"Passengers on a United Express flight from Chicago to Louisville, Ky., were horrified when a man was forcibly removed — violently wrenched from his seat and physically dragged down the aisle — apparently to clear a seat for airline staff. Videos of the scene have prompted calls to boycott United Airlines.
On Twitter, a representative of the United said the flight in question was "overbooked" and that "one customer refused to leave." "
NPR reports there that United wanted to put United crew members in the passenger seats so they could staff another plane at the destination. United Reportedly offered $800 to get people to voluntarily switch planes -- which I'm finding hard to believe. Nobody wanted to stay in Chicago for $800? Even if you spend $300 on a room and going to and from the airport, you clear $500. And what percentage of passengers could possibly a connecting flight in Kentucky?
Some of the details are missing from this story. I'm sure of it. But this callous response from United (read it below) supports the circumstantial evidence that this wouldn't have happened to a white customer...no matter what.
"This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United," company CEO Oscar Munoz later said in a statement. "I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers."Um...no that's not cutting it. And this is the second incident involving United and inappropriate behavior of staff -- but that situation a little borderline.
Apparently two girls were wearing leggings instead of business attire required for PASS members (fly for almost nothing as relatives/friends of United Employees. But the requirement may be sexist depending on WHO does the interpreting of what's "appropriate")
In this case, United doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Having police (?) drag someone off a plane because you want the seat for an employee? No. The video below is nothing short of incredible. I just cannot imagine this happening to a white person. I can barely imagine it happening to a person of color....yet it happened.
The other question is this: Did the cops over react?
Making money is the bottom line. But if United overbooked the flight and screwed up the plan to get their staff to their next flight in Kentucky, then they should have upped the anty to $1000 or $1200 until they got a taker. Anything...but drag a passenger off the plane.
I don't care what the fine print says. If I'm in my seat already, I fully expect to get to my destination because I've paid for the service already. I'd ticked off if I got bumped BEFORE I got on the plane. If they demanded I get off a plane I was already on? I'd be too afraid I'd get shot as a black person to resist the way this man did. But I'd be hot.
In other words, unprofessional behavior by United is the source of this mess. Using fine print to refuse to honor your contract is b.s. And my paying for a ticket to go from A to B at time X is a contract. This is why that overbooking crap ought to be illegal anyway -- though this really didn't have anything to do with overbooking.
Furthermore, airlines should be required to figure out who is supposed to be on the plane BEFORE they get on the plane for security reasons alone.
Again, I wonder how much this man's race had to do with
United to answer for this.
The city of Chicago should answer for this too because I'm hearing the police --not some sort of security company -- were involved in this.
I need more information. Because this does not make sense -- not even from a "money making is everything" perspective. Then again, once you involve the police, the potential for violence increases geometrically...because they're not even going to jail when they murder people.
Making money is the bottom line. But if United overbooked the flight and screwed up the plan to get their staff to their next flight in Kentucky, then they should have upped the anty to $1000 or $1200 until they got a taker. Anything...but drag a passenger off the plane.
I don't care what the fine print says. If I'm in my seat already, I fully expect to get to my destination because I've paid for the service already. I'd ticked off if I got bumped BEFORE I got on the plane. If they demanded I get off a plane I was already on? I'd be too afraid I'd get shot as a black person to resist the way this man did. But I'd be hot.
In other words, unprofessional behavior by United is the source of this mess. Using fine print to refuse to honor your contract is b.s. And my paying for a ticket to go from A to B at time X is a contract. This is why that overbooking crap ought to be illegal anyway -- though this really didn't have anything to do with overbooking.
Furthermore, airlines should be required to figure out who is supposed to be on the plane BEFORE they get on the plane for security reasons alone.
Again, I wonder how much this man's race had to do with
1) his selection despite saying he is a doctor that has patients to get back to
2) how he was physically manhandled.
United to answer for this.
The city of Chicago should answer for this too because I'm hearing the police --not some sort of security company -- were involved in this.
Why are police, paid by state tax dollars, acting like bouncers for a private company? Police are supposed to policing people for being violent or impacting safety in a negative way --- not to protect United's financial bottom line.
- Again, this passenger was being bumped so another United Crew could be transported to the plane they were supposed to be flying out of the destination airport. So this entire ordeal should be seen as being about United's profit margin.
So why were actual policemen involved in this?
I need more information. Because this does not make sense -- not even from a "money making is everything" perspective. Then again, once you involve the police, the potential for violence increases geometrically...because they're not even going to jail when they murder people.
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