The chief executive of embattled United Airlines unequivocally apologized on Tuesday after a new video emerged online of the passenger who was brutally dragged off a plane.
The apology came amid a torrent of criticism of the carrier’s actions on a Sunday flight and its initial explanations.
In images now seen worldwide, a passenger was forcefully removed and bloodied in the process — the entire event captured on video by passengers and posted on social media.
In the new video, the injured passenger is repeatedly saying “Just kill me… I want to go home.”
Passenger David Dao, 69, had refused to be “bumped” from the overbooked flight — an airline practice that has now come under increased scrutiny.
“I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard,” CEO Oscar Munoz said.
“We take full responsibility and we will work to make it right.”
The comments were in stark contrast to the company’s initial response, in which it seemed to at least partially blame the passenger, inflaming worldwide outrage.
US media published an email Munoz sent earlier to employees, in which he said the passenger “defied” authorities and “compounded” the incident.
“Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this,” the CEO wrote.
Munoz said Tuesday the company will conduct a “thorough review” of its procedures, including “how we handle oversold situations” and how the airline partners with airport authorities and law enforcement.
He vowed to release the review results by April 30.
But the public relations damage was done, with calls for boycotts and the US Department of Transportation promising to review the airline’s actions.