United Airlines remains in damage control mode after video of a passenger being forcibly removed from his seat and dragged down the aisle of a plane generated a public backlash. In the next step on its stumbling apology tour, United has announced that every other passenger who was on that flight will be compensated for their fare.
A spokesperson confirmed that anyone who was on flight #3411 on Sunday from Louisville to Chicago “are receiving compensation for the cost of their tickets,” reports The New York Post.
It’s unclear what form that compensation will come in, notes Bloomberg, as a company spokeswoman declined to say if it will be in cash, frequent-flier miles, or some other form.
On Wednesday, United CEO Oscar Munoz went on an apology tour to make up for at first calling the passenger “disruptive and belligerent” and failing to apologize. He appeared on Good Morning America and admitted that his initial words “fell short of truly expressing the shame.” He also confirmed that the airline would no longer use law enforcement to remove passengers from flights.
The city of Chicago also took more action on Wednesday, placing an additional two officers from its Department of Aviation who were involved in the passenger’s removal on administrative leave, reports The New York Times. One officer was placed on leave on Monday.
The passenger, who has since been identified as Dr. David Dao, has hired lawyers to look into his situation. His attorneys announced earlier this week that he was receiving treatment for his injuries at a Chicago hospital.
On Wednesday, his legal team asked an Illinois court to order United to preserve surveillance footage, a cockpit voice recording, and other information related to the flight, reports the Times.
We’ve reached out to Dao’s lawyers for more information and will update this post if we hear back.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist