A Utah couple flying to Costa Rica for their wedding say they were booted off a United Airlines flight after a seating mix-up, in an incident that comes less than a week after passenger David Dao suffered a concussion and broken nose after being dragged off a United flight.
Michael Hohl told KHOU-TV that he and fiancee Amber Maxwell spotted a man sleeping across a row of seats, including their assigned seats. Because the plane was only half-full, the couple decided to sit in a pair of seats three rows closer to the front of the cabin.
“We thought, ‘Not a big deal.’ It’s not like we are trying to jump up into a first-class seat,” Hohl told KHOU-TV. “We were simply in an economy row, a few rows above our economy seat.”
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A flight attendant then asked the couple if they were in their ticketed seats, and they said they weren’t, and requested an upgrade, WTSP reports. They were denied the upgrade and asked to relocate to their assigned seats.
Hohl and Maxwell, who were travelling along with their bridal party, claim that they complied with the flight attendant’s request; however, a statement from the airline, provided to KHOU-TV on Saturday, suggests otherwise.
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“We’re disappointed anytime a customer has an experience that doesn’t measure up to their expectations. These passengers repeatedly attempted to sit in upgraded seating which they did not purchase and they would not follow crew instructions to return to their assigned seats. We’ve been in touch with them and have rebooked them on flights tomorrow,” the statement read.
Hohl told KUTV that he co-operated in leaving the aircraft because of the recent incident involving Dao, who was aggressively dragged off a United flight bound for Louisville, Ky.
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Video of that incident made the rounds on social media and sparked a public outcry. United said it will review its policies to ensure that officers will no longer allow employees to take the place of civilian passengers who have already boarded.
Furthermore, the airline also announced that law enforcement would no longer be able to remove passengers that do not pose security threats.
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