United Airlines video: Jimmy Kimmel, Ava DuVernay and more react to clip of passenger being dragged off plane

The viral clip shows a paying customer being forcibly dragged out of his seat by security

In case you missed it, United Airlines has come under fire after the release of a video which shows a paying customer being forcibly dragged out of his seat by three security guards.

The video, showing the passenger being pulled up the aisle by his arms, was posted on Facebook by passenger Auda D. Bridges and has since gone viral, sparking fury across social media.

The airline's CEO, Oscar Munoz, has since issued an apology, saying: “Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened.”

“This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. I apologise for having to re-accommodate these customers,“ he added. ”We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation.”

Notable figures from the world of Hollywood - including filmmakers Joss Whedon and Ava DuVernay - expressed their disgust on Twitter.

Frozen actor Josh Gad - who flew with the airline last week - also chimed in, sarcastically saying he's “blessed to not be tweeting this message from a hospital bed.”

The incident took place on a Sunday evening flight from Chicago to Louisville which was overbooked.

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel spoke out against the airline on last night's episode (10 April), quipping: “That’s how my mother used to have to get me out of bed to go to school.“

He added: “I don't even understand this, by the way. I've been to 100 games in stadiums with 50,000 seats, they never sell the seat two times to one person, but for some reason, airlines cannot figure this out.”

United spokesman Charlie Hobart stated to the Associated Press that one of four randomly-selected customers requested to leave the plane didn't comply.

“We followed the right procedures,” he said.