As 2017 comes to a close, I thought it would be interesting to look back on one of the bigger crises of the year: the forcible removal of a passenger from United Airlines’ flight 3411. Many people remember the disturbing video that fellow passengers captured of the screaming and bloodied man being dragged by security officers from the plane.
In case you missed it, on the evening of April 10, 2017 officials with United Airlines announced a flight leaving Chicago was overbooked, and they were looking for four volunteers to give up their seats so employees of Republic Airlines could fly to Louisville for work.
After no volunteers came forward, even after offering incentives, the airline resorted to randomly selecting passengers for removal. Three of the four randomly selected passengers went with no issue, except – Dr. David Dao – who refused to disembark, claiming he had patients to see at his practice. United Airlines employees then asked the airport police to remove him, and what happened next shocked many people.
Airport security wrestled Dr. Dao out of his seat and into the aisle. Along the way, Dao’s face collided with an armrest leaving bloodied. Passengers filmed the officers removing Dr. Dao and quickly posted the videos on their social media accounts. After the altercation went viral, United released a short statement that fell short of answering questions, reassuring consumers, or describing the reason for such a physical removal. From the beginning, United failed to take control during the crisis.
The impact was substantial. Many passengers learned that having a ticket does not guarantee them a seat, as most assumed.Consumers felt betrayed that United prioritized travel needs of employees from another airline over their own customers.
Influencing Perceptions: The Importance of Accuracy, Consistency, and Sensitivity
In crisis situations, it is a best practice to release an informative statement in a timely manner. As my colleague pointed out in a blog about crisis communications, “Accurate, factual information can help manage a story in a favorable direction.”
As significant details emerged about the passenger and the incident, many people had questions about the overbooking of flights, and United Airlines’ policies. United complicated matters when the company said, contrary to its previous reports, that it had not overbooked flight 3411. Rather than gathering the details and controlling the situation and the messages, United initially released inaccurate information which further eroded consumer confidence.
Eventually, United’s CEO Oscar Munoz released both a public statement and a letter to employees. The public statement included a half-hearted apology and downplayed the situation which he described as “re-accommodating” the passengers. However, in his letter, Munoz praised employees for their efforts saying, “I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.” Munoz is also on record calling Dr. Dao “disruptive and belligerent.” Unfortunately for United, Munoz wasn’t consistent in his messages. Although he apologized publicly, his message to internal audiences was vastly different and struck many people as insensitive.
By studying United Airlines’ handling of the crisis, PR professionals are reminded of the importance of delivering consistent messages and being sensitive to the emotions of others. It wasn’t until Munoz’s third statement that he acknowledged the problem, and hinted a company policy review would be in order. After multiple statements that failed to relieve tension, accepting their mistake and taking full responsibility of the situation was the only thing left for Munoz and United to do.
It’s no surprise that in the weeks following the event, consumers and news outlets were watching United closely. United conducted an internal company review, in which employees were said to receive more training and changed the process for bumping passengers from flights. While Munoz was right in saying “it’s never too late to do the right thing,” it was too late for United to try and come away from this crisis unscathed.