3:21 P.M. UPDATE:
CHICAGO — A Kentucky doctor who was dragged off a United flight after he refused to give up his seat to employees of a partner airline reached a settlement Thursday with United for an undisclosed amount of money.
David Dao's legal team said in a brief statement that the agreement includes a provision that the amount will remain confidential. One of his lawyers praised United CEO Oscar Munoz.
Munoz "said he was going to do the right thing, and he has," Thomas Demetrio said in the statement. "In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened ... without attempting to blame others, including the city of Chicago."
The settlement means United will not face the lawsuit that many observers expected. Such a court battle could have been costly, both in legal bills for United and in further public-relations damage.
United also issued a brief statement, saying it was pleased to report "an amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident that occurred aboard Flight 3411."
Cellphone video of the April 9 confrontation aboard a jetliner at Chicago's O'Hare Airport sparked widespread public anger over the way Dao was treated.
The footage showed airport police officers pulling the 69-year-old father of five from his seat and dragging him down the aisle. His lawyer said he lost teeth and suffered a broken nose and a concussion.
In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Demetrio said the settlement also averts any lawsuit against the city of Chicago. Airport police officers who work for the city pulled Dao off the jet.
"United Airlines has taken full responsibility and has acted accordingly," he told the AP. "I praise Mr. Munoz and his people for not trying to throw the city under the bus or pass the buck. He stood in front of the world and has stated that, 'We, United, take full responsibility.'"
Demetrio said it was "unheard of" for a company to admit responsibility "in the fashion they have done."
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
EARLIER:
DALLAS — United Airlines says it will raise the limit — to $10,000 — on payments to customers who give up seats on oversold flights and will increase training for employees as it deals with fallout from the video of a passenger being violently dragged from his seat.
United is also vowing to reduce, but not eliminate, overbooking — the selling of more tickets than there are seats on the plane.
The airline made the promises Thursday as it released a report detailing mistakes that led to the April 9 incident on a United Express plane in Chicago.
United isn't saying whether ticket sales have dropped since the removal of a 69-year-old passenger by three airport security officers, but the airline's CEO admits it could be damaging.
"I breached public trust with this event and how we responded," Oscar Munoz told The Associated Press. "People are upset, and I suspect that there are a lot of people potentially thinking of not flying us."
To head off customer defections, United had already announced that it will no longer call police to remove passengers from overbooked flights, and will require airline crews traveling for work to check in sooner. On Thursday, it added several other new policies including:
— Raising the limit on compensation to $10,000 for customers who give up their seats starting Friday. That is a maximum — it's unclear how many, if any, passengers would see that much. The current limit is $1,350. Delta Air Lines earlier this month raised its limit to $9,950.
— Sending displaced passengers or crew members to nearby airports, putting them on other airlines or arranging for car transportation to get them to their destinations.
— Giving gate agents annual refresher training in dealing with oversold flights. Munoz said he also wants agents and flight attendants to get more help at de-escalating tense situations.
While not a factor in this month's incident, United also said that starting in June it will pay customers $1,500 with no questions asked if the airline loses their bag.