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Washington, April 28
A passenger who was violently dragged off a United Airlines flight earlier this month, has reached a settlement with the airline for an undisclosed amount, his lawyers has announced.
The incident occurred on April 9 when Kentucky resident David Dao, 69, was forcibly removed from the flight at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago after refusing to give up his seat to the airline's staff.
Related story: United Airlines under fire after passenger dragged from plane
United Airlines has offered a series of intensifying apologies since Dao suffered a concussion and a broken nose, and lost two teeth, The New York Times reported.
On Thursday, both sides welcomed what they hoped would be the end of the ordeal.
"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 Airlines' CEO.
"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 Airlines spokesman, confirmed the settlement, reports The New York Times.
"We are pleased to report that United and 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 centre of everything we do." Earlier on Thursday, the airline announced several steps to prevent such episodes from recurring and said that passengers who had arrived on an aircraft should not have to give up their seats.
The airline also 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.
United Airlines had previously announced that it would no longer ask law enforcement officers to remove passengers from its planes over booking issues, and that crew members would not replace boarded passengers.
"I hope other airlines will follow United's lead," Demetrio told The New York Times.
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