While the video of a man who was physically removed from a United flight by police after gate agents realized they needed to bump passengers was shocking, it begs the question: can an airline do that?
"No they can't yank you off, which is what happened in this particular situation, but yes, airlines have the ability to remove passengers from the aircraft," Texas-based aviation consultant Ken Jenkins tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
He points to the airline’s Contract of Carriage, which gives the company the right to do pretty much anything they please. It used to be written on tickets, when travelers bought physical tickets, but these days, it's probably in the fine print that comes on the screens of airline's websites.
"Airlines deal with this on a daily basis and they've got really good at managing it. Here is what happens when you don’t manage it well," he explains.
In a statement Tuesday, United CEP Oscar Munoz apologized and promised a review its policies.
"The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened. Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way."
But Jenkins wonders why the airline let the incident get to the point where someone needed to be physically removed by police.
"Why were the passengers allowed to board before they had the number of volunteers they needed," he asks.
United reportedly offered flyers $800 in compensation, but nobody took it. According to the airline's Contract of Carriage, they will offer up to $1,350, so it's unclear why they stopped making offers.