CHICAGO, IL. (NEWS 1130) – Negative reaction continues to pour in after a video went viral showing a passenger being forcibly dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight.
Criticism and fake United Airlines slogans are popping up all over social media in response to the footage of a bloodied man being taken off the plane, while being dragged down the aisle by security guards.
People have taken to Twitter and using the #NewUnitedAirlinesMottos to propose slogans such as ”We Put The Hospital In Hospitality” and ”We’ll drag you all over the world.” What’s adding further insult to injury is the fact the CEO of the airline is standing by his employees.
This incident comes at a time when Canada’s transport minister is set to introduce an air passenger bill of rights sometime this spring. That is something Marc Garneau promised last fall. “When a passenger books a flight and is then told that it’s overbooked, they have certain rights.”
Garneau couldn’t say if what happened at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport could legally happen here but is adamant his upcoming bill will give travellers some recourse. “Those are things where the passenger must have reciprocal rights with respect to the airlines and we’ll be bringing out those measures.”
In a letter, United’s CEO Oscar Munoz is defending his employees’ actions while the Chicago Aviation Department has suspended one of the three officers who removed the man, saying he did not follow standard operating procedures. Some public relations expert feel the company should have apologized instead of standing up for what happened. Just last month, Munoz was named PR Communicator of the year by the magazine PRWeek.
Shares in United’s parent company fell this morning in pre-market trading while the airline takes a public affairs beating.