United Airlines Changes Policy for Displacing Passengers
A few days after a passenger was violently dragged off of a United Airlines plane, the company has changed their policies on how they displace travelers.
United Airlines crew members will not be able to bump a passenger who is already seated in one of the airline’s planes, according to NPR. The policy change was first reported by TMZ.
NPR reported that United updated its policy “to make sure crews traveling on our aircraft are booked at least 60 minutes prior to departure. This ensures situations like Flight 3411 never happen again.”
If a crew member isn’t booked an hour before the flight, then they will have to wait for the next available plane.
Meanwhile, Delta Airlines will offer up to nearly $10,000 to passengers to give up their seats on overbooked flights, Fortune reports. The airline raised its compensation limit by thousands of dollars, according to the Associated Press.
Facebook footage showed a screaming man being pulled from his seat on an overbooked, Louisville-bound flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Sunday. He was asked to give up his seat so one of four United employees could board the flight, the Associated Press reported.
RELATED VIDEO: I Am Not Going!” New Footage Shows United Airlines Passenger and Police Arguing Before He’s Dragged Off Plane
David Dao, 69, was one of four passengers asked to leave an oversold Louisville-bound flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport so airline employees could board the plane. The altercation saw Dao bloodied and bruised as officials with the Chicago Department of Aviation dragged him through the aisle of the aircraft.
“That is not who our family at United is. You saw us at a bad moment,” United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz told ABC News in an interview that aired Wednesday on Good Morning America. “This can never, will never happen again on a United Airlines flight ... that’s my promise.”
Dao, who was recovering in a Chicago hospital on Tuesday, told WLKY that he was not doing well after the incident, noting that “everything” is injured.
“The family of Dr. Dao wants the world to know that they are very appreciative of the outpouring of prayers, concern and support they have received. Currently, they are focused only on Dr. Dao’s medical care and treatment,” the family said in a statement released by lawyers.
