United ‘Re-Accommodates’ a Passenger and the Internet Explodes

27.07.2023 - 18:42 / smartertravel.com / Oscar Munoz / United

The media—social media, asocial media, major media, marginal media, all media—has been positively aflame for the past 24 hours with reporting and editorializing on United Airlines’ latest mishandling of a passenger confrontation.

The facts of the case are not in dispute. United’s Sunday-night flight UA3411 between Chicago and Louisville was full—100 percent full—and all passengers were seated and awaiting departure. Four United employees advised the gate agents that they had to be on the flight, in order to operate a flight from Louisville. United agents boarded the aircraft and called for volunteers to take a later flight, offering up to $800 in compensation. No one raised their hand, and United randomly chose four travelers to be involuntarily ejected from the flight. The first three complied, grudgingly. The fourth did not. Following a prolonged verbal dispute, during which the passenger proclaimed that he was a doctor with patients he was scheduled to see and couldn’t change his travel plans, Chicago Aviation Security officers were called to forcibly remove him. He was dragged, kicking and screaming, off the plane.

It was an ugly incident. An incident that could and should have been avoided. And, naturally, it was recorded in gory detail on at least two passengers’ cellphones. The video was posted on social media, and it went viral.

It was front-page news on the New York Times. The Los Angeles Times also featured the story on the front page, alongside two editorials on the topic. The story was everywhere on Twitter and Facebook, replete with newly created memes. (Example: a picture of a United plane overlaid with the copy, “If we cannot beat our competitors, we beat our customers.”)

The United-bashing was near universal, ranging from wrist-slapping (could have handled it better; should have offered more compensation) to full-throated condemnation (never fly them again; there oughtta be a law). There’s a Change.org petition calling for the resignation of United chief Oscar Munoz. China’s People’s Daily led with photos of the passenger’s bloodied face, and suggested that he was the victim of racism (the doctor appears to be of Asian descent). United’s credibility and reputation, already teetering after the recent dress-code incident, took a big hit.

As a former airline P.R. manager, I’m well aware of the difficulties United faced, both in handling the original problem and in dealing with its aftermath. The airline had to choose between bumping four passengers and delaying or cancelling the Louisville flight the four crewmembers were scheduled to operate. Munoz, in his infuriatingly evasive non-apology, had to choose between supporting his