 voucher and hotel stay for one volunteer to take a flight the next day. Passengers were allowed to board the flight but were then told four people needed to volunteer to take a flight the next day so standby United employees could fly to Louisville. Although the offer increased to $800, no one volunteered, so airline employees resorted to a computer-selected group of four random passengers, including the man who was forcibly removed and his wife.
Voices of concern are audible in the videos, with one woman exclaiming, “Oh my God, look at what you did to him.”
“Everyone was shocked and appalled,” Bridges told USA Today. “There were several children on the flight as well that were very upset.”
United CEO Oscar Munoz released a statement Monday in response to the incident. “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened,” he said.