United will no longer use law enforcement to remove passengers, so that’s a start

Oscar Munoz, the CEO of United Airlines, appears to be taking the “just tweet through it” approach to public relations, most recently with an interview on Good Morning America.

Since Sunday night, when video hit the internet of airport security forcibly removing a passenger from an overbooked flight to Louisville, Munoz has issued a number of not-quite-right responses. The latest is an appearance on Good Morning America, during which he said, “We are not going to put a law enforcement official onto a plane to … remove a booked, paid, seated passenger; we can’t do that.”

So, that’s a comfort. The United press train moves at a mile a minute, and previously, Munoz tweeted an apology for having to “re-accommodate” the passenger. Then, he described the passenger as “disruptive and belligerent” in an email, saying he “emphatically stands behind” the crew’s actions. (At the same time, a local newspaper circulated a story about the passenger’s “troubled past,” which was irrelevant. Then, a side-scandal ensued suggesting the paper had identified and smeared the wrong Dr. David Dao. They had not, but the background was still irrelevant. ) Then, there was another tweet apology.

The general lack of perceived sincerity – which Munoz now attributes to “getting the facts and circumstances” – did not go over well and United stock continued to drop. United has since followed the GMA appearance with a statement to USA Today.

And here we are. Watch the GMA appearance below.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Department of Aviation is investigating the Chicago Aviation Security Office, who have flown remarkably under the radar during all of this. One Chicago Aviation security officer involved is currently on paid leave. The Aviation Security Office is operated by the city of Chicago, but is not officially related to Chicago’s PR-disaster of a police department.

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There’s a lot that is still unclear about the incident, like why the crew couldn’t take the next flight that day or whether the flight was ever overbooked. A Chicago hospital is treating Dr. Dao for unspecified injuries and he has taken on representation by two Chicago attorneys. All in all, it does not appear that United will be out of the press with this any time soon.