United Airlines Struggles to Shake PR Crisis

Major U.S. companies experienced a range of public relations challenges this week, but it was United Airlines that has drawn most of the heat.

After forcefully ejecting a ticketed passenger from his seat on Sunday, United Airlines has been struggling to no avail to protect its public image. Despite multiple apologies from its CEO, the story continues to linger in the press. With every passing day, United Airlines becomes the butt of an ever-increasing number of jokes.

Just in case you have been living under a rock and missed the story this week, here is a quick rundown of events. On Sunday, a passenger identified later as Dr. David Dao, was forcibly escorted off a flight by security officers after refusing to give up his seat to make room for United Airlines employees. A video of the incident hit the press and it went instantly viral, turning into a full-blown PR crisis for United.

The next day, United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz issued a weak non-apology that was not well received by the public. In a rare event in the world of crisis PR, Munoz issued another apology in which he took responsibility for the “horrible incident.” Later, the company offered a full refund for every passenger on the flight.

The phrasing of an apology can often make a world of difference in how the public views a company in the wake of an incident such as this. To be successful, an apology has to be perceived as sincere, and typically the person delivering the apology takes responsibility for this mistake without casting blame, especially on the person perceived as the “victim.” Monuz has continued to state that the company will launch a full investigation and will improve its systems and core values to ensure that a similar occurrence never takes place.

United’s fumbling of this PR nightmare took the focus away from other companies that could have also been the target of media attacks. Delta Airlines actually had a system meltdown of unprecedented scale week caused by bad weather, which disrupted thousands of customers, especially those moving through its hub in Atlanta. Delta issued its own public apology for the flight delays, and gifted those affected with 20,000 bonus miles for their troubles.

Delta Airlines was incredibly fortunate, and caught a big break. While it scrambled to rebook delayed customers, the rest of the country was focusing on United Airlines, whose reputation will need a lot of time to weather this severe turbulence.