United Airlines settles with passenger dragged off plane

David Dao, the doctor who was seen being dragged off a United Airlines jet this month in videos that sparked widespread outrage, has reached a settlement with the airline for an undisclosed amount, his lawyers said Thursday.

The April 9 episode had stoked the fears and frustrations of airplane passengers everywhere and became a public relations nightmare for United.

On Thursday, both sides welcomed what they hoped would be the end of the ordeal.

“Mr. Munoz said he was going to do the right thing, and he has,” Thomas A. Demetrio, one of Dao’s lawyers, said of Oscar Munoz, United’s chief executive. “In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened on Flight 3411, without attempting to blame others, including the city of Chicago. For this acceptance of corporate accountability, United is to be applauded.”

Charles Hobart, a United spokesman, confirmed the settlement.

“We are pleased to report that United and Dr. Dao have reached an amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident that occurred aboard flight 3411,” he said in an email. “We look forward to implementing the improvements we have announced, which will put our customers at the center of everything we do.”

Earlier on Thursday, United announced several steps to prevent such episodes from recurring and said that passengers who had arrived on an aircraft shouldn’t have to give up their seats. The airline said it would create a new check-in process that would allow passengers to volunteer to give up their seats for compensation, and increased the limit of that compensation to $10,000 from $1,350.