Videos posted online by other passengers showed a man screaming as officers yanked him from his seat on United Flight 3411 before it departed from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday. Wednesday, CEO Oscar Munoz distanced himself from that assessment. The department announced Wednesday that two more officers have been placed on leave. Much of the uproar stemmed from Dao's status as a paying passenger who was being removed, against his will, to make room for additional crew members on the overbooked flight. "This can never, will never happen again", Muñoz said.
"The Department remains committed to ensuring that airlines comply with consumer protection regulations and will not speculate during the review process on this matter", it said.
The statement noted that "it is legal for airlines to involuntarily bump passengers when there are not enough volunteers" and that "it is the airline's responsibility to determine its own fair boarding priorities". When that did not work, they offered $800 per seat.
Alderman Mike Zalewski said he did not know who will represent the airline before the Aviation Committee, but Munoz has been notified of the hearing scheduled for Thursday.
David Dao's lawyers on Wednesday made the first moves toward a lawsuit with an emergency filing in Cook County court. In a letter to employees that was leaked to CNBC Monday, Munoz described the passenger as "disruptive and belligerent".
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Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans told the committee that the officers had the authority to board the flight but that what happened on the plane is being investigated. United was trying to find seats for four employees, meaning four passengers had to deplane.
The incident became a public-relations disaster for the airline company. The furor could threaten the future of the police force that guards Chicago's two main airports.
The flight has made worldwide headlines and earned massive outrage since Sunday after airport security officials violently deplaned 69-year-old Dr. David Dao. A video of Dao being dragged off the flight, bleeding, went viral this week, causing global outrage.
The doctor was seen on cellphone videos recorded by other passengers at O'Hare Airport.
Dao was ultimately convicted in late 2004 of several counts of obtaining drugs by fraud or deceit and was placed on five years of supervised probation and surrendered his medical license.
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