Video Shows United Employee Pushing 71-Year-Old To The Ground
United Airlines has had a rough 2017. We're collecting all the incidents here:
United Plane Catches Fire On The Tarmac In Denver
Quartz's Kevin Delaney was on the plane:
One of the flight attendants announced shortly after landing that there was an emergency, that we should leave all of our things on the plane and exit by the front door. Everyone made it out of the plane safely.
[Quartz]
Previously: Video Shows United Employee Pushing 71-Year-Old Man To The Ground
The encounter took place at Bush Intercontinental Airport in 2015, but KPRC in Houston just obtained video. The man, Ronald Tigner, is currently suing United for $1 million:
United Settles With David Dao
On Thursday, United Airlines settled its dispute with David Dao out of court, paying the man an undisclosed amount. In a letter issued by the law firm representing Dao, his lawyer says:
[United CEO] Mr. Munoz said he was going to do the right thing, and he has. In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened on Flight 3411, without attempting to blam others, including the City of Chicago. For this acceptance of corporate accountability, United is to be applauded.
You can read the full letter below.
Where It All Started: David Dao Gets Dragged Off A Plane
On Sunday, April 9, Dr. David Dao, refusing to get up after being "voluntarily rescheduled," was dragged from his seat, into the aisle, and off the plane by three Chicago O'Hare security officers. Since this is the year 2017, passengers aboard United flight 3411, posted videos of the incident, which quickly went viral.
To add insult to injury, the brutality was the result of United overbooking the plane and needing to transport four United employees to Louisville.
This Isn't A One Time Thing
Geoff Fearns, the president of a California investment firm, told the Los Angeles Times that even in a first class seat, he was threatened with cuffs when he resisted giving up his seat:
They said the flight was overfull… they told me they needed the seat for somebody more important who came at the last minute… They said they have a priority list and this other person was higher on the list than me.
Bride And Groom Kicked Off United Flight
In another passenger incident that is quickly spreading across the internet, a couple is accusing United of kicking them off a plane on Saturday that was flying to their wedding in Costa Rica. The couple reportedly attempted to change seats to an empty row. They say it only happened once, and United says that it happened repeatedly.
Scorpions On A Plane
Adding to United's PR woes, a Canadian passenger reported that a scorpion fell from the overhead compartment of a United plane and stung him. The man and his wife were traveling from Houston to Calgary. United offered him credit as compensation. It's a safe bet he won't be redeeming it.
United's Stock Takes A Hit
Despite United's set of late apologies, the damage seems to have been done. Two days after the incident, United stock dipped as much as 6.3%, costing them $1.4 billion in market capitalization. The airline has continues to face accusations of racism and calls for a boycott.
Dao's lawyers held a press conference where they announced that they would most likely file a lawsuit, and that Dao had suffered a concussion, broken nose and the loss of two teeth.
