United Airlines Reaches Settlement With Dragged Passenger

April 27, 2017 4:37 pm
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United passenger Dr. David Dao was dragged by law enforcement from a United flight earlier this month. (Bystander video)

Lawyers for the elderly passenger who was violently removed from a United Airlines flight earlier this month said that a confidential settlement has been reached with the company, the Washington Post is reporting.

Dr. David Dao suffered a concussion, broken nose and two missing teeth, among other injuries in the involuntary expulsion that went viral after several other passengers posted videos online, according to his lawyer.

Alongside news of the settlement, the airline published the findings of an internal investigation in a new report that details “several mistakes made,” including calling law enforcement to solve an issue that was neither one of safety or security.

“We can never apologize enough for what occurred and for our initial response that followed,” the United report reads. “United Airlines takes full responsibility for what happened.”

The report also details new passenger-first guidelines crafted by the company; under the new policy, bumped travelers are eligible for up to $10,000 in travel certificates. Airline employees will also now be able to utilize a multitude of creative solutions to get any passengers to their final destination, including booking them on other airlines or sending them off to another airport.

“This is a turning point for all of us at United and it signals a culture shift toward becoming a better, more customer-focused airline,” chief executive Oscar Munoz said in a statement. “Our customers should be at the center of everything we do and these changes are just the beginning of how we will earn back their trust.”

Read the full Washington Post report here.

—RealClearLife

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