Name your favorite airline. People tend to love fun, youthful airlines like Virgin Atlantic, Southwest, WestJet, etc. because they come exactly as advertised. Purchasing a ticket on one of these airlines means you’ll get a seat, accompanied by friendly service, maybe even some jokes (WestJet had a great April Fools joke this year where they renamed their airline CanadAir), and fair treatment no matter which booking tier you’re in. All of these things are hallmarks of not just a great airline, but great customer service in general. That’s not to say that more established brands like Delta, Air Canada, or British Airways do not have those qualities. Those mentioned earlier seem to have a better grasp on their customer base.
United Airlines used to be one of the most prestigious names in travel. Flying the Friendly Skies used to be synonymous with a world class airline experience. But the 21st century has not been kind to United. Facing adversity through numerous management regimes, a recession, Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, and a merger, they have been slow to meet the needs of the evolving traveler, slow to embrace new technology, and slow to recognize the importance of good public relations/social media decorum. And they have been punished greatly for it. The deteriorating condition of the majority of their planes, frequently delayed flights, notably average service, and their clear and present shortcomings in customer service have damaged their reputation with many travelers, and earned them poor reviews with rating services like SKYTRAX and Yelp. That’s difficult to come back from, especially when there are so many other options in travel. How did United go from being one of the original great airlines, to one of the most hated?
When United Airlines and Continental Airlines merged in March 2012, the combined company formed the world’s third largest airline at the time; 1,280 airplanes, 86,000 employees, and two very different cultures. Both companies brought their own proprietary internal systems, unions, hierarchy, fleets, and very different styles of management. The merger was controversial from the start, as many United employees noticed second-class treatment when compared to their Continental colleagues. Pre-merger United (PMUA) planes only fly United flights, and pre-merger Continental (PMCO) planes only fly Continental flights, operated by their corresponding crews, and supported by their corresponding staff. Unlike the Delta-Northwest merger, which saw the full integration of Northwest into Delta, United is still very much a two-company operation, underneath the United Continental Holdings banner. The airplanes may say “United” on them, but within the company, the airline is anything but. Things were further complicated in 2015, when CEO Jeff Smisek and 2 colleagues were forced to resign over connections to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s ‘Bridgegate’ scandal. Smisek, who steered both companies through the merger, was connected to a graft scheme stemming from the unnecessary shutdown of lanes on the George Washington Bridge in September 2013.
United is Untied.
Earlier this week, a United flight from Chicago to Louisville made news after videos and eye witness accounts emerged of a bloodied passenger being dragged up the aisle and removed from the airplane by airport security after failing to relinquish his seat to a United crew member. Naturally, the incident was video recorded by surrounding passengers and was viral within hours. United’s poor handling of the issue represents the complete failure of a system designed for people to rely on. While it’s implied that ‘you get what you pay for’ when traveling, passengers expect efficiency, safety, and decency when flying. But Dr. David Dao’s treatment fell short in the safety and decency categories. How did it get to that point? Several errors were made in the boarding of United 3411. Someone handling the booking/boarding information failed to count heads and compare that with the number of available seats. After overbooking the flight, (error one, but many airlines do this) and then realizing UA3411 also needed to transport a crew of four to a waiting flight in Louisville, the gate agents began asking for volunteers who were willing to relinquish their seats and take a later flight, with compensation for their troubles. They were able to get 3/4 people to volunteer to get up. The last passenger Dr. David Dao, accepted and then declined compensation, saying he needed to return to waiting patients in Louisville and was no longer willing to give up his seat. Fine, but why wasn’t another volunteer found? Airlines can offer up to
$1,250 in compensation to passengers bumped from their original flights. Was United’s offer not sweet enough? That’s error two.
Error three was dragging a bloody and screaming passenger off the airplane while every passenger witnessed and had their phones out, because when you’re boarding an airplane what else is there to do but have phone-in-hand until told to put it away. So all 100 people witnessed, some took pictures/video, told their friends, tweeted about it, etc. and it went viral. A PR nightmare for the airline but a deserved one. United shares were down 5% yesterday, and the company is down almost $1B in market value since the news of this story broke. And that’s before the pending lawsuit. As of today, Dr. Dao is still in a Chicago hospital, and is said to have a suffered a concussion, two broken teeth, and a broken nose. This could get very ugly for United if this sensitive and delicate issue is not handled properly. Oh wait, they don’t know how to handle any issue with sensitivity.
