United Airlines dodges government discipline for brutalizing passenger
By
Marcus Day
9 September 2017
United Airlines will face no punishment from the US government for the brutal removal of a passenger from a flight in April.
The man, 69-year-old Dr. David Dao, had been beaten and dragged from his seat by Chicago Department of Aviation police at O’Hare International Airport on April 9. After passengers had boarded the plane and taken their seats, United demanded four passengers voluntarily give up their spots to make room for flight crew. When none did so, four were chosen by a computer program and involuntarily bumped from the flight, with the selection reported to have been based on factors such as the price passengers paid for the seat.
Three of those chosen agreed to disembark in return for financial reimbursement, while Dao refused, stating that he had patients to see in Kentucky the next day. Airport police were then called on board, who proceeded to wrench Dao from his seat, fling him into a hard armrest, and drag him, semi-conscious, up the aisle.
Smartphone video of the event recorded by dismayed fellow passengers was viewed by tens of millions on social media, provoking widespread outrage. The event cast a light on the airlines’ frequent practice of “involuntary denied bookings,” in which passengers are forced from flights for which they have paid tickets, either because the airline has oversold seats or because they wish to make room for flight crew or VIPs.
In the end, Dao suffered a broken nose, lost teeth, and a concussion. Following an initial insincere apology, United CEO Oscar Munoz provoked further indignation online when a leaked email to employees showed him attacking Dao as “disruptive and…