Overbooked Flights: What to Do if You Get Bumped

Just two weeks after the Great Leggings Debacle, United Airlines is in hot water again - this time, for the way they handled an overbooked flight. An incident occurred on a United flight from Chicago, IL to Louisville, KY on Sunday, April 9 that has everyone talking about overbooked flights and airline practices. Today, we'll take a look at what happened on United Flight 3411, the growing issue of oversold flights, and consider what you should do if you get bumped from your flight.

What Happened in Chicago?

 

On Sunday evening, a passenger on United Flight 3411 posted a shocking video on Facebook. The video showed security officers violently dragging a passenger off of the overbooked flight. Another passenger posted a similar video on Twitter. The story immediately went viral.

According to eyewitnesses, all passengers had already boarded the completely full flight when an announcement was made that four United employees needed to fly to Louisville. They requested that four travelers volunteer to get off the flight, in exchange for a later flight and some compensation. The compensation offered must not have been very appealing, because no one volunteered to be bumped. The airline then selected several travelers and asked them to get off the plane. One couple complied and left the plane.

Another man who was selected refused to leave. This man, whose name has not yet been released, stated that he was a doctor who needed to get to Louisville urgently so he could see his patients at the hospital in the morning. The United officials didn't accept this and continued to demand that he leave the flight. Eventually, three security guards were summoned, and the man was roughly grabbed out of his seat. The passenger hit his head on the seat as he was hauled out, and was dragged up the aisle and off the plane, bleeding.

United is currently trying to resolve the situation with the injured passenger. At this time, it's not known what type of compensation he may receive.