David Dao settles with United Airlines

David Dao was severely injured when he was violently removed from an United Airlines flight.

IN A BRIEF STATEMENT, United Airlines settled with David Dao, whose forced ouster from a United flight created a public relations nightmare.
The press relaese said: "We are pleased to report that United and Dr. Dao have reached an amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident that occurred aboard flight 3411. We look forward to implementing the improvements we have announced, which will put our customers at the center of everything we do."  

As part of the settlement, the final sum was undisclosed.

Dao, a 69-year-old Vietnamese/American doctor, had to be hospitalized for injuries incurred when Chicago aviation police dragged him from the plane to make space for four crew members on the flight from the city's O'Hare International Airport to Louisville, Kentucky.

RELATED: Passenger violently dragged off of plane

Dao's legal team released it's own statement regarding the settlement and their dealings with United CEO Oscar Munoz, who took the brunt of the outrage generated by the incident.

"Mr. Munoz said he was going to do the right thing, and he has," said Thomas Demetrio, one of Dao's attorneys. "In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened on Flight 3411, without attempting to blame others, including the City of Chicago. For this acceptance of corporate accountability, United is to be applauded."

The settlement was reached on the same day United Airlines announced multiple positive changes to improve the customer experience. According to Demetrio, 

"Dr. Dao has become the unintended champion for the adoption of changes which will certainly help improve the lives of literally millions of travelers.’ 

Among the changes, United will no longer remove passengers after they've been seated and the airline has raised the amount of compensation for passengers who volunteer to give up their seats to $10,000.

"I sincerely hope that all other airlines make similar changes and follow United’s lead in helping to improve the passenger flying experience with an emphasis on empathy, patience, respect and dignity," said Demetrio.

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