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United Airlines insists they "followed the right procedures" after video of a passenger being dragged from an overbooked flight and being left with a bloodied face sparked outrage.
As the flight waited to depart from Chicago's O'Hare Airport, police officers could be seen grabbing the screaming man from a window seat, pulling him across the armrest and dragging him down the aisle by his arms.
The airline was trying to make room for four of its employees on the Sunday evening flight to Louisville, Kentucky.
Passenger Audra D Bridges posted the video on Facebook. Her husband, Tyler Bridges, said United offered $US400 and then $US800 in vouchers and a hotel stay for volunteers to give up their seats.
When no-one volunteered, a United manager came on the plane and announced passengers would be chosen at random.
"We almost felt like we were being taken hostage," Mr Bridges said.
"We were stuck there. You can't do anything as a traveller. You're relying on the airline."
When airline employees named four customers who had to leave the plane, three of them did so. The fourth person refused to move, and police were called, United spokesman Charlie Hobart said.
"We followed the right procedures," Mr Hobart said.
"That plane had to depart. We wanted to get our customers to their destinations."
Passenger said he was a doctor, had to see patients
The passenger told the manager he was a doctor who needed to see patients in the morning, Mr Bridges said.
"He was kind of saying that he was being singled out because he's a Chinese man" when speaking to the manager, Mr Bridges said.
The Associated Press was unable to confirm the passenger's identity.
Two officers tried to reason with the man before a third came aboard and pointed at the man "basically saying, 'Sir, you have to get off the plane'," Mr Bridges said. That's when the altercation happened.
One officer involved has been placed on leave, the Chicago Aviation Department said Monday.
After the passenger was removed, the four United employees boarded the plane.
"People on the plane were letting them have it," Mr Bridges said.
"They were saying, 'You should be ashamed to work for this company'."
A few minutes later, the man who was removed from the plane returned, looking dazed and saying he had to get home, Mr Bridges said.
Officers followed him to the back of the plane.
Another man travelling with high school students stood up at that point and said they were getting off the plane, according to Mr Bridges and about half of the passengers followed before United told everyone to get off.
The man who was dragged down the aisle was removed from the plane again, and United employees made an announcement saying they had to "tidy up" the aircraft, Mr Bridges said.
Mr Bridges' wife told him she saw the man taken away on a stretcher and after a three-hour delay the flight took off without the man aboard.
Oscar Munoz, chief executive of United Airlines' parent company, described the event as "upsetting" and apologised for "having to re-accommodate these customers".
He said the airline was conducting a review and reaching out to the passenger to "further address and resolve this situation".
In a letter sent to United employees, Mr Munoz said while he regretted the incident had occurred he "emphatically" stood behind his staff.
"I do, however, believe there are lessons we can learn from this experience. Treating our customers and each other with respect and dignity is at the core of who we are," he said.
AP/Reuters
Topics: assault, air-transport, united-states
First posted