We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

6 Shockingly Simple Changes to Avoid Another United Fiasco

  • Million Mile Secrets

    • Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

    I haven’t written about the recent incident where a passenger with a paid seat assignment was dragged out of a United plane, because I was waiting for all the facts to emerge.

     Here are some changes to ensure that such a horrific incident never happens again.

       

    What United Airlines Must Examine

    1.   Flexibility

    Southwest has the very best customer service in the US among airlines.  That’s because their agents are empowered to do what it takes to make the customer happy.  Empowering front line staff to make things right goes a long way to having good customer service.

    I can’t imagine such an incident happening on Southwest, JetBlue, or Alaska Airlines mainly because staff on those airlines are empowered to make decisions.

    2.   Higher Incentives

    I used to take “bumps” or compensation for $300 and a later flight when I was younger.  I value my time more now, so even $800 would not entice me to give up my seat.

    But I probably would give up my seat for $2,000!  Paying the extra $1,200 is much better than all the negative publicity surrounding this incident.

    3.   Empathy

    I see a lack of empathy in how this situation was handled by United Airlines.  Understandably, the passenger did not want to leave after being boarded on the plane and was irate.

    Instead of demanding that the passenger leave and threatening him, United Airlines and Law Enforcement could have empathized (ex. “I hear you’re angry that you have to leave the plane.”) with the passenger.
    United Airlines Customer Dr. David Dao Was Violently Removed From His Seat. Multiple Mistakes Caused This Incident. But the Worst Might Be Lack of Human Compassion

    Sure, this would have taken 20 to 30 minutes, but empathy and negotiation would have yielded a kinder, compassionate, and more humane, alternative.

    4.   Outsourcing Customer Service to Law Enforcement

    This was a customer service issue, which United Airlines turned over to Law Enforcement.  United could have resolved this issue instead of turning it over to law enforcement.

    The passenger stood his ground and refused to leave, as many folks would, because he had a ticket, paid the amount, and was seated in the plane.

    5.  Business Decisions  

    United Airlines makes a business decision to overbook flights.  The consequence of this decision which United makes after lots of analysis and discussion, is that sometimes you may not be able to fly crew if all seats are taken and that you may have to pay compensation for folks to vacate seats.

    United wanted the benefits of overbooking (increased revenue) and when a situation arose – which likely could have been peacefully resolved by paying additional compensation – they refused to pay and called law enforcement to remove the passenger.

    I’d like to think that in the US, we don’t call armed policemen to resolve business issues, unless it is absolutely necessary.

    6.  Special Training for Law Enforcement at Airports

    Airports are stressful places and passengers are sleep deprived, jet lagged, tired.

    And sometimes it is their first visit to the US where local customs are different.  Law Enforcement at airports should be specially trained to deal with passengers in a peaceful manner and using techniques much different from what is traditionally used.

    Bottom Line

    I felt sad and disappointed by how United Airlines and Law Enforcement handled the situation on Flight 3411.

    However, the gift from that incident is that airlines have already started changing policies so it is very unlikely that a similar situation will occur again.

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)