United's unfriendly approach: Our view

The skies might be friendly for United, but not so much on the ground, where some of the airline's employees seem to be suffering from a dearth of common sense.

Last month, United provoked widespread ridicule when personnel barred two teenage girls from boarding a flight because they were wearing leggings, which the airline said violated a dress code policy for those traveling on employee passes. United could have easily made its point by letting the girls board and reprimanding the adult employee later.

Then, on Sunday, a passenger who refused to get off an overbooked United flight at O’Hare International was yanked from his seat, screaming, by authorities and dragged across the floor by his arms toward the front of the plane. A 31-second video of the appalling incident has gone viral, leaving a trail of furious customers and unanswered questions in its wake.

This much is clear: Airline employees never should have let the incident get this far. And Chicago Department of Aviation security officers had no reason to use such force on someone simply for refusing to leave his seat. Law enforcement is supposedly taught to de-escalate these kinds of incidents, not serve as muscle for blockheaded airline employees.

According to passengers’ accounts, the incident started when the airline tried to find four passengers to get off the overbooked flight so they could accommodate airline employees who needed to get to its Louisville destination. When offers of $400 and then $800 compensation didn’t persuade anyone to disembark, an employee said four passengers would be picked by computer.

The third chosen — a man who said he was a doctor and needed to get to Louisville to see patients Monday — refused, became “very upset” and said he was calling his lawyer, according to a passenger. After security officers talked with him, a third officer dragged him off. By then, the passenger’s glasses were askew. His lip was bleeding. And other fliers were screaming.

Treating passengers like cattle is bad enough; treating one like a criminal is even worse.

Rather than forcibly removing the man (his name has not been released), a far wiser course would have been to offer $1,000 or more until someone else got off voluntarily, presumably happy with the extra money. (Or, if the situation couldn't be resolved before boarding, find another way to get the employees to Louisville.) United made $2.3 billion last year. A few hundred dollars of additional incentive would have cost far less than this public relations debacle.

United CEO Oscar Munoz managed to hit the wrong chord with his brief statement, allowing that “this is an upsetting event to all of us here at United” and apologizing for having to "re-accommodate these customers." Upsetting to those at United? Re-accommodate?

Ummm, how about an abject apology to everyone involved, and a vow to teach employees how to handle customers, not manhandle them?

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