Originally Posted by
phltraveler
This is what I don't get. Some news sources say the passenger was dragged off by "security officers". United's current statement says they notified law enforcement.
If they're private security then UA is liable for whatever they did (or at least looks worse for it). If it's cops and the passenger won't leave when given a lawful order to leave the aircraft, they have to arrest him or remove him involuntarily. The optics look horrible from the videos/controversy but as long as it was cops and not UA private security/flight crew physically removing him how is this UA's fault?
He's not saying that a 70 seater can't have weight issues, but under the DOT regs if it's a 30-60 seat aircraft you can IDB for it and there's no need to give the person the regulation compensation under that rule. 70 seaters they can.
Other news articles mention the reason as needing to have four Republic Airlines employees deadheading to fly a flight from the destination airport the next morning, so it was an IDB to get their employees to the distant airport.
The video looked like the first two guys who boarded weren't wearing police uniforms but had what looked like black fleece jackets or sweatshirts that said POLICE on the back. The guy who actually pulled the passenger off the flight came a bit later and did not wear a uniform or anything that indicated law enforcement. He was wearing blue jeans and some kind of black fleece jacket or sweatshirt, but it did NOT say police.