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Asian man violently dragged off US plane

Tuesday, 11 April 2017 8:57 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 11 April 2017 9:01 AM ]

United Airlines planes on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California. (Photo by AFP)

An Asian passenger of an overbooked United Airlines flight has been violently pulled off the plane, after reportedly refusing to give up his seat to the company’s own employees.

The incident took place on Monday afternoon, when security staff tried to forcibly remove a 69-year-old man, who claimed to be a doctor, from a flight at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

Videos posted to social media showed how the man was pulled out of his seat and dragged down the aisle by his arms.

At one point, he managed to run back to the plane with a bloody face, shouting, “I need to go home.” But this time the officers returned and took his seemingly unconscious body out of the plane using a stretcher.

Passengers confirmed that the flight was overbooked and the airline wanted the man and three other passengers to disembark so that four of its own employees could get on board.

One passenger said the man’s face was slammed against an arm rest, causing serious bleeding.

The flight crew first asked four people to disembark voluntarily and take another flight the next day. However, nobody volunteered.

The incident prompted uproar on social media, with some users calling for a boycott against the airline.

“Time to boycott United Airlines! Forcing people off flights, by dragging them down the aisle! Unacceptable!!” said one Twitter user.

“If United had done this to a white passenger, it would have also been vile and unacceptable. But they *chose* to brutalize an Asian,” another user said.

According to the Chicago aviation department, one of the law enforcement officers was put on leave after it became clear that he did not follow protocol.

Federal transportation officials were trying to figure out whether airline had complied with overbook rules.

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz apologized after the incident and pledged to investigate the matter carefully.

“This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United,” Munoz said. “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with 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,” he added.

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