Pair fired after United Airlines passenger removed :-: Sky News
Two airport security officers have been sacked for their part in the forcible removal of a passenger..
Two airport security officers have been sacked for their part in the forcible removal of a passenger from a plane that left him bleeding from a broken nose and two broken teeth.
The officer who initially pulled Dr David Dao from his seat was fired by Chicago aviation officials following an internal investigation, along with a supervisor who engaged in "the deliberate removal of facts from an employee report".
"Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) employees mishandled a non-threatening situation that resulted in the physically violent forcible removal of a passenger," the inspector general's public report said.
:: Fellow passenger's blow-by-blow account
Two other officers, one who "made misleading statements in two reports" and another who "made material omissions in a report," were suspended for five days each, prompting one of them to resign.
The violent and chaotic removal of a screaming Mr Dao from a United Airlines flight at Chicago Airport in April was filmed by several of his fellow passengers.
The footage went viral on social media, causing a public relations disaster for the airline.
As he was pulled from his seat, Dr Dao's head hit an armrest and as he was dragged down the aisle with his face streaming with blood from a broken nose, his glasses slipped off and his shirt rode up his chest.
He was later filmed standing up, saying over and over "just kill me".
After initially mishandling the aftermath of the affair, United Airlines apologised and settled with Mr Dao, who had threatened to sue them, for an undisclosed sum.
He had been apparently randomly selected to be leave the Flight 3411 to Louisville because United needed the seat for a member of a different flight crew but Dr Dao refused, saying he had patient appointments to keep.
A violent altercation followed as officers tried to remove him, leaving other fliers visibly and audibly shocked.
Mr Dao's lawyer Thomas Demetrio said his client was "neither vindictive nor happy," adding: "There is a lesson to be learned here for police officers at all levels. Do not state something that is clearly contrary to video viewed by the world."
United has stopped asking passengers already seated on planes to give up their seats and raised the maximum amount it can offer passengers who voluntarily give up their seats from $1,350 (£1,024) to $10,000 (£7,580).
