If there’s one company we can look to in order to see how to do customer service (and respect for human life and dignity) wrong, it’s United. Not only was the airline responsible for a gruesome physical assault on a man who wouldn’t give up his seat on a flight, but it handled every other aspect of the situation badly as well, not apologizing for the incident until days later and using corporate double-speak — it’s not “being dragged off a plane after being knocked out,” it’s “re-accommodation” — to describe the actions taken against David Dao on Flight 3411.
It wasn’t a surprise that the internet exploded in outrage over what happened, and it wasn’t even a surprise when comedians and even other airlines began taking potshots at the company for its terrible actions. But now, there’s something that should make even the most jaded United executives sit up and take notice: the airline’s own pilots have released a statement accusing United’s regional carriers, and the Chicago Department of Aviation for everything that happened.
The statement, which was released by The United Master Executive Council — a union that represents the nearly 13,000 pilots United employs — excoriated everyone responsible for the tragic incident and made it clear that health and safety are a huge priority. For the pilots. And while the message makes is a reminder that there’s plenty of blame to pass around, the pilots also want those boycotting United to know that they believe the events that transpired were not of United’s doing.
From the statement (which you can read in full below):
1. This violent incident should never have happened and was a result of gross excessive force by Chicago Department of Aviation personnel.
2. No United employees were involved in the physical altercation.
3. Social media ire should properly be directed at the Chicago Aviation Department.
4. This occurred on an Express flight operated by Republic Airline, as such, the flight crew and cabin crew of Flight 3411 are employees of Republic Airline, not United Airlines.
5. United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has apologized for United Airlines, the actions of the Chicago Department of Aviation, and the actions of our Express partner, Republic Airline.
And:
For reasons unknown to us, instead of trained Chicago Police Department officers being dispatched to the scene, Chicago Department of Aviation personnel responded. At this point, without direction and outside the control of United Airlines or the Republic crew, the Chicago Department of Aviation forcibly removed the passenger.
Members of local airport law enforcement are normally important security partners who assist aircrews in ensuring the safety of everyone on the airplane. This event was an anomaly and is not how United or the police are expected to treat passengers when there is no security threat.
These are good points, especially the ones about how Chicago’s aviation department handled the situation without any input, but they ring a bit hollow when the pilots try to vindicate United itself.
Yes, everyone in charge of the situation handled it badly, but if the contracted carrier is under the purview of United and the passengers’ tickets are stamped with the airline’s insignia, then United also has to take accountability for the fact that it failed its passengers. And while the pilots weren’t actually involved, it’s disingenuous to point fingers outside of the company when, for all intents and purposes, Republic and United are the same in people’s eyes. In other words, you can’t slap your name onto something, charge them through your office, and put them on a flight bearing United’s name and then claim that United isn’t culpable.
The union goes on to ask that potential passengers not treat this one incident as a general picture of how United operates, citing that over 82,000 people work at the airline and that it would be unfair to judge al of their work based only on this one flight. And they promise that they will do their best to continue pushing forward and doing more to ensure that no one on a United flight ever experiences this type of treatment again. Perhaps it will change some people’s minds. Perhaps, however, it will also force those same people to think about what they will and won’t accept from an airline. After all, the bad treatment of passengers isn’t just a problem with United, it’s a symptom of the way that many airlines treat their passengers in general. And it’s time to change that.
The full statement:
“As the story of United Express Flight 3411, operated by Republic Airline, continues to virally circulate in the news and on social media, your United Master Executive Council (MEC) has intentionally withheld judgment because of the rapid pace at which information, both accurate and inaccurate, has been released and manipulated.
The safety and well-being of our passengers is the highest priority for United pilots, and this should not have escalated into a violent encounter. United pilots are infuriated by this event. This occurred on one of our contracted Express carriers, separately owned and operated by Republic Airline, and was ultimately caused by the grossly inappropriate response by the Chicago Department of Aviation.
It is important to review these baseline facts:
1. This violent incident should never have happened and was a result of gross excessive force by Chicago Department of Aviation personnel.
2. No United employees were involved in the physical altercation.
3. Social media ire should properly be directed at the Chicago Aviation Department.
4. This occurred on an Express flight operated by Republic Airline, as such, the flight crew and cabin crew of Flight 3411 are employees of Republic Airline, not United Airlines.
5. United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has apologized for United Airlines, the actions of the Chicago Department of Aviation, and the actions of our Express partner, Republic Airline.On April 9, 2017, United Express Flight 3411, operated by Republic, was preparing to depart Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Louisville (SDF). Republic Airline made the decision to assign four of their crewmembers to deadhead on Flight 3411 within minutes of the scheduled departure. Although four passengers would have to be removed from this flight to accommodate the Republic crew, the goal was to get the other 70 passengers on their way to SDF and ensure a flight crew needed the next day would also be in place. By all reports, the Republic flight crew was courteous and calm throughout the event, and three passengers left the flight voluntarily for compensation. After repeatedly asking the fourth passenger to give up his seat to no avail, the gate agent requested the assistance of law enforcement.
For reasons unknown to us, instead of trained Chicago Police Department officers being dispatched to the scene, Chicago Department of Aviation personnel responded. At this point, without direction and outside the control of United Airlines or the Republic crew, the Chicago Department of Aviation forcibly removed the passenger.
Members of local airport law enforcement are normally important security partners who assist aircrews in ensuring the safety of everyone on the airplane. This event was an anomaly and is not how United or the police are expected to treat passengers when there is no security threat.
United pilots have always been the true leaders of this company, and our fellow employees count on us to continue to do what we do best—deliver a world class product and safely transport our passengers around the world. We cannot let this huge distraction affect our ability to do our jobs. We have successfully flown through more turbulent times, and we will weather this storm as well.
Ultimately, United must be measured by more than this one incident on a single United Express flight; this airline is comprised of more than 82,000 employees, including over 12,500 pilots, working every day to safely fly around the globe. For 91 years, United has earned the trust of millions of passengers, and we will continue earning their trust, despite the incident on this United Express flight. The United Airlines MEC is confident that the steps we are taking as a company will ensure this type of inexcusable event never happens again.”