United Flight 3411, operated by Republic Airways, was set to depart Chicago's O'Hare International Airport at 5:40 p.m. local time Sunday, bound for Louisville International Airport, when the incident occurred.
New video footage has emerged of the United Airlines incident, and it shows the tense conversation leading up to the forcible removal of passenger Dr. David Dao. The Louisville, Kentucky-bound flight attracted worldwide attention earlier this week when crew members called law enforcement to remove a ticketed passenger from the aircraft to make room for United employees.
April 12, 2017Video surfaced earlier this week of security personnel violently dragging a passenger in Chicago from his seat after the man refused to give up his spot to an airline staffer.
United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz, to whom the letter is addressed, apologized Tuesday for the incident amid significant coverage on news outlets and an intense outcry on social media.
"The expression of apology", Munoz said.
He said that going forward United will not put law enforcement officials on planes in order to remove a "booked, paid, seated passenger".
Dao had to be hospitalized.
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As a consolation, Mexico wants the opener at its 87,000-capacity Azteca Stadium if it becomes the first three-time World Cup host. The success of that World Cup spawned the birth of Major League Soccer, which has grown to 22 teams two decades later.
Mr Muñoz added his first reaction upon seeing the video "was to get the facts".
No passengers on the plane have mentioned that Dr Dao did anything but refuse to leave the plane when he was ordered to do so.
Instead, since they're really bad at decision-making, United sent security guards to drag randomly-chosen passengers off the flight, including a doctor who had to take the flight to see patients in the morning.
Munoz called the embarrassment a "system failure", saying United will review its policies for seeking volunteers to give up their seats when a flight is full. "We have not provided our front line supervisors and managers and individuals with the proper procedures that allow them to use their common sense".
After being asked about his flip-flopping responses, he noted that his first words "fell short" but added that it was a learning opportunity for the future.
"You can drag me then, I don't go. We can't do that", Munoz said. "There is an incentive program that works pretty well outside of the gate", said Munoz.
Two additional aviation officers involved in the decision to drag a passenger off a United Airlines plane over the weekend have been placed on administrative leave.
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