A LETTER TO ALL OF HIS EMPLOYEES, ESSENTIALLY CALLING

THE PASSENGER WHO WAS DRAGGED OFF THE PLANE DISRUPTIVE AND

BELLIGERENT.

THIS IS THE STORY INVOLVING A MAN WHO WAS LITERALLY

FORCED OFF A PLANE, AND HIS FACE WAS BLOODIED AS A RESULT,

BECAUSE UNITED OVERBOOKED THE FLIGHT, AND THEN HAD TO

CHOOSE PEOPLE AT RANDOM TO TAKE OFF THE FIGHT BECAUSE NO

ONE WAS WILLING TO GIVE UP THEIR SEAT.

THEY HAD TO MAKE ROOM FOR FOUR OF THEIR EMPLOYEES, AND THAT'S

THE REASON WHY FOUR PEOPLE HAD TO TAKE IT OFF THE FLIGHT.

FOR ANYONE WHO MISSED THE VIDEO, I THINK IT SUPPORTED TO SHOW YOU

WHAT HAPPENED, TO UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY OF IT AND WHY SO

MEDIEVAL ARE ENRAGED.

I ACTUALLY HATE ñ WHY SO MANY PEOPLE ARE ENRAGED.

I HATE WATCHING THIS, BUT THAT'S YOUR WARNING.

CAN'T THEY RENT A CAR?

[SCREAMING]

NO!

OH MY GOD.

OH, MY GOD.

NO!

HEY HEY HEY.

GUYS, MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

THIS IS WRONG, MY GOD, LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO HIM.

OH MY GOD.

PEOPLE WERE UNDERSTANDABLY UPSET AFTER SEEING THAT VIDEO, AND YOU

WOULD THINK THAT UNITED WOULD HAVE A MORE APOLOGETIC TONE

IN RESPONSE TO THIS CONTROVERSY, BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED.

SO, OSCAR MUNOZ, THE CEO OF UNITED, SENT THIS LETTER

OUT TO ALL EMPLOYEES: "THE SITUATION WAS UNFORTUNATELY

COMPOUNDED WHEN ONE OF THE PASSENGERS WE POLITELY

ASKED TO DEPLANE REFUSED, AND IT BECAME NECESSARY TO CONTACT

CHICAGO AVIATION SECURITY OFFICERS TO HELP.

OUR EMPLOYEES FOLLOWED ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES FOR

DEALING WITH SITUATIONS LIKE THIS.

WHILE I DEEPLY REGRET THIS SITUATION AROSE, I ALSO

INFALLIBLY STAND BEHIND ALL OF YOU, AND I WANT TO COMMEND YOU

FOR CONTINUING TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND TO ENSURE WE FLY RIGHT."

SO, TO ME, THAT SHOWS A CERTAIN LEVEL OF UNAPOLOGETIC

BEHAVIOR AND DEFIANCE THAT I THINK IS UNACCEPTABLE.

THIS GUYS FACE WAS BLOODIED BECAUSE YOU CALLED AVIATION

OFFICIALS TO DRAG HIM OFF THE PLANE, AND IT WAS YOUR BAD.

YOU GUYS OVERBOOKED THE FLIGHTS, AND YOU HAVE A POLICY OF

OVERBOOKING FLIGHTS.

ALL AIRLINES DO IT, BUT YOU ARE STILL MAKING YOUR MONEY,

YOU STILL SOLD THAT TICKET, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE EVEN

MORE MONEY?

DOUBLE THE MONEY ON ONE SEAT, WHICH DRIVES ME INSANE.

MUNOZ ADDED THAT WHEN CREWMEMBERS FIRST

APPROACHED BASINGER TO TELL HIM TO LEAVE, HE RAISED HIS

VOICE AND REFUSED TO COMPLY, AND EACH TIME HE ASKED HE

REFUSED AND BECAME MORE AND MORE DISRUPTIVE AND BELLIGERENT.

OKAY, HERE'S THE THING: FLYING, AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE BUT I

WANT TO REPEAT AND FSIS THIS, FLYING, AND PAYING FOR A TICKET,

WHICH COSTS HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS IN SOME CASES, IN OTHER CASES

THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, IT'S LIKE THE ONE THING WHERE YOU CAN PAY

FOR A SERVICE AND YOU ARE NOT GUARANTEED THAT SERVICE.

ON ACCEPTABLE.

AND THE WAY THAT THE CEO RESPONDED, EVEN MORE ON

ACCEPTABLE.

SO, HE GOT A LOT OF HEAT FOR THIS BUT I WANT YOU GUYS

CHIME IN BEFORE I GIVE YOU HIS FOLLOW-UP TO THIS LETTER.

