JEDDAH: United CEO Oscar Munoz described his feelings after watching the widespread video of a passenger dragged off one of his planes saying “the word shame comes to mind.”
“We’re not going to put a law enforcement official... to remove a booked, paid, seated passenger,” Munoz told ABC News on Wednesday morning. “We can’t do that.”
“The first thing I think is important to say is to apologize to Dr. David Dao, his family, passengers on that flight, our customers and employees,” Munoz said in the interview. “That is not who we are… not what the United is.”
Munoz assured people that this incident will not occur again on any of his flights. “That is my promise.”
Munoz justified his delayed apology saying that his initial words “fell short” of truly expressing what he and the company is feeling. “That is something that I have learned from. The expression of apology is an important part of a conversation like this.”
The use of law enforcement at boarding aircraft has to be looked at very carefully, said Munoz. “They are clearly for the propose of safety and we want to make sure they protect us, but, for other reasons, I think that is a policy we have to absolutely look at.”
Munoz said that United failed to provide its frontline supervisors and managers with proper tools, policies and procedures that “allow them to use their common sense,” which could have solved the issue in the first place.
Munoz said that he and his team tried on several occasions to reach out to Dr. Dao, but they have not been able to contact him directly.
United posted an apology letter by the CEO for the incident that took place on the Flight 3411: “The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: My deepest apologies for what happened. Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard.”
United CEO Oscar Munoz: I’m sorry. We will fix this. https://t.co/v8EPGsiDCi pic.twitter.com/eOPiYcagvo
— United (@united) April 11, 2017
The United CEO said the doctor cannot be at fault for the incident. “He was a paying passenger, sitting on a seat on our aircraft, and no one should be treated that way. Period.”
United CEO response to United Express Flight 3411. pic.twitter.com/rF5gNIvVd0
— United (@united) April 10, 2017
Munoz ruled out the possibility of his resignation from United as he was hired to make the United better.
Munoz is conducting an internal review that he plans to make changes, including not taking passengers off the flight using law enforcement in the future.
Dao is undergoing treatment in a Chicago hospital for his injuries. Dao appeared in several video clips bleeding after he was violently escorted out of a United overbooked plane after he refused to give up his seat.
