Atlanta

UNITED Continental Holdings Inc will offer as much as US$10,000 to passengers who voluntarily give up their seats on oversold flights, one of 10 changes that the airline is adopting after a customer was dragged off a plane by security officers.

The carrier will also reduce the overbooking of flights and refrain from calling in law enforcement officials unless safety and security are at risk, according to a company statement on Thursday. United issued the changes more than two weeks after the forcible removal of David Dao, a 69-year-old passenger who refused to surrender his seat, by Chicago Department of Aviation officials.