Senior Director of Communications | Media Relations Advisor | Crisis Communications Expert | Emergency Management Professional | AI Enthusiast
As a crisis communications professional, I commend United Airlines for the recent statement issued by CEO Scott Kirby, which acknowledges the safety concerns the airline has encountered as of late. I travel regularly for work, and you know my airline of choice? United 🛫 Why? Because they actually treat me like a human being. There are many airlines available, lots of them with cheaper airfares, but as a Mileage Plus member, United has treated me with respect each time I fly. This means I am willing to pay a little bit more for my ticket and remain a loyal customer. My personal reasoning for this loyalty? In an era marked by diminished customer service standards, the value of respectful consideration from a business cannot be overstated. It compels me to prioritize their service, even if it comes at a higher cost. Amid prevalent trends such as #jobghosting, reliance on robo-customer service lines (I really hate those), AI chat-bots, automated rejection emails, and virtual everything, I appreciate a business that engages with me during good times and bad. United did that. This statement might not be perfect, and it might not solve the equipment problems at hand, but at least it acknowledges that there is a problem and that they are working to find solutions to keep passengers safer when flying. You can disagree with me - that's okay! I just applaud the fact that United is following the Crisis Communications playbook and is responding to the situation instead of ignoring it and hoping it will go away. #unitedairlines #crisiscommunication #brandloyalty #stakeholderengagement
I agree. Sometimes that more personalized, respectful service comes at higher cost, but it's often worth it. I'm with you; I'll pay a bit more if they prioritize their customers. He did the right thing here. I could echo everything in your post.
Director of Preparedness @ BAM Weather | "Left of Bang" co-author
5moJennifer: As it so often does, it comes down to trust. Regardless of whether people agree or disagree, a percentage of customers will see the company working to communicate and stand by them (even if it is a tough or challenging situation). It doesn't mean the incident can go on forever, but it is absolutely a step towards being resilient to disasters and crises.