You’ve got a business meeting in New York or a vacation in Paris. United has convenient flights at a good price. But maybe you’ll choose another carrier just to avoid Hell’s favorite airline — the one that had a passenger dragged from his seat before takeoff.
You’ve got a business meeting in New York or a vacation in Paris. United has convenient flights at a good price. But maybe you’ll choose another carrier just to avoid Hell’s favorite airline — the one that had a passenger dragged from his seat before takeoff.
To United CEO Oscar Munoz, fear that a single outrageous incident on an April 9 flight out of Chicago’s O’Hare International could permanently wreck his brand’s reputation is real enough for him to change how the airline operates. On Thursday he ripped up the company’s playbook on the management of overbooking situations. He also promised to never repeat the O’Hare customer service disaster.
What Munoz said is worth quoting because United’s success, and his job security, depend on whether flyers find it to be true: Every customer deserves to be treated with the highest levels of service and the deepest sense of dignity and respect.
We know. A lot of you flyers, especially those crammed into economy class, are rolling your eyes over the “deepest sense of dignity and respect” line. The idyllic age of flying went out of style with the Boeing 707. But really, what’s so ridiculous? While flying is a high-stress business and legroom ain’t what it was, an airline’s personality shines through based on each interaction with employees. Either a spirit of common decency prevails or it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, you want to cut up your frequent flyer-card and fly someone else.
For Chicago-based United, things went wrong years ago. The airline endured a stay in bankruptcy court after the tragedy of 9/11, and the 2010 merger with Continental was mismanaged. By the time Munoz took over in 2015, employees and passengers were both fed up. Then Munoz missed time for heart-replacement surgery. Still, the airline’s performance and image were improving — until passengers boarded the 5:40 p.m. United Express flight to Louisville on a certain Sunday.
Here we get to Munoz’s promise that the O’Hare incident won’t be repeated. United admits it all went wrong.
Going forward United says it won’t squeeze traveling crew members onto flights at the last minute, won’t bump customers who have boarded, won’t call the cops to eject a customer because of an overbooking issue and will reduce overbooking. Just as important, United employees will have the training and permission to resolve customer service issues in the moment. They’ll be able to offer as much as $10,000 in compensation to entice volunteers to be bumped and get creative in finding alternate transportation for bumped passengers and crew. Employees encouraged to think on their feet are much more likely to do the right thing.
So which airline will you book to New York or Paris? Munoz hopes you’re willing to give United another try.