United Airlines executives face investors and the financial media Monday as the airline reports its first quarter results in the wake of the ill-fated decision to drag a bleeding passenger off a United Express plane in Chicago.
The US carrier has faced a global backlash, a fall in its share price and is bracing itself for legal action as a result of a decision to forcibly remove Dr David Dao from a United Express flight to Louisville Kentucky on April 9 so staff could take his seat
The video of Dao being dragged bleeding and stunned from the aircraft by security guards has put under the spotlight the airline practice of overselling seats and encouraged other passengers to surface with tales of woe.
The latest of these include a United passenger who said he was stung by a scorpion after it dropped on him from an overhead bin and a couple booted off a United flight while on their way to their wedding in Costa Rica after they changed seats.
After a widely criticised initial response that blamed Dao, United spent last week in damage control as it tried work its way through the PR shambles. It has announced it is reviewing its policies for bumping passengers by April 30 after what chief executive Oscar Munoz described as a “harsh learning experience’’.
The airline has already announced off-duty staff taking a flight to get to another city for work will be required to check in one hour before departure
“We have committed to our customers and our employees that we are going to fix what’s broken so this never happens again,’’ Munoz said in a statement posted on the airline’s website.
“First, we are committing that United will not ask law enforcement officers to remove passengers from our flights unless it is a matter of safety and security.
“Second, we’ve started a thorough review of policies that govern crew movement, incentivizing volunteers in these situations, how we handle oversold situations and an examination of how we partner with airport authorities and local law enforcement.
“Third, we will fully review and improve our training programs to ensure our employees are prepared and empowered to put our customers first.
“Our values – not just systems – will guide everything we do. We’ll communicate the results of our review and the actions we will take by April 30.”
Munoz also took to US television to express his regret but lawyers for Dao are preparing legal action after he lost two teeth and suffered a concussion while being dragged screaming from his seat by security guards.
The incident has had wider ramifications with some US politicians calling for higher compensation for passengers who are bumped from oversold flights. Ironically, the United flight from which Dao was evicted was full but not oversold.
READ: Not all passengers are equal when it comes to getting bumped.
An internal memo obtained by the Associated Press also showed Delta Air Lines is boosting compensation from $US1350 to as much as $US9950.
The memo said Delta gate agents could offer up to $US2,000, up from a previous maximum of $US800, and supervisors can offer up to $US9,950, up from $US1,350.
