The change comes after fallout over a video that showed security violently dragging a passenger who refused to give up his seat for a crew member. Three other passengers eventually agreed to leave, but Dao insisted he needed to return home to care for patients.
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The passenger, David Dao, suffered a concussion, a broken nose and two lost teeth, according to one of his lawyers on Thursday.
Delta Airlines isn’t taking chances it won’t be able to convince passengers to give up their seats when a flight is overbooked.
Mr Demetrio said he likely will file a lawsuit on Dr Dao’s behalf, adding that airlines – and United in particular – have long “bullied” passengers.
Last month the airline was embroiled in a high-profile row after a gate agent stopped two girls from boarding a flight because they were wearing leggings.
“We were on the plane about an hour, having dinner, and then something fell on my head, so I grabbed it”, passenger Richard Bell told CBS in a Skype interview on its website. When the plane landed in Calgary he was taken to a hospital, and later released after being cleared of any medical issue. He said his client was in a “secure location” because he has been hounded by media, but that he would speak at a future date. However, he did say the family accepts the public apology, but that no one from the company has actually reached out to Dao. “No one should ever be mistreated this way …”
United, facing fierce criticism after videos of the incident went viral, said it is reviewing its policies around oversold flights. “What happened to my dad should have never happened to any human being, regardless of the circumstance”, said Pepper. Munoz has said he has no plans to resign.
United Chief Executive Oscar Munoz on Monday again apologized for the incident.
Dao was removed because there were not enough seats in the fully booked flight for four United employees to fly from Chicago, Illinois, to Louisville, Kentucky.
When United could not get four volunteers to leave the plane, they selected four.
Mr Zalewski also said that he is not sure if the officers have the authority to make arrests or if they are authorised only to write tickets.
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UA staff and crew members who commute via the airline will now be required to check in 60 minutes prior to departure to prevent a repetition of the April 9 incident.
