United to appear at House hearing on airline consumer issues

United Continental — which has found itself at the centre of a social-media firestorm over the forcible removal of a passenger from a United flight — has confirmed that it will appear at an upcoming US House of Representatives committee hearing on airline consumer issues.

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee announced on Wednesday that it plans to hold a hearing “in order to provide members an opportunity to learn more about consumer issues related to the commercial airline industry.” It did not give a date for the hearing nor a list of witnesses it plans to call.

United confirmed a Reuters report that it will meet with the committee to share results of an internal review it is conducting in the wake of the incident, which left passenger Dr David Dao with a concussion, broken nose and two lost teeth after he was dragged from flight 3411 by airport police to make room for airline staff.

“Flight 3411 has prompted a lot of discussion, and we share many of the concerns being raised,” spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said in a statement. “We look forward to meeting with the committee and sharing with them the comprehensive review and the customer-focused actions”, which it plans to complete by April 30.

United, which has apologised repeatedly for the incident, is also facing a deadline on Thursday to provide answers to the US Senate Commerce Committee on the incident. The airline said on Wednesday it will share its responses directly with the committee.