And what a record!
My theory is that when the guy who did the dragging was suspended, the airport LEO’s did some computer diving on the victim.
I think all of that is irrelevant. He paid for a ticket. He didn’t create this problem. United did.
Perhaps they shouldn’t take people’s money until they are seated and off the ground. LOL
Hell, I don’t mind if they beat him up because he’s a doctor.
How about them apples?
The passenger’s history was shamefully brought out. Not relevant. He is a 69 year old doctor and was knocked out, bloodied, and dragged unconscious from the plane. That is the issue at hand.
the guy should have cooperated, its the rules. Its in the ticket, its the same for everybody. He clearly chose to make this drama turn out the way it did. He won his stupid prize.
Wonder how many times this has happened before without somebody refusing on leaving short of force. Guess it took somebody losing their temper for people to notice. Should we be surprised it was somebody a bit unstable?
United picked the wrong guy to bump and now they'll have to pay a lot more than they would if they'd been able to increase the compensation for finding volunteers. United takes all the blame when much of the blame belongs with government.
No. But the man said no and the directions were - get off. He did not and ended up in trouble.
Or maybe his law breaking flaming personality was a factor in why the employees had to call the police.
It is very simple, and the above article and public high dudgeon against UAL are all ridiculous.
The airline has the right, for any nondiscriminatory purpose, to remove any pax from an a/c. at any time the door is open. You may not like it, and there are rules for compensation, but that is the law, the filed tariffs and the Contract of Carriage.
The passenger refused the flight attendant’s repeated requests then legal demands over a 12 minute period that he leave the aircraft. He was then in violation of 49 U.S. Code § 46504
United then called law enforcement to remove him, as required by law. Chicago LEO’s asked/told him on multiple occasions that he had to leave a/c. That’s when he began his false cries that he had to be in surgery the next morning.
They then ordered him to leave one more time. LEOs then told him he was under arrest for repeated vio of 49 U.S. Code § 46504 and Illinois law (Failure to Obey...) and he would have to leave with them.
He refused to comply and passively then violently resisted that lawful arrest.
LEOs then had to extract him from his seat and he fought them.
Then the video started.
The entire violence was caused by an arrested man resisting that arrest and removal from the a/c. Did Chicago LEO’s overreact? Possibly, but the blame is not UAL’s. It started when the pax refused multiple lawful orders, resisted arrest, and what happened subsequently was his fault.
A parallel example. You are stopped for 40 in a 30. When running your license, the LEO gets a hit saying you have an open warrant from Spokane, Washington. He announces he is going to arrest you and take you to jail for that.
His information is wrong, and you know it, because you have never been within 500 miles of the State of Washington.
Regardless, you must submit to the arrest or face the physical and legal consequences for not doing do. You later have good grounds for a civil suit, but that is for arguing later, not on the street, on in airline seat.
There seems to be two people with almost the same last name who the MSMLSD may have attributed to the wrong guy ala Aurora movie shooting. More seems to be coming.
1. United should have determined the overbooking before anyone boarded.
2. The man should not have acted like a spoiled 2 year old. When security asked him to leave, he should have walked off the plane. Be angry, throw your SkyMall, whatever. Just leave.
3. If a crew member had tried to reason for the man for, say, an hour, how long before the other passengers scream “DRAG HIM OFF!”
4. The man is also a tournament poker player, he should know that sometimes you are dealt a bad beat.
Has the most important question about him been answered? Did he vote for Donald Trump?
There may be worse than UA but its the worse I ever flied, once.
Its been leading a race to the bottom for over a decade,
Screw them!
They should have dragged the moron out by his ears.
I’m just jealous. I’m sure it hurt, but hey, for $5-10 mil I’d get over the pain.
It doesn’t matter if he were a choir boy or a guy who pimped drugs for gay sex. He’s gonna be so rich he won’t have to trade oxys for bjs any more.