United Airlines Controversies: From Pets to Humans, No One is Spared by the US Airline
A French bulldog died during a flight from Houston to New York on Monday as a United Airlines attendant transported the pet in the overhead locker, resulting in death.
United Airlines is back in the news again and as usual it is for all the wrong reasons. A French bulldog named Kokito died during a flight from Houston to New York on Monday as a United Airlines attendant transported the pet in the overhead locker, resulting in death. This is not the first time, that the airline has engulfed itself in controversies. LatestLY takes a look at 5 Big Controversies which has mired United Airlines over the last few years.
Violently Dragged Dr. David Dao:
Last year, Dr. David Dao, was violently dragged from a fully-booked United Express flight in Chicago because he refused to give up his seat and make room for crew members. Some passenger took a video of the incident and it got leaked, sparking widespread outrage among everyone. The airlines received a barrage of criticisms following the incident.
Barring Girls for wearing Leggings:
Last year, United Airlines also barred two teenage girls from boarding a flight and forced a child to change into a dress after a gate agent decided that the leggings they were wearing were inappropriate. This incident sparked widespread outrage and it was heavily criticized by the netizens as they called it an intrusive, sexist policy. Instead of apologizing, the airline in question defended their policy and tried providing justification for the action.
Gave Away $1,000 Seat Toddler Seat of a Passenger to a Standby Customer:
A woman from Huwaii in 2017 said that United Airlines gave away the $1,000 Seat, she had purchased for her toddler to a standby customer. It led to the mom holding her child on the lap during the 3 hour journey. Reportedly, the Airline apologized and offered compensation to the passenger as well for the inconvenience faced.
Raised Objection on Passengers’ Breastfeeding:
Reportedly, in 2015, a United Airlines passenger was looking for a private place to breastfeed her child and she was directed to the pet-relief area. In another similar incident, another woman passenger was asked to cover up because apparently some other found her breastfeeding ‘disgusting’.
Broke Passenger’s Musical Instruments:
Dave Carroll, a musician, was flying on United to play at a show. Sitting on the tarmac before takeoff, to his horror he looked out the window and saw baggage handlers throwing guitars around — and when he arrived, his guitar was broken. Reportedly, it cost him $1,200 to fix his guitar and United refused to pay the amount. So Caroll decided to write a song about the incident and he immediately became a YouTube sensation.
As per a recent report on Straits Times, United has been asked to explain its high rate of pet dates by a US Senator, following the death of a dog in the overhead locker. Reportedly, 18 of the 24 animals that died on a major US airline last year were in United's care. The report talks about a data, shared by the US Department of Transportation (DOT), United transported 138,178 animals last year, or more than double the number carried on Delta or American. However, Alaska Airlines carried almost 115,000 animals last year and reported just two deaths and one lost animal.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 15, 2018 01:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).