Over the years I have read many accounts of damaged/destroyed valuables like musical instruments, lost children, and pet deaths. YouTube videos like “United Broke My Guitar” bring attention and a little levity to a passenger’s inconvenience, while there’s no way to make light of the many stories of negligent pet deaths happening while in transit with United. United recently botched the handling of an incident where nonrev passengers were inappropriately dressed for their flight. While United actually does allow women to wear leggings on their flights, they do not meet the dress code of a non-revenue passenger. This is nothing new with any of the airlines. When traveling as the guest of an airline employee, business casual dress is one of the requirements. Rather than politely explaining the issue to the passengers and asking them to change their clothing, United’s employees simply booted them from the flight. Thanks to social media this went from being a small misunderstanding to viral news, and was only fueled further by the poorly fielded responses from United’s twitter account, who’s robotic responses show zero empathy for the affected parties. A alarming indication to customers of their true value to the airline.
United’s own CEO Oscar Muñoz, who just last month was named PRWeek‘s Communicator of the Year, first released comments trying to paint the Dr. Dao as having been unruly and disruptive, and justified his removal, before apologizing and retracting his statement on the heels of many claims from passengers, and several videos showing the passenger doing nothing wrong. There have now been many apologies released from the airline, which has been met by protesters at Chicago O’Hare Intl Airport. That’s an F in Customer Service from the CEO down, which only further enforces people’s horrible impression of United. United is not even a consideration on my travel search. In short, I’d rather connect than fly them. Is United beyond saving?
United is in desperate need of a brand refresh. Their airplanes still fly around Continental colors. A color scheme which first debuted in 1991. The logo is Continental’s. In fact, the entire company culture is a mixture of Continental’s and an another airline begging for new life and new ideas. Fresh leadership, a new image, and a new vision would help boost morale, and cleanse the aura of a company many regard with lament and disdain. I, like many, have experienced the good and bad of United. They will have to earn back my business, but I am not unwilling to give them a chance.
Will the Friendly Skies ever be friendly again?
SILVERWING SPOTTER 
I’ll start by naming my favorite airlines: Virgin America, Alaska, JetBlue and Delta. Hopefully I’ll be adding Air New Zealand in a few weeks, but I’ll get back to you on that.
The United situation is interesting. I have a few friends in the airline industry have different takes on it. One is a FA for Delta. While he said United (specifically SkyWest or Republic…not sure which was operating that flight) was well within their right to bump a passenger to put an employee in the seat instead since that is a common practice among the airlines, the problem lied in the fact they did it AFTER the plane had boarded. Like you said, whomever was operating the gate, screwed that up royally. One the other side is an FA for United. She back’s the CEO and said the public has no idea what actually happened and is mad at everyone for being against United. She alluded to the passenger being extremely unruly and that a 10 second clip only makes him to be the victim and that he got what he deserved. She went on to say that if people really knew what happened, that they would not be so angry with United. Maybe she knows something we don’t, but the 75 or so pax on the flight who placed the blame on United can’t all be wrong. Regardless, United does have a major PR problem on their hands. Also to blame, in my opinion, are the Chicago police as well as what looked like a US Marshal. Quite frankly, if I had been allowed to board a plane and then be told I had to get off so that they could put an employee in my seat, there is zero chance I’d be leaving either. Now, if if they asked beforehand, I would have gladly volunteered and taken the compensation and a later flight.
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Plenty of blame to go around with this one! Chicago PD/Airport Police, United/their regional affiliate, the gate agent, the lead FA, Oscar Muñoz, their PR department head, whomever is running/ruining their twitter account, etc. The list keeps growing. That FA will side with Muñoz because she wants to keep her job. It wouldn’t look very good for her to be badmouthing her employer, would it? And I wouldn’t get up either. I hope Dr. Dao cleans them out. The only way these companies seem to learn from their experiences is when it affects their bottom line. Re: Bill O’Reilly and FOX.
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Great article, Devyn! It provides hope that United and other airlines will take this opportunity to consider what customer service truly means. Something that this industry, like many others, have forgotten. Their crew should take a flight with Aer Lingus to know what a friendly flight is like. My favorite… since you asked 😉
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Thanks for reading Miyoko! It’s not the end of the world for United. They still have airplanes full of passengers who still believe in them. They are not beyond saving, and I believe the right turnaround will do wonders for them. Evolution is a good thing!
I haven’t flown Aer Lingus yet and you are the first person I know who has! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the experience. What did you like/dislike about them? Gabby will be flying Norwegian next month and I’m curious what she thinks. The low fare/no-frills European Airlines have invaded! We also have WOW, are gaining Level (a new British Airways/Iberia startup from Barcelona), Thomas Cook and Air Berlin from Germany, and XL airlines from France.
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