Business Briefs – August 8, 2017

U.S. Airlines Bump Fewer Passengers After Dragging Backlash

DALLAS (AP) – Following widespread outrage over a passenger who was violently dragged off an overbooked plane, U.S. airlines are bumping customers at the lowest rate in at least two decades.

The Transportation Department said Tuesday that just one in every 19,000 passengers was kicked off an overbooked flight in the first six months of this year.

That’s the lowest rate since the government started keeping track in 1995.

Airlines have routinely overbooked flights for years in the expectation that some passengers won’t show up. When a flight is overbooked, airlines typically offer travel vouchers to encourage a few passengers to take a later flight.

Ford Repairs Austin Police SUVs, But Questions Linger

DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. has begun repairing Ford Explorer SUVs in Austin, Texas, that were pulled off police duty because carbon monoxide was seeping into them. But the company faces lingering questions about the safety of thousands of other Explorers on the road.

Ford blames the issue on non-factory outfitters that drill holes into police SUVs to install extra equipment like lights and radios. In visits to police departments, the company has seen multiple examples of holes that weren’t sealed properly after the equipment and wiring was installed.