After video surfaced of a passenger being dragged screaming and bloodied from a United Airlines flight in early April, public attention turned to the brand to see how it would respond to the incident. The company’s initial response describing the passenger as being “re-accommodated” faced backlash in the press and on social media, and by the time CEO Oscar Munoz apologized a few days later, it was too late, Jonathan Vaughters – who faced his own scandal as a former teammate of Lance Armstrong – told Colorado’s 9 News. “United saying the passenger was “re-accommodated” did not track very well with the reality of what the video said. And in that case, basically management of United comes off as dishonest,” Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports, told 9 News. The brand should have ensured they had all the facts and apologized immediately, said Vaughters, who tweeted at United that they should attend his talk at the University of Denver about crisis communications.
Source: http://www.9news.com/travel/how-united-can-repair-its-brand-after-dragging-debacle/430612521
