United Airlines will refund every passenger who was on the plane when a doctor was dragged off by airport officers.
Doctor David Dao was forcefully removed from the plane, despite having a valid ticket, after the airline oversold seats on the aircraft. Since the incident, the airline has seen its stock price plummet and has been blasted over social media for how it handled the situation.
The company has since announced it will no longer be asking police to remove passengers in future cases of full flights.
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During an interview with ABC's Good Morning America, United parent company chief executive Oscar Munoz said he was 'ashamed' after watching the video of the doctor being hauled away. He added that he would be reviewing the passenger removal-policy.
He said in the future, law enforcement officers will not be used to remove a 'booked, paid, seated passenger. We can't do that.'
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Munoz also took the opportunity to apologise to Dr Dao and added that it won't happen again.
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He said: "That is not who our family at United is. This will never happen again on a United flight. That's my promise."
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Megan McCarthy, a United spokesperson, said that everyone who was on board the now infamous flight would be compensated the cost of their ticket, which they can have as cash, credit or air miles.
Dr Dao's removal was filmed by other passengers. Jayse Anspach, who recorded the incident said at the time: "After they dragged him off, I mean he was bleeding. He hit his face when they initially dragged him off."
Another said: "He just was not willing to get off the plane. He started yelling at her, 'I'm a doctor. I have patients I have to see in the morning. I have to get back tonight. I can't be delayed'.
"Just repeats, saying, 'I've got to get home, I've got to get home, I've got to get home'. In this daze, you can tell he's dazed from being unconscious, confused."
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Since the incident, which resulted in the 69-year-old doctor being hauled off the flight to make room for members of United staff, Dr Dao has hired two lawyers. Court papers have now been filed by Dao's lawyers requesting that evidence is preserved in the case.
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According to the Metro, Chicago's aviation department said that one of its employees who removed Dao hadn't followed proper procedure and had been placed on leave. On Wednesday, they announced that two more officers had also been placed on leave.Featured Image Credit: Twitter/PATopics: United Airlines