United Airlines announced Thursday that it will implement 10 changes “to how it flies, serves and respects its customers” in light of the airline’s April 9 incident, where Kentucky physician David Dao was forcefully dragged off United Express Flight 3411.
Among other changes, the airline has stated it will now aim to limit the 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” and “reduce the amount of overbooking.” Here’s a complete list below:
-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.
“While several of these policies are effective immediately, others will be rolled out through the remainder of the year,” United said in a statement, and directed readers to its website, where it has posted a review of changes.
In an interview with Marketplace, United CEO Oscar Munoz said that the process of overbooking is a “complicated one” in response to an inquiry about having the airline stop overbooking instead of reducing it.
“We, on certain flights, overbook by one or two people. Last year we had, I think, one in 23,000 [customers] that were involuntarily denied boarding,” Munoz said. “So it’s a very small occurrence. And again, as we up the amount to $10,000 if indeed we need to deny boarding to someone, I think that’s another incentive for us to in essence get to a point, as an internal goal, where we don’t have any involuntary denied boardings in the system.”
United and the law offices representing Dao announced, also on Thursday, that they have reached a resolution for April 9 ordeal, but they have not disclosed the details of the decision. As a result of the incident, Dao suffered from a concussion and broken nose, as well as the loss of his two front teeth.
