According to the Courier Journal, a passenger on a flight from Chicago to Louisville was

forcibly removed from an airplane after the airline overbooked the flight and no passenger was willing to give up his or her seat for a stipend from the airline. Three members of security apparently began speaking with the man who refused to leave. They then grabbed him and yanked him out of his seat and dragged him from the plane. Here's what the spokesperson for United Airlines had to say, quote, flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville is overbooked.

After our team looked for his seat and dragged him from the plane. Here's what the spokesperson for United Airlines had to say.

Quote, Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers,

one customer refused to leave. The aircraft was voluntarily, and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate. We apologize for the overbook situation. Further details on the removed customers

should be directed elsewhere. The Courier Journal reports that passengers were told the plane had been overbooked by four seats. The airline offered a $400 travel voucher and a hotel stay, which nobody took them up on. At that point, they had the computer randomly select four travelers on the flight and tell them to give up their seats to United employees who were required in Louisville for the next day. One doctor who said he needed to see patients in the morning refused to get out of his seat, at which point security carded him off. Here is the career journal, quote, Witness Audra Bridges said the man became very upset and said that he was a doctor who needed to see patients at a hospital in the morning. The manager told him that security would be called if he did not leave willingly, Bridges said, and the man said he was calling his lawyer. The man was able to get back on the plane after initially being taken off. His face was bloody and he seemed disoriented, Bridges said, and he ran to the back of the plane. Passengers asked to get off the plane as a medical crew came on to deal with the passengers, she said, and passengers were then told to go back to the gate so that officials could tidy up the plane before taking off.

United Airlines is taking a serious hit publicly for this incident, as well they should. It is appalling.

Here's what the United Contract of Carriage states. Quote, all of UA's flights are subject to overbooking,

which could result in UA's inability to provide previously confirmed reserved space for a given flight or for the

class of service reserved. Under Rule 25 of their Code of Carriage, United States that will

request volunteers, but that if nobody volunteers, they can deny people boarding involuntarily

in accordance with UA's boarding priority. If you're removed from a flight involuntarily, the airline

pays you a multiple of the airfare beyond your original ticket.

This isn't an unreasonable policy, actually.

Passengers routinely miss flights overbooking is common practice in order to fill planes instead of wasting money and time flying extra routes.

But there are two elements here that are unreasonable.

If not legally, then certainly in terms of business.

First, there's the question of the airline employees bumping paying passengers. Yes, the airlines have contracts with their stupid unions that require a certain number of staffers on particular flight. But when the unions trump the customers, the business is doing a terrible job. I will admit this has happened to me. I've been forced to miss a speech before hundreds of college students because the airline canceled my flight, then refused to book me on the next flight in order to fly a bunch of its own employees. Second, there's the problem of force. Why didn't United decide which passengers were bumped before boarding them? Or better yet, keep upping the offer until somebody on the plane took it. Four hundred bucks isn't a lot of money to give to somebody to compensate them for having to stay overnight in a location that prevents them from working the next day. Is there any question that if the company had simply upped its bid, somebody would have taken them up on it? In the end, people are going to call for government regulation because that's what they do. But this is actually a really good example of the market working. United is going to take a massive public relations hit today. They'll lose hundreds of thousands of dollars over this fiasco. Their stock price may even be affected. They'll change their policy to ensure this

never happens again. Other companies will take advantage with better service, and customers

will be served. And that customer who was removed will probably be amply compensated in settlement

too. The market still works, even if people are going to want government action on stupidities like this.

I'm Ben Shapiro. This is The Ben Shapiro Show.

...