Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday said airlines need to be made more responsive to the consumer’s needs in the aftermath of an incident last weekend in which a passenger on a United Airlines flight was violently dragged from his seat.
“I think anybody who flies a lot — and as a United Sates senator I fly a lot — knows how dysfunctional, in many respects, the airlines are,” the Vermont senator said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Sanders pointed to delays caused by “inappropriate practices” and overbooking.
“I think what we do need is to take a hard look at the airlines in this country and make them much more responsive to the consumers than they currently are,” Sanders said.
“The idea of taking a hard look at airline travel and by the way the consolidation of ownership in the airline industry is something that I think would be a very useful effort.”
A passenger earlier this month was violently dragged off a United Airlines flight.
The man boarded a flight last Sunday evening and took his seat before the crew announced that four seats were needed to accommodate airline personnel. After no one volunteered to be bumped from the flight, passengers were selected at random.
The man refused to give up his seat, so United brought aviation authorities on board to assist in removing him.
Video surfaced following the incident of the man being forcibly removed from his seat and dragged down the aisle.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage and calls for congressional hearings.