United Airlines seriously still thinks it's the passenger's fault for getting violently dragged off their plane

Putting it mildly, United Airlines has not had a good 2017. Yet, even as they roll out new policies to make things seem better, they're still playing a dirty game in blaming the passenger for that infamous removal incident.

The airline has promised to address concerns raised by the incident, in which Dr. David Dao was forcibly removed from a plane and sustained several injuries in the process. The incident was caught on video by other passengers and set off a chain of PR nightmares for United that has led to the changes.

United wants you know they mean BUSINESS so they printed a letter from CEO Oscar Munoz outlining their major changes in at least one major newspaper, The Washington Post.

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It's all part of a big press push by United to make them seem not so terrible, even after dragging Dr. David Dao off a plane, being stodgy about a "dress code," and allegedly killing a giant rabbit.

Rolling out the red carpet

The embattled flyer rolled out a list of changes meant to be eye-grabbing, like increasing the maximum bumped passenger payout to an eye-popping $10,000. Previously, it had topped out at $1,000.

There's no word exactly how you can get to that number but, hey, it makes for nice headlines.

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There are other new policies, like making sure "law enforcement will not remove customers from a flight and customers will not be required to give up their seat once on board -- except in matters of safety and security."

These two things would have certainly prevented the Dr. David Dao incident and, frankly, should have already been in place. Also, the "except in matters of safety and security" leaves things open to the airline's interpretation.

But, hey, things seem like they'll suck less with United, right?

Still playing the blame game

Not so fast.

Because, on the flip-side, they've also issued their report that, in its not-so-subtle wording, still aims to place the blame squarely on the passenger who was bloodied up as he was literally dragged from a plane.

From United's account, published online, emphasis mine

The supervisor apologized and explained they would also need to depart the aircraft, but Dr. Dao refused. The supervisor was unable to convince Dr. Dao to depart the aircraft. Given Dr. Dao's unwillingness to deplane, the supervisor left the plane and spoke to the United zone controller, who indicated that authorities would be contacted.

The report details how United reached out to security officers to assist in Dao's removal. The United version then continues:

...Dr. Dao, as evidenced by widely reported video footage, was physically removed from his seat by the Chicago Department of Aviation Officers. After being forcibly removed from the aircraft, Dr. Dao ran back onto the airplane and Chicago Department of Aviation Officers removed him for a second time. He was later taken to a local hospital.

While United acknowledges the videos that circulated, it's shocking how nonchalant they are in describing Dao's removal and, if not for the tacked-on reference of going to a hospital, make no mention of the injuries Dao sustained in the process, which, according to Dao's attorney, included a concussion and a broken nose.

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In a weird way, this kind of dovetails with the freshly published accounts by the officers involved, obtained by Judicial Watch, which claimed Dao was flailing his arms and trying to throw punches, actions that other passengers denied and don't line up with what was captured on video.

And it also aligns with United's m.o. all along: blame the victim. Munoz himself did so in his internal memo that described Dao as "disruptive and belligerent" despite evidence to the contrary.

Not that his public statement was great, either.

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So, sure, United swears up and down they've learned their lesson from this mess -- the David Dao mess, not the other ones -- and things will change, they swear. Their own ad says "actions speak louder than words."

But, if nothing else, United has just proven with their own report of the incident the old cliche that the more things change, the more they stay the same.