United Airlines is boosting to as much as $US10,000 the amount it will offer passengers for involuntary denied boarding as it moves to head off a repeat of the recent public relations fiasco created by its treatment of a 69-year-old doctor.
The airline will also require there to be a safety or security issue before it uses law enforcement to deal with passengers or requires customers already seated on a plane to give up their seat against their wishes.
The initiatives are part of 10 “substantial changes”’ unveiled by the airline Thursday in a bid to win back passenger trust and repair reputational damage caused by a video of security personnel dragging passenger David Dao screaming and bleeding from an aircraft.
Dao is now suing the airline after he was dragged from his seat on an April 9 United Express flight from Chicago to Louisville, Kentucky, so a staff member needed to operate a later service could take it.
The incident created a worldwide uproar and put passenger rights in the media and political spotlight.
The issue was rekindled last weekend after another video emerged of a problem on an American Airlines flight involving a young mother with a baby and an altercation between a flight attendant and a passenger.
United said the changes being introduced were the result of “a thorough examination of its policies and procedures, and commitment to take action”’ in the wake of Dao incident.
They include the establishment of a customer solution team to look at options such as using nearby airports or ground transportation to get customers to their destination and ensuring crews are booked on a flight at least 60 minutes prior to departure.
The carrier will provide additional employee training, reduce the level of overbooking, create an automated system to solicit volunteers on overbooked flights and introduced a “no questions asked’’ policy for permanently lost bags.
Employees will also be given more power to resolve customer service issues on the spot.
The airline said several policies would be effective immediately while others would be rolled out during the year.
“Every customer deserves to be treated with the highest levels of service and the deepest sense of dignity and respect,’’ chief executive Oscar Munoz said in the latest of a series of apologies. “Two weeks ago, we failed to meet that standard and we profoundly apologize. However, actions speak louder than words.
“Today, we are taking concrete, meaningful action to make things right and ensure nothing like this ever happens again."
"Our review shows that many things went wrong that day, but the headline is clear: our policies got in the way of our values and procedures interfered in doing what's right.”
“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.’’
Delta Air Lines also recently announced it would allow staff to offer passengers up to $10,000 to give up their seats on overbooked flights.
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