A man was forcibly removed from his seat while waiting for departure on April 9, 2017. While seated on a United Airlines airplane, Dr. David Dao, age 69, was removed due to an overbooked flight. Airlines typically overbook flights in order to maximize profits and take into account passengers who do not show up. United needed to boot four passengers from the airplane and had to randomly select four after there were no volunteers. Three out of the four passengers left the plane without an incident. United offered up a $400 voucher for anyone willing to reschedule their flight. The physical altercation of Chicago O’Hare security removing Dr. Dao from his flight was caught on video by two bystanders. These videos caused an outrage on social media and the situation was covered nationwide on news channels.
United Airlines claimed it had asked the passenger to leave his seat four times before they had used force. Dr. Dao’s reasoning for not giving up his seat was that he was needed the next day to care for his patients. In the video, Dr. Dao repeatedly screamed, “I have to go home! I have to go home!”
After being dragged off the flight by security Dr. Dao suffered a concussion, two broken front teeth, and a broken nose. Daughter of Dao, Crystal Peppers, spoke about her father’s experience at a news conference in Chicago. “What happened to my dad should never have happened to any human being, regardless of the circumstances,” said Peppers.
The next day United Airlines, UAL, lost $255 million in total value. It reached an intraday low of an estimated $1 billion. People quickly began to see the irony in United’s motto, “Fly the friendlier skies.” Some even made new mottos for the airline such as, “Board as a doctor, leave as a patient.”
