That video of a man being violently removed from an overbooked United Airlines flight is hard to watch, but did the airline break any laws?
There's now a push in Congress to hold a hearing, where airline executives and airport police will have to answer questions about the procedures in place to handle instances where passengers are, in United's words, re-accommodated.
Congressman Blake Farenthold (R-Corpus Christi), who sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says there are laws set out by the federal government.
"There are certain rules and regulation that cover denied boarding as well as terms in the Contract of Carriage," he tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
Those rules were once printed on tickets. Now, they're in the fine print when travelers book a flight online.One issue is the compensation for being bumped. United Airlines reportedly offered $800 to those who gave up their seat.
Federal rules require airlines to give passengers four times their fare or up to $1,250.
It's also unclear if the bumping process needs to be done at the gate, or after passengers are seated.United CEO Oscar Munoz apologized, in a statement.
“This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened.”