United Airlines Drags Man Off Overbook Airplane To Make Room For Employees [VIDEO]

United Airlines is facing its second controversy in as many weeks after forcibly removing a Chinese man from an overbooked flight.

WHO WAS MAN DRAGGED FROM UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT?

Video was captured on April 10 of United security grabbing a seated man and dragging him up the aisle of the plane to remove him. The passenger was seated quietly and not making a scene, but began screaming when he was manhandled. He was dragged down the aisle and made to bleed from his face.

See the disturbing video below.

United had apparently overbooked that flight, from Chicago to Louisville, and needed to open four seats for four of the airline’s employees to get to the next city for their shifts. At first, the company offered up to $800 in compensation for any passengers who would voluntarily give up their seats. When no one volunteers, in these situations, the airline chooses passengers somewhat at random to be chosen and removed from the flight.

The man who was dragged off the plane has not been named, but the Chicago Police Department report that he is 69-years-old. The man said he was a doctor and could not take a later flight as he had patients that needed to be seen the next day. Fellow passengers, however, heard the man say that he was being profiled for being Chinese, as he was being dragged out.

The airline has come under tremendous heat for their actions, especially in China, one of United’s biggest markets. Many wonder why the airline didn’t just offer more compensation, a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. According to the Department of Transportation, there is no mandated amount for reimbursement. “Carriers can negotiate with their passengers for mutually acceptable compensation,” the regulation states, however that is for people who voluntarily give up their seat. “If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally)… the compensation [is] 400% of your one-way fare, $1350 maximum.”

United CEO Oscar Muñoz released a brief statement after the fact. “This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United,” he wrote. “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened. We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation.”

At a different point, though, Muñoz seemed to further defend the company’s actions. “This situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused and it became necessary to contact Chicago Aviation Security Officers to help,” he said. “Chicago Aviation Security Officers were unable to gain his cooperation and physically removed him from the flight as he continued to resist – running back onto the aircraft in defiance of both our crew and security officials… Treating our customers and each other with respect and dignity is at the core of who we are, and we must always remember this no matter how challenging the situation.”