United Airlines has faced a PR nightmare in the wake of forcefully removing a passenger from a flight on Sunday. The airline hesitated to admit guilt in the manner, and the Internet went crazy.
Tweet-storms ensued, Reddit’s front page was covered in memes and Facebook feeds were filled opinions the incident.
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After all this backlash, United has now updated the policy that initially caused the removal of 69-year-old David Dao.
The policy in question originally stated a passenger could be removed if an employee needed to travel to work on another flight. While the new policy still says that’s alright, there’s a catch.
Now aside from the absolute need to travel an employee must arrive at the plane 60 minutes before doors close, according to TMZ.
This will presumably prevent forced removals after passengers board. United will now make the decision on who to bump from the flight in the lobby area or at the gate.
The outlet also reports that higher-ups in the company have condoned the incident in leaked emails.
“We need to use this regrettable event as a defining moment and pivot off it to craft friendly policies and redouble our efforts to win back the trust of everyone — something I know we will do,” said Chairman of the Board Robert A. Milton.
“No one should ever be mistreated this way,” another unnamed official said. “The world saw us in a bad moment.”
United has been in the headlines all week for the incident, but that’s not the only issue the airline has faced as of late.
Back in December, customers were outraged at the company’s new economy ticket option, which many saw as an excuse to overcharge customers.
And just days after the Dao removal, the airline suffered another embarrassment when a flyer was stung by scorpion while on a flight to Calgary.
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