Passengers chosen to leave since noone on flight volunteered

Logistically out of the question.
631 million flew in the US in 2010.

I know, right?

It would probably resemble the present no fly list, which has lots of names on it that should not be there.

Reply to self. I really did see that his flub up was real, but not anything like Miller is positing.

So, now this guy is likely finding a lot of venom on the internet.
What a miserable situation.

Yeah, I hear you. Besides that, a nationwide comprehensive list of all felony convictions would be FAR more lengthy and difficult to manage than the no-fly list.

I have no felonies, knock on wood.

In my own life, sure I would have volunteered, even on flights before these years I've gotten old, depending on the situation I was in, re work or health or if it was part of a vacation. Work or health matter to some sizeable part of the population when the travel plan is in progress, even people in the cattle car like me/us.

Yes you are right

Airlines overbooking flights and bumping passengers is nothing new. What's unusual about this particular case is that they bumped a passenger after he had already boarded and was seated. (Normally) passengers get bumped before boarding plane. ( Normally) once you already boarded plane, you don't get bumped.

Also you normally don't get beat up.

Agreed.

Recently read that this doctor has some very seedy hobbies concerning the Asian sex trade. If this is true (and it could have been floated by United's Damage Control Unit) it really has no bearing on his treatment by the airline, but's a little disappointing. Seems like our heroes keep proving to be something far less and our righteous victims may be leaving a trail of their own.

Strange world.

I can't recall who it was I heard say it, but the comment was made on TV that in 3 months time a consumer who finds a United flight for $100 cheaper than anyone else, isn't going to give this affair another thought.

Probably right.

Short term mess for the airline, but if they lose passengers they'll lower prices and turn things around.

Do you think this is something congress should investigate?

There is a cloud, I take it, but I bet many on a plane have clouds, or will. I agree it is irrelevant re their choosing him and then tossing him.

Really? You must run with a rough crowd.

It is immaterial to the way he was treated though, but if there's a salacious angle to a story, some reporter will find it. It could have been released by United, but it just as easily could have been unearthed by one or more reporters. I'm pretty sure it's SOP to do a search on the figure(s) in a story like this. If they had found he was a life saving hero of Doctors Without Borders it would have made the villain here look that much worse. It's story telling.

This puzzled me as well.

If the flight was overbooked by three or four seats wouldn't there have been three or four passengers waiting in the jet bridge to get on board? Seems more logical to choose from them the one not taking the flight than to drag off someone already seated.

Is it a fact that the bumped passengers were making way for United personnel? If so, it's even more infuriating.

Does the price a passenger pays for their seat have anything to do with it? Will they look to bump lower fare passengers in favor of late buyers who pay top dollar?

Perhaps I shouldn't be looking for method to the madness.

What ever sequence of passengers are chosen to be kicked off a flight is the wrong policy.

United (and I would venture that soon, other airlines) has said they are going to completely change their policies relative to overbooking and bumping passengers.

Justice happens or not, and I posit some had felonies well judiciaried, and some not so much, given our history. I agree it's irrelevant to getting tossed in this situation.

I may blame the Chicago police on this one as much or more than the icky airline, but I don't know enough.

I've no idea. The FAA? or maybe they have been replaced recently.

I think I read a day or two ago that they picked from the cattle car, but I'm not at all sure when or where I read that. I'm sure I read they didn't go after high end folks.