Oscar Munoz
CANCUN, Mexico -- United CEO Oscar Munoz said he should have
taken more time before issuing his initial statement after the violent April 9
removal of passenger David Dao from a flight between Chicago and Louisville.
"I think you have more time than you think to respond
to this and respond correctly," Munoz said during a panel session of CEOs
at the IATA Annual General Meeting here.
He disagreed with fellow panelists who said that in the age
of social media it's important to get a response out in 15 minutes. Dao was
removed from United Express Flight 3411 on a Sunday night, but the incident
didn't explode in the news until the next day.
"If I had just waited for another 'x' amount of time,
my initial response with my name on it would have been different, " Munoz
said.
Munoz's initial statement was widely criticized as tepid,
and he took heat for using the term "re-accommodate" to describe
United's bumping of four customers who had already boarded the flight.
Munoz said he should have relied on his own instinct in
issuing the statement.
"In a crisis of that magnitude, with things happening
quickly, you tend to talk to too many people," he said.