The United Airlines flight that drew worldwide attention after a passenger was dragged from his seat and off the plane was not overbooked, the airline said Tuesday.

United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said all 70 seats on the flight were filled, but the plane was not overbooked as the airline previously reported. Instead, United and regional affiliate Republic Airlines, which operated Flight 3411, decided to remove four passengers from the flight to accommodate crewmembers needed in Louisville the next day for a “downline connection.”

“They were considered ‘must-ride’ passengers,” Guerin told USA TODAY.

United has been under siege since videos of Sunday night’s violent struggle on the plane at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport went viral. CEO Oscar Munoz late Monday sent a letter to the airline’s employees lauding the behavior of the flight crew when a “disruptive and belligerent” Kentucky physician was dragged off a plane in Chicago.