Another United employee told passengers that the plane would not leave until four people got off, Mr. Bridges said.
A passenger, Tyler Bridges, said that when he arrived at the gate about 20 minutes before boarding, United had announced
that the flight was overbooked; the airline was offering $400 vouchers to anyone who would give up their seat, Mr. Bridges said in a telephone interview on Monday.
Then the United employee went to a man five rows behind Mr. Bridges, and told him he needed to get off the plane.
A man on an overbooked United Airlines flight was forcibly removed from his seat
and dragged through the aisle on Sunday, and video of the anguished protests by him and other passengers spread rapidly on Monday as people criticized the airline’s tactics.
“That customer chose not to get out of his seat.”
The situation became uncomfortable for the United employees who then got on board and took the vacated seats, Mr. Bridges said.
United Passenger Dragged From Overbooked Flight -
By DANIEL VICTOR and MATT STEVENSAPRIL 10, 2017
United apologized for the overbooked situation, but not for its treatment of the passenger.
We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation.”
In a statement, United said “we apologize for the overbook situation.”
Airlines routinely sell tickets to more people than the plane can seat, counting on several people not to arrive.