Police drag a man from a United Airlines plane
An ugly incident provokes a social-media storm
UNITED AIRLINES urges travellers to “Fly the Friendly Skies”. The company makes no promises about its customer service before take-off. When, on April 9th, a traveller in Chicago refused to give up his seat on an overcrowded flight to Louisville, Kentucky, police yanked him into the aisle and dragged him by his hands along the floor, bleeding after he cut his head on an armrest. Horrified fellow passengers took videos on their phones and posted them to social media.
The company’s initial response was possibly the worst bit of crisis-PR in history, noted one media commentator. As videos of the bloodied man quickly went viral, Oscar Munoz, the carrier’s boss, woodenly apologised for having to “re-accommodate” customers. In an internal letter to staff, Mr Munoz said crew had “no choice” in their action and blamed the flyer for not co-operating.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline "Air rage"
Business April 15th 2017
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- Google is accused of underpaying women
- China’s HNA Group goes on a global shopping spree
- How Germany’s Otto uses artificial intelligence
- Police drag a man from a United Airlines plane
- Cloudification will mean upheaval in telecoms
- The University of Chicago worries about a lack of competition
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