United Airlines' turn to get dragged -- by competitors and trolls

A video of a male passenger being forcibly removed from an over-booked United Airlines flight from Chicago to Louisville on Apr 9 has not sat well with netizens.

The disturbing footage showed the Asian man being dragged from his seat by law enforcement officers, causing him to hit his head on a seat's elbow rest and leaving him bloodied.

The incident has sparked international outrage, with many netizens calling for the boycott of the American airline.

A statement issued by United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz, in which he apologised "for having to re-accommodate these customers", has further fuelled backlash.

Social media is rife with angry and sarcastic tweets as well as memes from trolls, with some likening what happened to 'Fight Club'.

Many also called out United's slogan of "Fly the Friendly Skies" for being ironic, while one noted how the man 'boarded as a doctor and left as a patient'.

Someone has also Photoshopped a screenshot of United Airline's website, listing its 'Special flight offers' to include:

  • Get Punched Right in the Face

  • We'll Throw You Out of the Plane, Mid-Flight

  • Fight our Large Nazi on the Wing of the Plane

Even its rivals in the aviation industry has jumped on the bandwagon to poke fun of United.

In a video posted on Twitter, Emirates Airlines recirculates a comment that Munoz made in March about Gulf Airlines (like Emirates) not actually being airlines.

The clip reads, "Well Mr. Munoz. According to Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel site, not only are we a real airline we are the best airline."

Snapshots showing happy passengers follow, before the video concludes with "fly the friendly skies... this time for real."

Royal Jordanian Airlines also chipped in by tweeting a photo on its official account that said, "We would like to remind you that drags on our flights are strictly prohibited by passengers and crew".

Even dictionary Merriam-Webster had a little fun on its Twitter account, where it usually shares bits of trivia related to the English language and Words of the Day.