It wasn’t until a passenger named David Dao was dragged from a United Airlines aircraft that many travelers even knew what overbooking was, let alone felt outraged over it. But after the April 9 incident turned Dao into a viral video star and left him with two broken teeth and a concussion, the controversial practice that airlines use to save themselves from losing money on empty seats became the target of everyone from angry social media activists to politicians like Chris Christie and Chris Van Hollen.
Southwest Airlines Looks to End Overbooking
Key Takeaways:
- The controversial practice of airline overbooking garnered widespread outrage after a passenger, David Dao, was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight.
- In response to the backlash and internal considerations, Southwest Airlines announced it would completely cease overbooking, implementing a new reservations system to support this change.
- United Airlines, while not ending overbooking entirely, implemented new policies to prevent similar incidents, including offering up to $10,000 for voluntary re-accommodation and prohibiting the removal of already-seated passengers.
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