United CEO Responds To David Dao Incident As New Video Surfaces

Video footage of a United Airlines customer being forcefully dragged off an overbooked flight on April 9 has sparked a national conversation about the airline’s passenger policies. United initially called the passenger “beligerent and disruptive,” and defended the manner in which the man, Dr. David Dao, had been removed from his seat. Now, the company is continuing to backpedal on its initial handling of the situation.

A companywide email from United’s CEO Oscar Munoz obtained by ABC on April 10 was quickly met with outrage for its defense of the brute force used by Chicago Aviation Security Officers. The email described Dao refusing to leave the aircraft, adding that he’d become “disruptive and belligerent.”

However as more information and multiple videos of the incident become available, it's clear that Dao had been neither confrontational nor disruptive. A new video that surfaced late last week shows a different angle and serves to disprove United’s claims that Dao had been aggressive in any way other than calmly refusing to leave his seat.

While Dao’s bloody appearance after being dragged off the flight is evidence enough that he sustained multiple injuries, his lawyer Thomas A. Demetrio confirmed during a news conference that his client would likely need reconstructive surgery for a broken nose, two knocked-out teeth and sinus problems.

Read: United Airlines Dragging Passenger Off Plane Was Illegal, Says Lawyer — Here's Why

Munoz later backtracked on his previous handling of the situation, writing in a statement on United's website that the company takes full responsibility for the incident. By this time, Dao’s story had gone viral.

“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. No one should ever be mistreated this way.

I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right.”

Munoz doubled down on those comments in a statement Monday, saying, “It is obvious from recent experiences that we need to do a much better job serving our customers." He said the incident has been a “humbling experience” and a “watershed moment” for the company.