Nobody dragged from oversold Boise flights, airport says

Passengers flying out of Boise have not been forcibly removed from oversold flights, as happened to a United Airlines passenger who expected to fly out of Chicago late Sunday. That incident, caught on video, sparked an uproar Monday.

“Typically, if airlines oversell flights, they have enough people” willing to take a buyout on their seats, said Boise Airport spokesman Sean Briggs.

United offered $400 vouchers and a hotel stay for four people to get off the flight at O’Hare Airport. When none did, United doubled the vouchers to $800. Still no one volunteered, so United picked passengers to remove in what a manager said was a random selection. Police dragged one passenger out of his seat and down the aisle by his arms.

When airlines have issues with passengers, they sometimes call Boise Police Department officers stationed at the airport for help, Briggs said. He said there have been no such incidents related to oversold flights, and he hasn’t heard passenger complaints about such incidents.

This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Nobody dragged from oversold Boise flights, airport says."