We all know commercial air travel sucks, but United has sunk to a new low in despicable treatment of passengers by violently dragging a paying passenger off a Chicago-to-Louisville flight to make way for a United employee traveling standby.
The airline first asked for volunteers, and when it got none, randomly picked four passengers to involuntarily deplane so its employees could board. One passenger refused to give up his seat, so United brought in cops to forcibly remove him, who knocked him unconscious and dragged him bleeding from the plane.
The reason he insisted on keeping his seat? He said he’s a doctor who had to see patients the next day. The fact he’s Asian suggests his rough treatment by the police may have been racially motivated. Read the story here and here.
Of course, there’s video of the entire incident. Nowadays, nearly everyone has a cellphone with video capability. Given the wide publicity this fiasco is getting in the media, there’s bound to be serious blowback — don’t be surprised if some heads roll, as well they should. There will, of course, be a lawsuit and a settlement, but an even bigger penalty for United could be a sharp decline in future bookings if disgusted travelers switch to other carriers.
I have a suggestion: Maybe instead of treating their paying customers like criminals, airlines should stop deliberately overbooking flights to pad their profits? I hope he sues the crap out of them. As for me, I never fly anymore, if I can avoid it.
Update:
The passenger pulled off the plane was Dr David Dao
- The 69-year-old Vietnamese-American is married to a pediatrician who has a clinic in Elizabethtown, Kentucky – about 40 miles south of Louisville
- United’s CEO defended airline crew’s actions in a letter to employees on Monday
- Oscar Munoz said Dr Dao left dazed and bloody after being violently dragged off an overbooked flight on Sunday was being ‘disruptive and belligerent’
- ‘I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond’ he told staff
- United are facing a furious backlash after video showed the 69-year-old being dragged off the plane, and returning while bleeding heavily from the mouth
- Passenger was selected to give up his seat after no volunteers were found
- Four people had to give up their seats for United staff needed in Louisville, KY
- Passengers were offered $1000 to take a flight the next day
The passenger who was dragged from an United Airlines flight is 69-year-old grandfather Dr David Dao.
Dr Dao was heard in videos captured of his shocking eviction saying he needed to get home to Louisville so he could see patients. DailyMail.com can reveal Dr Dao is a father of five and a grandfather, who specializes in internal medicine. Four of his five children are doctors.
His wife Teresa, 69, is a pediatrican who trained at Ho Chi Minh University in Saigon and also practices in Elizabethtown, Kentucky – about 40 miles south of Louisville.
Their eldest son Tim, 34, practices medicine in Texas; their second son Ben, 31, is a medical graduate; their daughter Christine, 33, is a doctor in Durham, NC; and their youngster daughter Angela, 27, is a medical graduate of the University of Kentucky.
Dr David Dao has been revealed as the man who was dragged from a United flight in Chicago on Sunday. He is pictured with his wife, Teresa, and one of their grandchildren
Their other daughter, Crystal – Christine’s twin – is a married mother in Barrington, Illinois.
Dr Dao has previously worked at Hardin Memorial Hospital and owned a medical practice.
His identity has been revealed after United CEO Oscar Munoz doubled down on his airline crew’s decision to remove an elderly passenger, claiming he was ‘disruptive and belligerent’.
The airline is facing a furious backlash after footage emerged of the 69-year-old, bleeding heavily as he was pulled from the jet.
Amidst the anger, Munoz issued a public apology saying he ‘apologized for having to re-accommodate these customers.’
But in a private email to employees, the CEO defended the crew’s actions, calling the passenger ‘disruptive and belligerent’ and praising his staff for going ‘above and beyond’.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4401444/Name-man-hauled-United-flight-Chicago-revealed.html#ixzz4dxZC3xtS
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