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.

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.

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.

United Airlines Contract of Carriage, click image for full contract. (Image: United.com)

United Airlines Contract of Carriage, click image for the full contract. (Image: United.com)

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?