Oscar Munoz, chief executive of United Airlines, told them he was ‘upset’ to see ‘what happened aboard United Express Flight 3411’.
But CNBC reported that he also claimed that the facts are ‘still evolving, especially with respect to why this customer defied’ security officers.
His comments were made in a letter sent to all United staff after disturbing new footage emerged of the incident on the plane which showed the passenger covered in blood – and telling staff ‘just kill me’.
Three of the passengers selected agreed to get off when staff realised the flight was overbooked – but United insist they were forced to call airport security when the final traveller refused to leave.
The passenger – who has not yet been identified – was randomly selected to be bumped from the flight even though all passengers were already seated and ready to go.
The plane was flying from Chicago to Louisville on Sunday evening when the incident unfolded after United had sold too many tickets.
Horrific footage showed three police officers physically ripping the man out of his seat despite his screams of protest.
The victim hit his head on the seat opposite before being dragged by his arms down the aisle as fellow passengers reacted in utter shock.
Here is the text of the letter United Airlines’ parent company chief executive Oscar Munoz sent to employees after a passenger was dragged from a United plane at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
The summary below the letter was compiled by United:
Dear Team,
Like you, I was upset to see and hear about what happened last night aboard United Express Flight 3411 headed from Chicago to Louisville.
While the facts and circumstances are still evolving, especially with respect to why this customer defied Chicago Aviation Security Officers the way he did, to give you a clearer picture of what transpired, I’ve included below a recap from the preliminary reports filed by our employees.
As you will read, this situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused and it became necessary to contact Chicago Aviation Security Officers to help.
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United Airlines ‘overbooked’ flight incident: Disturbing new footage shows bleeding passenger telling staff ‘just kill me’
Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this. While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.
I do, however, believe there are lessons we can learn from this experience, and we are taking a close look at the circumstances surrounding this incident. Treating our customers and each other with respect and dignity is at the core of who we are, and we must always remember this no matter how challenging the situation. culled from mirror.co.uk
