United vows change, but Congress must make sure airlines fly right

Oscar Munoz was sorry, but in the eyes of the public not sorry enough in the immediate aftermath of a passenger, Dr. David Dao, being dragged from a United Airlines flight on April 9. Munoz, CEO of United, has spent virtually every hour of every day since fighting a catastrophic public relations problem. In the process, Dao – he’d refused to leave the plane because he’d been bumped thanks to overbooking – received what surely was a confidential settlement in the millions of dollars.

Munoz took his apology tour to Capitol Hill this week, pledging to members of Congress that there will be no more such incidents, and calling this one “epic.” United has raised the ceiling, to $10,000, on how much it can pay customers who have to give up seats on oversold flights. Other airlines were represented at the congressional hearing where Munoz spoke.

There’s good reason for their fear. Congress has the authority to regulate airlines, and that is something the airlines don’t want, as additional regulations – particularly those that make life easier for passengers – can get expensive. But airlines need to do better, because flying has seemed to become a nightmare of long waits, crowding, and unreliable planning.

Let’s hope Congress stays on stand-by.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 5:17 PM with the headline "United vows change, but Congress must make sure airlines fly right."