A man was forcibly removed from an overbooked United Airlines flight Sunday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport before it took off for Louisville, Kentucky, and video of him being dragged off the plane is going viral.
United spokesman Charlie Hobart said in a statement that the police were called to the aircraft when the passenger refused the leave his seat on the oversold flight, the Chicago Tribune reported.
"After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate," Hobart said in the statement. "We apologize for the overbook situation."
Audra Bridges, a passenger on the flight, captured the incident on video and posted it on Facebook. That video, which shows a man being dragged by the arms toward the front of the airplane, has more than 615,000 views.
Another passenger, Jayse Anspach, captured the incident on video as well, and posted it on Twitter. That video was retweeted more than 27,800 times.
Bridges said, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, that the airline offered $400 and then $800 and a hotel stay for four volunteers to make room for stand-by United employees. When there were no takers, Bridges said a manager came on board and stated a computer would randomly select four people who would depart.
While one couple left without protesting, a third man selected by the computer became "very upset," claiming he was a doctor and needed to return to Louisville to see patients, Bridges said, according to the Courier-Journal.
Bridges said the man was forcibly removed by three people, but managed to run back on the plane with a bloodied face, wrote the Courier-Journal. Passengers were then told to exit the plane so officials could "tidy up" the aircraft before takeoff.
That incident was posted on Twitter.
Overall, the flight was delayed two hours, Bridges said, according to the newspaper.
Many responded to the incident on social media.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.