United Airlines Overbooks Flight, Passenger Forcibly Re-Accomadated to Make Room for Airline Staff

United Airlines is back in the news, this time it is for forcibly “re-accommodating” a passenger. Late last month, on a Sunday, this airline was in the news for banning two teenage girls from boarding a flight at Denver International Airport (schedule to Minneapolis). There was also a younger female that was able to put on a dress instead to appease the gate agent that blocked her entry also, according to the New York Times.

Earlier this week, Sunday evening to be exact (what is it with Sundays and United Airlines?), a United Airlines passenger was forcibly removed from the plane at Chicago (scheduled for Louisville) as reported by the BBC.com website.

According to witnesses, United Airlines overbooked the flight and needed four passengers to voluntarily depart the plane so that United Airlines personnel could meet their job duties the following day. Reportedly Jayse D Anspach, is the person that shot the now famous footage of an Asian doctor being forcibly removed (his wife was also evicted from the plane). According to the eye witness, “"#United overbooked and wanted four of us to volunteer to give up our seats for personnel that needed to be at work the next day."

"No one volunteered, so United decided to choose for us. They chose an Asian doctor and his wife."

"The doctor needed to work at the hospital the next day, so he refused to volunteer," Mr Anspach added.

"Ten minutes later, the doctor runs back into the plane with a bloody face, clings to a post in the back, chanting, "I need to go home."

According to another passenger’s (Ms. Audra D. Bridges) Facebook posts, “This man is a doctor and has to be at the hospital in the morning…”

At this time, only one of the security officers involved has been placed on leave.

As of this writing, United Airlines has only offered a public apology via Twitter to the customers that were re-accomadated.

With the way passengers are treated by the TSA prior to boarding an airplane to this, it is rather disheartening to say the least. I don’t fly and don’t have plans to do so in the future – things like this just reaffirm that position.

Edit to add - It seems the people are speaking out about this using their money. Reportedly, United Airlines stock has dropped over $1 billion in value since this incident came to the forefront. Reported by the Fortune.com website.