Man who got dragged off United plane finally gets some money

Dr Dao will receive some cash compensation.
 By 
Colin Daileda
 on 
Man who got dragged off United plane finally gets some money
Dr Dao settled with United for an undisclosed amount. Credit: AP/REX/Shutterstock

The man who was pulled out of his seat and dragged off a United Airlines flight on April 9 just settled with the airline for an undisclosed amount of money.

The settlement comes just hours after United announced several new policies that they hope will ensure no one is ever ripped from their seat again.

Dr. David Dao was on his way to Louisville from Chicago when United decided it needed to make room on the packed flight for flight attendants who needed to get to Louisville as well. United asked for volunteers, then randomly selected passengers for removal.

One of those passengers was Dao, who sat in his seat as law enforcement officers told him they'd have to remove him from the plane if he didn't get up. Then, as several people trained their phone cameras on Dao, one of the officers wrenched the man from his seat and dragged him down the center aisle of the plane.

Dao lost two teeth, and suffered a broken nose as well as a concussion, according to his lawyer, who said Dao would have to undergo facial reconstruction surgery.

United CEO Oscar Munoz initially responded to the video by apologizing for "having to re-accommodate" the passengers.

Then, once stock prices took a -- sorry -- nose dive, Munoz released something that sounded much more heartfelt, in which he said "No one should ever be mistreated this way."

Munoz also announced that the airline would review policies that led to Dao's brutal removal, including their overbooking policy. On Thursday, they announced several revisions. They said United commits to:

-Limit use of law enforcement to safety and security issues only.

-Not require customers seated on the plane to give up their seat involuntarily unless safety or security is at risk.

-Increase customer compensation incentives for voluntary denied boarding up to $10,000. 

-Establish a customer solutions team to provide agents with creative solutions such as using nearby airports, other airlines or ground transportations to get customers to their final destination.

-Ensure crews are booked onto a flight at least 60 minutes prior to departure.

-Provide employees with additional annual training.

-Create an automated system for soliciting volunteers to change travel plans.

-Reduce the amount of overbooking.

-Empower employees to resolve customer service issues in the moment.

-Eliminate the red tape on permanently lost bags by adopting a "no questions asked" policy on lost luggage.

We'll see how they're put into practice.

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Colin Daileda

Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.

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