Chicago

United CEO: Doctor Being Dragged Off Plane Was ‘Watershed Moment'

Dr. David Dao, 69, suffered a broken nose and lost two front teeth while being pulled from the plane

United Airlines won't forget Dr. David Dao.

The company's chief executive, Oscar Munoz, said Monday that Dao's forced, bloodied — and viral — removal from a flight that he had paid for last week would serve as a "watershed moment" for the airline, NBC News reported.

"The incident that took place aboard Flight 3411 has been a humbling experience and I take full responsibility," Munoz said in a statement accompanying its better-than-anticipated first-quarter earnings report. "This will prove to be a watershed moment for our company."

Dao, 69, suffered a broken nose, a concussion and lost two front teeth after refusing to leave the April 13 flight from Chicago to his home state of Kentucky.

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