Southwest Airlines P.R. Fiasco

From CNN Business:

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan released an apology to stranded travelers as the beleaguered airline continues to grapple with what US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has referred to as a complete "meltdown" of the system. In all, Southwest has canceled more than 15,700 flights since winter weather began disrupting air travel on December 22.

To say that Southwest Airlines has a major public relations problem over flight cancellations would be a gross understatement. Industry reports that the airline's system was antiquated and the airline knew that it was. This was years in the making. They chose to pay dividends to stockholders instead of updating their infrastructure, according to other sources.

I think the only flights I took aboard Southwest Airlines was round-trips to Love Field in Dallas last year. 

They really owe customers a lot of money for ruining their Christmas vacations. Winter weather problems are one thing, but having their whole flight system going into "meltdown" is quite another. They need to step up and take care of these people or they can expect a huge class action lawsuit. 

I am glad that I didn't fly anywhere during this holiday season.

Switching To Challenge Butter

Any company who kowtows to the politically correct crowd will no longer get my dollars for their products.

The move by Land O Lakes Butter in removing the Indian maiden from their packaging is the just the latest kowtow by an American company to a few P.C. idiots.

Their packaging went from this:

To this:

A couple of typical comments on the Land O Lakes Facebook page:

As an American with Native American roots (Delaware tribe) your product is no longer welcome in my home. 

*** 

I am done with Land O Lakes..a product I have bought for years. Bending over in the name of political correctness is an insult to native Americans. The young maiden signified the closeness to Nature and a respect for the Earth which we all admire. You gave that up for what?

Land O Lakes response:

Thank you for your message about our new packaging. We are sorry to hear about your decision. We’re changing some of our packaging as our cooperative nears its 100th anniversary in 2021 and to celebrate our farmer members who make our delicious products possible.. We’ve found the “Farmer-owned” labeling along with colorful and bright images of land and lakes helps better explain who we are to consumers. We appreciate your writing and your comment will be shared with our product team.

Nothing like celebrating their 100th anniversary with a public relations fiasco. 

The Not-So-Friendly Skies

What is up with the airlines lately (especially United Airlines)?

It seems that the airlines are bending over backwards to dissuade people from flying with rude and hostile public relations. In many cases, passengers aren't any better.

Fox News reported:

The friendly skies are starting to sound downright dangerous. In March alone, stories of rape, fistfights and dead beloved pets have dominated national headlines. And it seems no airline is immune. United, Southwest, American and Alaska Airlines are just a few of the carriers scrambling to explain the behavior of crew members. And tales of passengers gone wild can often be even more harrowing. 

In a recent survey of airplane crew members, 67 percent of respondents said they have witnessed passengers behaving aggressively or violently toward each other, and 10 percent have experienced firsthand passenger-initiated violence. 

But it's not just the flyers acting out. Things have gotten so bad with their employees, United just rolled out a compassion training program aimed at teaching employees how to be caring, safe, dependable and efficient. This new system will require around 30,000 customer-facing crew members to attend a four-hour training session to ensure all safety standards are met “with a smile.”

To read more, go here.

T + L: United Crew Can No Longer Bump A Boarded Passenger

Above, a United Airlines Dreamliner at LAX. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

United Airlines has stared public outrage in the face and that has now resulted in decision to change its policy in dealing with boarded passengers.

Travel + Leisure has posted an article on United's policy change.

They reported:

United Airlines will no longer bump passengers who are already onboard to allow crew to ride on flights, according to an internal memo shared with TMZ and verified by The New York Times. 

The change in policy comes following backlash toward United after the airline forcibly removed a paying passenger from his seat to accommodate a crewmember. The passenger suffered a concussion and lost several teeth, according to his lawyer. Video of the incident quickly went viral, causing international outrage.

To read more, go here. 

UAL Has Major PR Problem

Above, a United Airlines Dreamliner at LAX. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

United Airlines security forcibly pulled a Chinese-American passenger from his paid-for seat.

The airline overbooked the flight and the man, who is a doctor who had to get to his destination right away, was dragged screaming from the plane. Other passengers shot videos of the incident.

The incident has caused a major uproar in China.

According to The Japan Times:

BEIJING – China social media users were in an uproar Tuesday over viral footage of a Chinese-American man dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight, decrying perceived racism and calling for a boycott. 

The videos taken by fellow passengers and posted to Twitter showed the man being forcibly pulled screaming from his seat by three security personnel.

United Airlines has a major public relations problem over this fiasco. The man paid for his ticket and was already seated. Why should he have to give up his seat for someone else?

To read more and see a video of the incident, go here. 

Speaking of videos, Jimmy Kimmel put together this parody United Airlines ad based on this incident: