Global Information2017 United Express passenger removal information
 N632RW, the aircraft involved, pictured at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2012 | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 9, 2017 |
| Summary | Passenger injury due to forced removal |
| Site | O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Arrests | None |
| Litigation | Lawsuit settled for undisclosed amount |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Embraer 170 |
| Operator | Republic Airways for United Express |
| Registration | N632RW |
| Flight origin | O'Hare International Airport, Chicago |
| Destination | Louisville International Airport, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Passengers | 70 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Injuries | 1 |
On April 9, 2017, at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, four paying customers were selected to be involuntarily deplaned from United Express Flight 3411 to make room for four deadheading employees.[1] One of these passengers was David Dao, 69, a Vietnamese-American who was injured when he was forcefully removed from the flight by Chicago Department of Aviation security officers. Dao, a pulmonologist, refused to leave his seat when directed because he needed to see patients the following day.[2] In the process of removing him, the security officers struck his face against an armrest, then dragged him - bloodied, bruised, and unconscious – by his arms down the aircraft aisle, past rows of onlooking passengers.[3][4] The incident is widely characterized by critics – and later by United Airlines itself – as an example of mishandled customer service.
United removed the passengers to reposition a crew who had been delayed in reaching Louisville to staff a flight the next day. Prior to the confrontation, United agents made a general offer to the plane's passengers – of travel vouchers, accommodations, and a later flight – in exchange for their seats, but none of them accepted. United then algorithmically selected four passengers for involuntary removal from the flight, one of whom was Dao. The three other passengers cooperated with instructions to exit the plane.[5]
Video of the incident recorded by passengers went viral on social media, resulting in anger over the use of force shown. Politicians expressed concern and called for an official investigation. Then US president Donald Trump criticized United Airlines, calling its treatment of Dao "horrible". Shares of United stock dipped as much as 2.5% in pre-market trading Monday following the Sunday incident, but closed the day up nearly 1%.
United CEO Oscar Munoz issued a statement the following day that appeared to downplay the treatment of Dao, referring to the incident as "re-accommodating the customers".[6] Munoz also sent an email to United staff commending the crew's actions for following established procedures and referring to Dao as "disruptive" and "belligerent".[7] This was contradicted by passengers' accounts and video of the incident;[8] for example, Jason Powell asserted that Dao was not belligerent, saying instead, "He was very polite, matter-of-fact."[9]
Munoz and United were sharply criticized for their initial statements. Two days after the incident, Munoz issued an additional statement, apologizing and promising that such an incident would never again occur on a United aircraft.[10] He said, "No one should ever be mistreated this way." In a televised interview, Munoz was asked, "Do you think [Dao] was at fault in any way?" Munoz responded, "No. He can't be. He was a paying passenger sitting on our seat in our aircraft."[11] Munoz's previously planned promotion to become United's chairman was delayed until May 2020 as a result of the incident.[12][13] Dao reached an "amicable" settlement with United on April 27, 2017, though its terms were not publicly announced.[14][15]
- ^ "United Flight 3411 Review and Action Report" (PDF). April 26, 2017.
- ^ "Asian-American advocates, politicians call for investigation after United video". NBC News. April 12, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Courier-Journalwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
nyt1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "UAL MEC Statement Regarding United Express Flight 3411" (PDF). United Master Executive Council. April 13, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ Response to United Express Flight 3411, April 10, 2017
- ^ Mccann, Erin (April 14, 2017). "United's Apologies: A Timeline". The New York Times.
- ^ Stacey Leasca (April 12, 2017). "United Airlines: New video suggests Dr. David Dao was not "belligerent" before removal". mic.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ Bailey Loosemore (April 11, 2017). "Male H.S. teacher aboard United flight: 'This didn't need to happen'". courier-journal.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ Munoz, Oscar (April 11, 2017). "Statement from United Airlines CEO, Oscar Munoz, on United Express flight 3411". United Hub. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ ABC News (April 12, 2017). United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz – INTERVIEW after passenger dragged off flight. Retrieved January 25, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ McCarthy, Sky (April 27, 2017). "United passenger dragged off flight settles with airline for undisclosed amount". Fox News. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ^ "Passenger dragged off United Airlines plane wins settlement". BBC News. April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.