At least it now appears that United Airlines agrees with the general populace: That the airline itself is largely to blame for the April 9 dragging incident that left a passenger bloodied—and an unfortunate viral star.
According to The Washington Post, the airline released a report Thursday finding that “United Airlines takes full responsibility for what happened … [and that] the intention of this report is to communicate concrete and meaningful actions that will avoid putting our customers, employees and partners in impossible situations.”
An additional statement from United CEO Oscar Munoz said: “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.”
Business Insider made note of 10 changes that the airline will put into effect following the report. Among the most telling include: not forcing seated customers to give them up involuntarily, unless the safety or security of the plane is at risk, which goes into effect April 27; up to $10,000 per customer for voluntary denied boarding, which takes hold April 28; and a $1,500 payout for “permanently lost” baggage, which will take effect sometime in June.
The image-damaging incident will likely cost United much more: The injured passenger, Dr. David Dao, has met with attorneys for a potential lawsuit.
—RealClearLife
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