United CEO defends decision to drag passenger off plane

The CEO of United Airlines is defending his employees—and his company’s policy for dealing with overbooked flights—after a passenger’s forcible removal from a Chicago flight sparked an international outcry. The incident happened Sunday night, but fallout continued today, with calls for a boycott and plunging stock prices. CEO Oscar Munoz said in a statement he was “upset to see and hear” about the incident, which began when the company asked four passengers to voluntarily give up their seats for employees who needed them. When no one volunteered, the company “revoked” the boarding passes of four ticket-holders. The first three left grumbling, but the fourth, a middle-aged man in a window seat, refused. Security officers eventually boarded the plane and dragged him up the aisle. In the scuffle, the still unidentified man smacked his head on an armrest, bloodying his nose. Videos of the incident shot by multiple passengers quickly went viral. The Chicago Department of Aviation said it suspended one of the officers involved. A petition calling for Munoz’s resignation had nearly 16,000 signatures by midday.