United Airlines: No one to be fired over forcible removal of passenger
Nobody at United Airlines will lose their job over an incident where a passenger was left with injuries while being forcibly removed from his seat.
Dr David Dao sustained a broken nose, concussion and two lost teeth after refusing to vacate his seat on an overbooked flight from Chicago to Louisville earlier this month.
Airline chief executive Oscar Munoz said he took full responsibility for "making this right" after footage of the incident was criticised widely on social media.
The company is currently conducting a review of its policies on overbooked flights - with details expected later this month.
But nobody involved in the removal of Dr Dao from Flight 3411 is set to be fired, Mr Munoz insisted on Tuesday.
Since taking a hammering on social media - with many people employing the hashtag #BoycottUnited - the company's shares have plummeted 4.3%, with the equivalent of £778 million wiped off its market value.
Company executives have, however, said it is too soon to know if the incident is hurting ticket sales.
Mr Munoz has again apologised for the injuries Dr Dao, a 69-year-old from Kentucky, was left with.
But he said the company had not considered sacking anybody over it.
Mr Munoz, who initially backed claims that Dr Dao was "belligerent" and "disruptive", said: "I'm sure there was lots of conjecture about me personally."
He described the incident as a "system failure across various areas."
But he added: "There was never a consideration for firing an employee."
Dr Dao's lawyers have taken preliminary steps to begin a lawsuit against United Airlines and the city of Chicago, which operates O'Hare Airport.
Last week, United announced that it will no longer call police to remove passengers from overbooked planes.
And some US politicians have called for a total ban on overselling flights.
Mr Munoz has declined to address that change until the airline finishes an internal review.