United Airlines on Thursday reached a settlement with the now-infamous passenger who was dragged off its plane. Dr. David Dao was forcibly removed from an overbooked flight, and the videos capturing the situation caused widespread outrage toward the airline’s violent response.
According to Dao’s lawyer, Thomas A. Demetrio, United has taken full responsibility for the situation, and offered an undisclosed amount of money. Demetrio praised Oscar Muñoz, United’s chief executive, for reaching these terms so quickly.
“Mr. Munoz said he was going to do the right thing, and he has,” Demetrio told the New York Times. “In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened on Flight 3411, without attempting to blame others, including the City of Chicago. For this acceptance of corporate accountability, United is to be applauded.”
Dao suffered from a concussion, broken nose, and lost two teeth in the incident as he was removed by law enforcement officials. Dao’s lawyer said a nose surgery is scheduled.
The situation resulted in a PR nightmare for United, but has prompted the airline to make changes. A new check-in process will allow passengers to volunteer their seats for compensation. United also plans to reduce how many flights it overbooks, along with creating a call center to handle overbooking problems before a crisis like this results.
The airline will also no longer rely on law enforcement officials to remove passengers, nor will crew members take passengers’ seats.
H/T New York Times