Check video here: http://tinyurl.com/k6wfpqj
Video of a passenger being forcibly and roughly dragged from a United Airlines flight by law enforcement officers created outrage from customers and social media observers.
In an account reported by several US and international publications April 10, the male passenger was apparently ordered to give up his seat because the April 9 flight from Chicago to Louisville, Kentucky, United Express 3411, was over-sold and airline gate staff could not get anyone to volunteer to give up their seats. It appears that United needed at least four seats for flight crew who were enroute to their next shift.
The video, taken by a passenger in a nearby seat and widely disseminated, shows three uniformed men wearing radio equipment and security jackets speaking with a man seated on the aircraft. The video clearly shows one of the men grabbing the passenger, who screams, then dragging him on the floor by his arms toward the front of the aircraft. In the struggle, the passenger  appears to hit his head against the headrest.
United’s CEO has acknowledged the incident and called it “upsetting”.
In its initial response, via Twitter on April 10, United said: “Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville [Kentucky] was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate. We apologize for the overbook situation. Further details on the removed customer should be directed to authorities.”
But after reactions to the video and United’s initial response exploded on social media early April 10, United CEO Oscar Munoz released a second statement, saying, “This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. 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. We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation.”
Reports say that United gate employees offered $400 and a hotel stay, and asked for one volunteer to take another flight to Louisville the next day. Despite a lack of response, passengers were allowed to board the flight. Once the aircraft was filled, an announcement was made that four passengers must give up their seats to stand-by United employees that were scheduled to work a flight from Louisville. Passengers were advised that the flight would not take off until the United crew had seats, and the offer was raised to $800. No one volunteered. Next, a manager came on board the aircraft and announced a computer would select four people to be taken off the flight. The first couple selected agreed to leave the aircraft, but the second couple included the man in the video.
No explanation has been given as to why United gate agents allowed people to board before they had the required number of seat give-ups, or why the airline was relying on a customer give-up situation to get its employees to their workplace.

ATW Editor's Blog

United bumped passenger video damages all airlines

Apr 10, 2017by  in ATW Editor's Blog
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The news and video that emerged today of a passenger being roughly dragged from a United Airlines aircraft for no other reason than the airline had oversold the flight is truly disturbing.
Who can honestly look at those images and not shudder? How could such tactics be justified when the incident that started it was caused by the airline, which overbooked the flight and apparently relies on bumping its customers – say again, customers – to get its own employees to their place of work?
Even if you feel the passenger being involuntarily bumped was partly to blame by refusing to leave his seat, does United believe it was okay to let all its other customers watch a fellow passenger being dragged down the aisle, midriff bared, face bloodied?
Clearly, United CEO Oscar Munoz does not feel this was okay. “This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. 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 in a statement, although that was issued only after public furor erupted across social media.
Munoz has been working hard at restoring employee morale and customer service since he took the helm from former CEO Jeff Smisek, who basically tanked both.
But this incident shows how much work Munoz and his leadership team still have to accomplish.
No explanation has been given as to why United gate agents allowed all people to board before they required seats to be given up involuntarily. Or why the airline was relying on a customer give-up situation to get its employees to their workplace.
Aside from the very real damage United has done to itself with this incident, this will hurt its Star Alliance partners – airlines that promise “seamless service” across the partner airlines. Can you imagine ANA, Singapore Airlines or Lufthansa contemplating whether one of their customers might be exposed to this type of “service” if they fly on a United-operated aircraft with a boarding pass that carries their brand?