Update Post Here
United Airlines Passenger Forcibly Removed from Flight to Louisville
A passenger was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Louisville Sunday. The United Express flight was overbooked resulting in more passenger than there were seats. According to multiple accounts on Twitter, the flight was overbooked by four passengers. United Airlines was looking for four volunteers to give up their seats so crew members could deadhead to Louisville for flights the following morning.
The flight had already boarded. Once boarding had been completed, there were still too many passengers and not enough seats. United Airlines continued to ask for passengers to volunteer to give up their seats in return for a voucher and seat on the next flight. After it became obvious that passengers were not going to give up their seats, United had to resort to forcibly removing passengers.
Passengers on board United Express flight 3411 took video and posted the footage to social media. As of Monday morning, the videos have gone viral and are trending on Twitter and Facebook.
BREAKING: @United Airlines to change name to #TrumpAirpic.twitter.com/GVnrOZIYbp https://t.co/2mijfUm1o8
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) April 10, 2017
The video shows a passenger being removed from his seat with force by law enforcement. The passenger, a doctor from Louisville and his wife, were randomly selected to be involuntarily removed from the flight. The couple refused to leave multiple times and pleaded stating that the doctor had to be in Louisville by Monday morning. After refusing multiple times, United Airlines aided by law enforcement forcibly removed the doctor from the flight.
The Video Looks Extreme, however, Totally Legal
The video of the doctor being forcibly removed from the aircraft is very violent. It’s terrifying. I won’t deny that the way in which the passenger was removed was extreme however, there are two sides to every story.
Update: United Airlines asked law enforcement to remove the couple. When the couple refused, law enforcement violently removed the doctor. Law enforcement bashed the doctor’s face into the side of his seat and then carried him off the aircraft. United Airlines also issued a statement that stated that the airline is looking into this event.
There’s another video of the same passenger sprinting back on to the aircraft screaming “I need to go home.” Even though the passenger had been removed from the aircraft by law enforcement, he ran back onto the aircraft. He began hysterically yelling in the back of the aircraft. The video of this passenger appears to show a man who is not remotely complying with United’s contract of carriage.
@united @CNN @FoxNews @WHAS11 Man forcibly removed from plane somehow gets back on still bloody from being removed pic.twitter.com/njS3nC0pDl
— Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges) April 10, 2017
Again, the way in which law enforcement removed the passenger was extreme, however, United Airlines was in the right. United’s contract of carriage states that in the event of an overbooked flight, United Airlines has the right to refuse boarding to any passenger. Any airline can refuse passenger for any reason that is included in their contract of carriage. Once passengers refuse vouchers and flight changes, the airline can remove passengers without compensation.
It’s a harsh reality but, it’s reality. United Airlines needed that flight to depart. After a passenger refused to comply with their contract of carriage, law enforcement went in and enforced it. Law enforcement. however, decided to violently remove the passenger causing injury to the passenger.
I think we’ll hear much more regarding this event. Once we hear what the crew has to say, I’m sure we will all get a better understanding of the events that unfolded on that flight. Additionally, I wish law enforcement could have done a better and more humane job of enforcing the contract of carriage.
Note: Passengers do have a “bill of rights” but overbooking and passenger ejection is legal.
What do you think about the video? Do you know an airline’s contract of carriage when you fly?
United was already in a ridiculous spot, having to get 4 crew members to an airport for a flight. In this case, having had no takers for the offered compensation, they would have been far wiser to keep raising the offer until someone accepted. Now, they’ve got a huge PR black eye and they’re going to end up paying these passengers a few hundred thousand (my guess). United may have been in the right, legally, but it’s a pyrrhic victory.
First OFF, The PRIMARY “reason” they needed the four seats was that they wanted to board FOUR of their employees needed at the other end of the flight; HOWEVER they SHOULD have KNOWN this BEFORE boarding a SINGLE passenger; TWO: they COULD have asked for VOLUNTEERS and offered their rewards BEFORE they boarded a single person ,THREE; They DID NOT offer the TOP amount of $1345 dollars but stopped at $800. In my BOOK, United was guilty of FAILURE all the way around and then practiced POOR customer service and then ASSAULTED a passenger by DRAGGING him off the airliner.… Read more »
I can’t believe this, butI agree with you!
“Enforcing the contract of carriage?” This blogger clearly has a bright future as an airline flunky….er, employee.
We can let the lawyers sort this out but am pretty sure the “contract of carriage” does not allow the airline to forcibly/violently remove a seated passenger in order to accommodate airline employees. If it does, maybe there should be some legislative solution to prevent “contracts” from allowing corporations to abuse their paying customers.
Exactly. This sounds like some paid shill on behalf of united.
My understanding is that united was removing pax so crew flying on standby (STANDBY) could board.
Yes, I’m in the airline business too.
When did America loose it’s moxy, and become a bunch cattle sitting meekly in their chairs while this happens.
No doubt the doctor will find himself on the no fly list because failure to obey means you must be some godamned potential terrorist.
What United should have clarified is that, if that passenger had paid $25 extra, he’d get a premium beating. United stopped its auction far short of what the market obviously required in this circumstance. No pity party for United. They deserve every ounce of withering condemnation they are receiving.
The ‘Contract of Carriage’ is very long and full of legalese, but it
does NOT seem to cover this case, where the passenger was allowed to
board and then bumped and forcibly removed from the aircraft for no
other valid reason.
It doesn’t make any sense to bump someone off the plane involuntarily after he/she has already boarded. What about passenger rights?
This is an Airline blog, the “writer” is ostensibly an airline employee. keep that in mind when you read lines like ‘United was in the right”
Ian,
I am not an airline employee. I am a senior in high school so I couldn’t even get a job at a major airline if I tried! I was simply stating United’s Contract of Carriage. Additionally, I condemn how law enforcement handled the issue.
-Max P.
Let’s assume that IDB applies – even though the passenger had already boarded. Airlines have a right to deny boarding and may, if all other options have failed, use APPROPRIATE force to do so. They do not have a right to encourage enforcement agencies to use EXCESSIVE force which is what this is.
Justin,
I completely agree. United is allowed to remove passengers, however, the way in which this was done was horrendous.
-Max P.
“Refuse boarding…” He had already boarded the plane. There is a Passenger Bill Of Right, passed by Congress. Read it!
They MUST inform the passenger BEFORE boarding if the airline is bumping their flight. And, compensation is must be bigger, by law, than the $400 United initially offer. Even the $800 was short, given that the passenger was already aboard.
Yes, passengers who have already boarded should be offered starting at $2,000/hour of flight, ex: 1 hour flight = $2,000, 4 hour flight $8,000 etc. This is fair because when an airline over sells a flight they should be the one suffering loss and not the passengers who bought the ticket in good faith.
The passenger was already boarded so its not possible to “deny boarding” after the fact. United should have started offering compensation at the level for IDB to see if anyone would bite. Then, the needed to escalate. it’s a business. Works both ways. When you screw up you pay. UnitedExpress tried to cheap out. I hope the passenger sues United.
I agree 100%. When you screw up you pay!!!! When a customer makes a mistake, boy do they have to pay, and the same should apply. They need to keep raising the compensation till someone accepts. I would think at $5,000 some people would gladly accept being bumped.