Ben Mutzabaugh

USA TODAY

There’s a new wrinkle in the story of the United Airlines flight on which a passenger was forcibly dragged off the plane when he refused to give up his seat.

After initially saying the situation resulted from an overbooked flight, United is making a “clarification" to say that Flight 3411 was sold out -- but not overbooked.

Instead, United and regional affiliate Republic Airlines – the unit that operated Flight 3411 – came to the conclusion that they had to remove four passengers from the aircraft to accommodate crewmembers who were needed in Louisville the next day for a “downline connection," United spokesman Jonathan Guerin tells Today in the Sky.

The door to the aircraft was still open when the decision to accommodate the employees was made, Guerin added.

“They were considered ‘must-ride’ passengers,” he said. "It was all about repositioning the crew."

Guerin acknowledged the United initially categorized the flight as overbooked as news of the video grew, but is offering the “clarification” now that the company knows more facts about the incident.