Social media anger sparked by footage of United Airlines forcibly removing a passenger from an overbooked flight showed no signs of abating on April 11, 2017, with calls for a boycott of the US carrier. The videos taken on the plane and posted to Twitter showed the man, reportedly identified by another passenger as ethnically Chinese, being forcibly pulled screaming from his seat by three security personnel.United addressed the incident in a statement posted on its website on April 10, 2017. “This is an upsetting event to all of us,” said chief executive Oscar Munoz, noting that the airline was conducting a “detailed review of what happened.” / AFP PHOTO /
CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — The chief executive of embattled United Airlines unequivocally apologized Tuesday for an incident in which a passenger was dragged off a plane, and promised a “thorough review” of the airline’s practices.
The apology came after mounting criticism of the carrier’s actions stemming from a Sunday flight, when a passenger was dragged off a plane and bloodied in the process.
The US Department of Transportation promised to investigate the incident.
“I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard,” Munoz said Tuesday.
“I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right.”
The comments were in contrast to Munoz’s earlier statements. US media published a company email the CEO sent to employees, in which he appeared to put partial blame for the incident on the 69-year-old passenger, saying he “defied” authorities and “compounded” the incident.
“Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this,” Munoz wrote.
But the CEO said Tuesday that the company will conduct a “thorough review” of its procedures, including “how we handle oversold situations” and how the airline partners with airport authorities and law enforcement.
Munoz promised to produce the results of the review by April 30.
The passenger was one of four involuntarily bumped off the overbooked Chicago to Louisville, Kentucky flight, and was the only one who refused to leave.
Passengers recorded video of three Chicago airport security officers confronting the man, one officer grabbing him as he screamed and dragging him by his arms down the plane’s isle.
That officer was placed on leave by Chicago’s Department of Aviation.
The online videos of the incident caused an international social media firestorm.
© Agence France-Presse