Shocking footage shows American Airlines passenger being dragged from overbooked plane

© Facebook / Evening Standard American Airlines passenger being dragged from overbooked plane

Shocking footage has emerged of the moment a passenger was forcibly dragged from a plane by security staff after an airline overbooked his flight.

The video, which has gone viral since it was posted on Sunday, shows three men wearing security jackets aggressively pull the man from his aisle seat and drag him across the floor towards the exit.

Security officers are seen confronting the man, who seemingly refuses to leave his seat, before grabbing hold of him.

The man, whose age and name is not yet known, is pulled so forcibly by the staff that his jumper rises above his head as he is dragged across the floor.

Shocked passengers can also be seen angrily shouting at the security staff, while screams can also be heard seemingly coming from the passenger as he is being dragged from his seat.

The 31-second video, which has been viewed almost 150,000 times since it was posted on Facebook, was taken on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Louisville.

Audra Bridges posted the video and said the incident left her and fellow passengers “shaky and disgusted”.

She posted: “We are on this flight. United airlines overbooked the flight.

“They randomly selected people to kick off so their standby crew could have a seat.

“This man is a doctor and has to be at the hospital in the morning. He did not want to get off. We are all shaky and so disgusted.”

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A spokesman for United Airlines has since confirmed that a passenger had to be removed from the flight due to overbooking.

He told American website the Courier Journal: “Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked.

"After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate.

"We apologise for the overbook situation. Further details on the removed customer should be directed to authorities."

Evening Standard