It has been two years since the infamous United Express Flight 3411 Incident, where the 69-year old passenger Dr. David Dao was forcibly dragged and beaten up for his refusal to give up his seat to four United employees.
Dr. Dao’s unfortunate spectacle was caught in camera and quickly turned into one of the biggest stories of 2017. To make things worse, United CEO Oscar Munoz was adamantly unapologetic in the aftermath of the incident and brushed it off as “re-accommodating the customer,” and even labeled Dao as belligerent. A huge uproar from the world over even prompted the US Congress to investigate the incident in order to institute drastic changes.
Fast forward to 2019, and the incident helped usher in major policy changes in airline boarding and bumping policies.
On April 9, Dr. Dao spoke for the first time since his painful and bloody experience. When asked if he can remember how quickly things escalated, he curtly responded:
“I think very fast. I think very quick”
We can all glean from his interview with ABC News that the pain and animosity he had been dealt with was still very fresh in his mind. He said that the attention he had gotten almost made him get into hiding: He actually could not get to work and stayed for months in his house as a recluse.
Since then, United Airlines released a statement of responsibility and accountability for the defining moment.
On the bright side, the airline had claimed the incident as a continuing experience. Dr. Dao, on the other hand, said that it made him change his perspective in life and devotes much of his time helping war veterans in Vietnam.