A lot of people are talking about the dude who was dragged through the airplane for refusing his seat. It reminded me of the time my wife and I were stranded at an airport and just about every flight leaving was overbooked with them asking people to volunteer or they'd be randomly selected to be removed.

It all started with my wife and I flying back to Yakima for Christmas so, naturally, the airport was packed as it was. Since our first flight was late, our taxiing flight already left so we were on stand-by. It was the first time I heard of flights being intentionally overbooked. I figured it was a money-making scheme hoping people would miss their flight. Turns out it happens all the time and, after the video yesterday, it's not uncommon.

What is uncommon is that at the airport I was in, they were announcing before boarding the plane happened. Not after. It'd odd that they'd allow them on the plane first, then remove them. That's just cold.

Volunteering to remove yourself doesn't come without rewards. They put you up in a hotel (hopefully a nice one) and provide meals and maybe even some spending money for the inconvenience. If you don't need to rush to your destination, it's like they pay for a mini-vacation. Not a bad deal if you're not in a hurry.

But, in today's society, everyone is in a hurry.

When I witnessed this at the airport, I don't think it ever got as far as randomly selecting someone to be removed but, with my luck, it would be me every time.

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