The internet was whipped into a frenzy to start off the week, which isn’t really an unexpected thing since the internet does that every other hour or so. This specific outrage cycle was fueled by the shocking and rough removal of a passenger from a United Airlines flight after they didn’t have enough “willing volunteers” on an overbooked flight. United released a statement a few hours after the appalling incident (which was caught on video, naturally), but that did little to assuage consumer’s anger, and didn’t really explain why such a thing happened in the first place.
Now, United CEO Oscar Munoz has sent a letter to employees that was leaked shortly after it was circulated, and the contents of the letter are doing little to make the situation better.
https://twitter.com/SteveKopack/status/851577672429916161
In the missive, Munoz says the “facts and circumstances” of the situation are still evolving, that employees “followed established procedures for dealing with situations” like this one” and and that “treating our customers and each other with respect and dignity is at the core” of who the company is. If that sounds like it’s phony CEO-speak written down for the express purpose of spinning the situation, there’s a chance you could be right.
And that’s before you get to the part where Munoz breaks down the alleged pertinent points of the situation in bullets. The internet, naturally, was not swallowing this spin with a spoon full of sugar and people went off after the letter started making the rounds.
the phrase "left with no choice" really jumps out at me here https://t.co/wJpbaZ3N8q
— Matt Pearce 🦅🇺🇸 (@mattdpearce) April 10, 2017
an airline shouldn't use the phrase "left with no choice" unless you're landing on the Hudson or your crash survivors turned to cannibalism
— Matt Pearce 🦅🇺🇸 (@mattdpearce) April 10, 2017
also a little weird that *both* the cops and the huge airline's statements ganged up on a passenger who was DRAGGED from the plane
— Matt Pearce 🦅🇺🇸 (@mattdpearce) April 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/jonlovett/status/851587061240872961
https://twitter.com/jonlovett/status/851587346579337216
https://twitter.com/jonlovett/status/851584674522476544
https://twitter.com/theshrillest/status/851582847777349632
Some responses were more lighthearted than others…
https://twitter.com/HyperboleGrant/status/851579859180560384
https://twitter.com/Adam_Jacobi/status/851584480728973317
https://twitter.com/emilyyoshida/status/851598298796392448
https://twitter.com/darth/status/851592770741350402
https://twitter.com/ditzkoff/status/851595091617697792
As some pointed out, Munoz was recently awarded a prize from PR Week naming him “Communicator of the Year.” Between this incident and the recent leggings controversy, that seems like an iffy title.
Oscar Munoz CEO of #unitedAIRLINES accepts Communicator of the Year award #PRweekawardsus pic.twitter.com/KljVRytkU1
— Julia Hood (@julia_hood) March 17, 2017
https://twitter.com/mousterpiece/status/851587970356264960