United Airlines Reveals the Flight Was Not Actually Overbooked

Contrary to what was initially reported, United Flight 3411 has now been confirmed not to have been overbooked, meaning there was no reason for what happened last Monday.

United Airlines spokesman Jonathan Guerin has confirmed that while all 70 seats on Flight 3411 were filled, the flight was not overbooked. The airline decided to randomly select 4 passengers to accommodate 4 crew members who had to be in Louisville the following day.

The passengers were randomly selected based on this list of criteria: the passenger’s fare class, itinerary, status of frequent flyer program membership, and the time in which the passenger presented him/herself for check-in without advanced seat assignment.

United CEO Oscar Munoz also released a new statement, condemning the event and now putting full responsibility on United, where in his previous letter to United staff, he put the blame on Dr. Dao.

Since the incident, United has lost approximately $255 million due to shares of their stock falling. Part of their initial loss of $800 million has been recovered due to their stock rebounding after the airline released a second apology, but while their stock prices may recover, their image with the public will not.

A statement from Dr. Dao‘s representing attorneys has said that he is currently in a Chicago hospital, undergoing treatment for his injuries.

Source: USA Today and United