United Will No Longer Boot Seated Passengers for Crew

Airline changes policy to avoid another boarding fiasco
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 16, 2017 3:30 PM CDT
United Makes a Policy Change After Boarding Fiasco
A United Airlines passenger plane at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J.   (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

United Airlines is changing its policy to try to prevent a repeat of last week's boarding disaster. The bad news: United employees who need a seat still get priority. The good news: You won't be yanked out of your seat to make room for them. Under the shift, once passengers have boarded, they are safe and will not be removed from the plane, period. United employees who need to fly must check in an hour before boarding, reports CNN, meaning passengers can still be denied their seat, but they'll find out at the gate.

No crew member "can displace a customer who has boarded an aircraft," according to a United email obtained by TMZ. A United spokesperson confirmed the policy change, calling it "one of our initial steps in a review of our policies." Meanwhile, the ridicule continued on Saturday Night Live, with one sketch managing to take into account both the United mess and the Pepsi commercial miscue, notes the Hill. See it here. (More United Airlines stories.)

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