Professor kicked off New York-bound flight after trying to 'self-upgrade' his seat

A professor at Pennsylvania State University was detained after the police escorted him off an international flight when he tried to sneak into a better class of seat, state media has reported.

Lu Yong was aboard United Airlines Flight 87 waiting to depart to New York on Sunday afternoon when he tried to “self-upgrade”, from economy class to business class -- twice -- according to CCTV.

The captain was alerted and decided to eject Lu from the plane. The airport police arrived to escort him off but he still refused to budge. It took three officers to pry a screaming and kicking Lu out of his seat, and they sustained minor injuries in the process.

He was detained and charged with disrupting public service, which can result in a maximum of three years in jail.