At one point during the day on Tuesday, United Airlines’ stock had sunk to the point where nearly $1 billion had been knocked off the company’s value.
So perhaps it’s no coincidence that on Tuesday afternoon, United CEO Oscar Munoz finally apologized to David Dao, the 69-year-old Asian doctor who was brutalized Sunday evening as he was forced off a plane he’d paid to be on while other passengers looked on in horror with cameras rolling.
the way he did.”” image_id=”365692″]
In a statement posted to the company’s Twitter account, Munoz said, “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 in this way.”
“I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right,” he added.
United CEO Oscar Munoz: I’m sorry. We will fix this. https://t.co/v8EPGsiDCi pic.twitter.com/eOPiYcagvo
— United (@united) April 11, 2017
As videos of the incident went viral on Monday, Munoz released a statement that apologized not to Dao for the fact he was left bloody and bewildered, but “for having to re-accommodate these customers.”
“We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation,” Munoz added in that initial Monday afternoon statement.
Then, Monday evening, ABC News obtained a memo Munoz sent to staff that pinned the blame for the incident squarely on Dao.
In that memo, Munoz, who was named PRWeek’s U.S. Communicator of the Year just last month, wrote that Dao “defied Chicago Aviation Security officers.” By contrast, Munoz described United employees as acting “politely.” He went as far as to “commend” employees for “continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.”
“As you will read, this situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused and it become necessary to contact Chicago Aviation Security Officers to help,” Munoz wrote, adding that agents were “left with no choice” but to escalate the situation by getting police involved.
So what changed between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon?
United Airlines has lost about a billion dollars in market value this morning https://t.co/jIESIx7OVs pic.twitter.com/RIWT4SP6Xs
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) April 11, 2017
While Munoz was apologizing to Dao, a number of media outlets were preparing hit pieces delving into his “troubled past,” which has no real bearing on how United employees or Chicago Aviation Security Officers treated him.
According to Kentucky’s WLKY-TV, Dao was still in the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon.
“Dao said he’s recovering in a Chicago hospital,” the station reports. “When asked what his injuries were, he said ‘everything’ and that he was not doing well.”