United Airlines Passenger Dragged Off Plane

So what happens when an airline decides four of its employees have a seat on a fully booked airplane?  They bump paying passengers.  And, believe it or not, they are within the law. Check the small print on your ticket.

However, yesterday the arrogance of the airline industry fell victim to the ever present smart phone video recording the almost every individual has.

United Airlines needed four seat for THEIR EMPLOYEES who had to be in Louisville, Kentucky, three hundred miles away from the departure point in Chicago.  They offered an incentive of $400 for any passengers willing to give up their seat. No takers.  Then they offered $800. Still no takers. Then they randomly selected PAYING passengers to leave the place to make room for THEIR EMPLOYEES (so much for the 'customer comes first' mantra).  

Three PAYING customers got up to leave.  However, the four passenger, a man of Chinese ancestry, refused to leave.  He said he was a doctor and had to be in Louisville the next day. He was on the plane with his wife. 

Since he refused to leave, the airline employee who was in charge, called the airport police to forcibly remove this passenger. The above video shows this outrageous decision on the part of the airline. 

The airport police dragged the screaming passenger out of his seat, hitting his head on an armrest in the process. 

Now the worst part, the CEO of United Airlines defends this outrage blaming the passenger for being 'belligerent'.  Excuse me? The Chicago police said the passenger 'fell' while being 're-accomodated' (a new word for forcibly removing passengers from their paid seat) from the plane.

Folks, I don't travel that much, my last trip being from Los Angeles, but I can tell you that the worst part of my trips are the airlines. I wasn't dragged out of my seat during my last flight but I did have a tough time, both going and returning.  I literally dread the flights as do most people. Something has to be done to stop this outrage and be done now.  This will not stand.