United Airlines has reached a settlement deal with Dr. David Dao, the passenger who was violently dragged off of a flight earlier this month. The deal was announced today, although Dao’s lawyers failed to disclose the specific terms of the settlement agreement.
Thomas Demetrio, Dao’s lawyer, commended United CEO Oscar Munoz for the way the settlement was handled.
“Mr. Munoz said he was going to do the right thing, and he has. In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened…without attempting to blame others, including the City of Chicago.”
The Chicago aviation police officer who was caught on tape actually removing Dao has been suspended. Dao suffered a concussion, among other injuries, as he was forcibly removed from his seat. The video of the incident sparked outrage and was the catalyst for industry-wide reforms regarding overbooked flights. Congress had even called for a hearing into the matter.
Per a statement from Dao’s lawyer, “Dr. Dao has become the unintended champion for the adoption of changes which will certainly help improve the lives of literally millions of travelers.”
Abuses of varying severity have been occurring in greater degrees on airlines. It’s unfortunate that it took the assault of a doctor to enact some change, yet we are grateful that some change did come of it. We also expect that Dao will be living quite comfortably as he recovers from the confrontation.
What do you think?
