Southwest to stop overbooking as United uproar echoes

Southwest said it would stop overbooking flights, after the forcible removal of a United Airlines passenger from a packed plane sparked worldwide outrage. Overbooking is tentatively set to end May 8, Southwest said Thursday. That would be about a month after a 69-year-old United customer was dragged from a jet by airport police for refusing to surrender his seat. Southwest’s move underscored the urgency among carriers to avoid a similar debacle. Delta increased payouts to almost $10,000 for passengers who voluntarily give up their places on oversold flights. United Continental itself followed suit Thursday -- both carriers’ payouts previously were capped at $1,350 -- and announced other policy changes to win back passenger trust. “It’s not a topic that is brand new to us,” Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said. “That’s one of the pain points we’d like to eliminate.” He said the airline has been reviewing overbooking policies for a couple of years and indicated that the United incident added urgency. “It puts the question under a bright light. Why not do it now?” Kelly said.<br/>