Grovelling apology by shamed airline boss

THE boss of United Airlines has issued a grovelling TV apology following an angry backlash over how a 69-year-old passenger was dragged off an overbooked plane.

An emotional Oscar Munoz, the chief executive, said security would never again be called to remove people from planes following widespread condemnation of the incident on Sunday. Shares in the company plummeted after footage was shared online and passengers threatened a boycott.

In the video a man, identified as Dr David Dao, is heard screaming as he is seized from his seat and then hauled along the aisle. Later images show him with blood dripping down his face.

The airline had asked for volunteers to leave the flight bound for Louisville, Kentucky in return for £800 compensation but when no one came forward, Dr Dao and his wife were selected. Overbooked flights are a common problem in America but volunteers are normally found before boarding.

Appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America yesterday, Mr Munoz said he felt ‘ ashamed’ watching the video and promised to review the airline’s passenger-removal policy.

He apologised again to Dr Dao, a Kentucky physician, his family and the other passengers who witnessed him being dragged off the flight. He said: ‘It’s not so much what I thought, it’s what I felt – probably the word shame comes to mind.

‘That is not who our family at United is. This will never happen again on a United flight. That’s my promise.’

In future, law enforcement will not be involved in removing a ‘booked, paid, seated passenger,’ Mr Munoz said.

He described the embarrassment as a ‘system failure’, explaining United will review procedures for seeking volunteers to give up their seats when a flight is full. United had been trying to find seats for four employees. But he dismissed calls for him to resign over the public relations disaster.

‘I was hired to make United better and we’ve been doing that and that’s what I’ll continue to do,’ Mr Munoz said.

It was the fourth statement he has issued about the confrontation as he sought to repair the damage. Amid threats of a boycott, the company shed as much as about $1billion in market value before ending with a loss of around $250 million on Tuesday.

An attorney who represents Dr Dao said his client was being treated at a Chicago hospital for injuries he sustained on the plane and that the family would not comment. He said the family appreciated the outpouring of support they had received.