WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.), today are demanding answers from United Airlines following the forcible removal of a ticketed passenger on Flight 3411 from Chicago, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky.
“Consumer trust and confidence are critical to ensure this industry continues to thrive, and we hope United Airlines will work diligently to immediately address this incident and make necessary improvements to ensure it does not occur again,” the senators wrote.
In the letter, the senators call on United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz to provide a more detailed account of the incident and United’s policy on boarding then removing ticketed passengers to accommodate United Airlines personnel.
In addition to Senators Menendez and Booker, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Minn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.).
The full text of the letter follows and is available at this link:
Dear Mr. Munoz:
We are deeply concerned by the recent incident aboard Flight 3411 in which a United Airlines passenger was forcibly removed from a flight from Chicago, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky. The Transportation Security Administration and United Airlines cleared the passenger to fly, and he trusted that he would travel on that flight in exchange for the purchase of his ticket. While it is common practice for commercial airlines to sell more tickets than there are physical seats on an aircraft to account for potential “no-show” passengers, overselling tickets can have severe consequences for the travelling public.
At a time when the airline industry is earning record profits, it is our hope that the industry can make great strides to improve customer service and implement best practices. Consumer trust and confidence are critical to ensure this industry continues to thrive, and we hope United Airlines will work diligently to immediately address this incident and make necessary improvements to ensure it does not occur again.
As we in Congress continue to examine this incident, please assist our efforts by responding to the following questions:
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. Please provide a response no later than April 24, 2017.
Sincerely,
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