I KIND OF GET WHY OSCAR MUNOZ

DID THIS, ICELAND EARLIER TODAY,

THE REASON WHY HE PUT OUT A STATEMENT LIKE THAT, AND THE

REASON WHY UNITED ORIGINALLY TWEETED OUT TO THE PUBLIC, WE

ARE REALLY SORRY FOR OVER BOOKING THE FLIGHT, WHAT THEY

ARE DOING THERE IS TRY TO SPLIT RESPONSIBILITY AWAY FROM THEM,

AND ONTO THE CHICAGO AVIATION POLICE, WHICH DEFINITELY SHOULD

BEAR A CERTAIN LEVEL OF THE PROBLEM.

BUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS, WITHOUT LITERALLY GOING OUT AND

SAYING THIS IS THE CHICAGO PLEASED PROVINCE FALLS, IT'S NOT

OUR FAULT, WE JUST OVERBOOKED THE FLIGHT, SORRY NOT SORRY;

WHEREAS ñ LIKE, IT'S THEIR FAULT AS WELL ñ

THEY ARE ALLUDING TO THAT BY OMISSION, BECAUSE THEY SAY

ALL THE FLIGHT STAFF FOLLOWED PROTOCOL.

YOU KNOW, I AM EMPHATICALLY BEHIND MY TEAM, WE FLY RIGHT, WE

DID EVERYTHING RIGHT, SO THEY ARE SHIFTING BLAME ONTO THE

OFFICERS WHO FORCIBLY REMOVE THE GENTLEMAN FROM THE FLIGHT.

WHO WERE SUSPENDED, BY THE WAY, SO THE CHICAGO POLICE

ADMINISTRATION HAS TAKEN MORE ACTION THAN UNITED.

A WEEK BEFORE THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED, THE CEO WAS NAMED AS

THE TOP COMMUNICATOR OF THE

YEAR.

IN THE WAKE OF THE LEGGINGS THING, WHICH IS NOT A DIRECT

COMPARISON, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WERE FLYING FOR FREE AND

THIS PERSON WAS PAYING.

BUT THAT WAS WHEN HE GOT THAT AWARD.

IT REMINDS ME OF OBAMA GETTING THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, AS SHE

WAS KILLING INNOCENT CITIZENS WHO WERE REFERRED TO AS

COLLATERAL DAMAGE.

THE IRONY IS NOT LOST.

EXACTLY.

NOW, UNDERSTANDABLY SO, PEOPLE DID NOT LIKE THE FACT THAT

THE PASSENGER WAS CALLED BELLIGERENT BY THE CEO.

BUT DID HE SHOW THEM HIS AWARD THOUGH?

THAT HE'S A GREAT COMMUNICATOR.

HE SHOULD MAYBE HAVE JUST TOLD THEM.

THE CEO DECIDED, MAYBE THAT WAS ILL-ADVISED, MAYBE I SHOULDN'T

HAVE DONE THAT, SO I AM GOING TO ACTUALLY PUT OUT A REAL APOLOGY,

LET ME READ THAT TO YOU.

THIS IS JUST A PORTION OF IT.

HE SAYS, "THE TRULY HORRIFIC EVENTS THAT OCCURRED ON

THIS FLIGHT HAS ELICITED MANY RESPONSES FROM ALL OF US:

OUTRAGE, ANGER, DISAPPOINTMENT.

I SHARE ALL THOSE SENTIMENTS, AND ABOVE ALL MY DEEPEST

APOLOGIES FOR WHAT HAPPENED.

LIKE YOU, I CONTINUE TO BE DISTURBED BY WHAT HAPPENED ON

THIS FLIGHT, AND I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE TO THE CUSTOMER

FORCIBLY REMOVED, AND TO ALL THE CUSTOMERS ABOARD.

NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE MISTREATED THIS WAY."

HE ALSO SAYS THAT HE TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY, AND THAT

THEY PLAN ON REVIEWING SOME OF THEIR PROCEDURES AND

POSSIBLY IMPROVING THEM MOVING FORWARD.

BUT HERE IS PROCEDURE NUMBER ONE THAT YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY TAKE

ACTION ON AND IMPROVE: STOP OVER BOOKING THE FLIGHTS.

I DON'T CARE IF PEOPLE DON'T SHOW UP.

PEOPLE HAVE PAID FOR IT, SO IF ñ

IF THEY DON'T SHOW UP, THAT'S ON THEM.

UNITED IS REALLY STRUGGLING TO MAKE A PROFIT RIGHT NOW,

AND PART OF THE REASON WHY THEY ARE STRUGGLING IS BECAUSE

THEY SUCK, AND MAYBE YOU WILL SUCK A LITTLE LESS IF YOU

STOP OVER BOOKING FLIGHTS.

I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED THIS WITH A UNITED FLIGHT.

I MISSED MY FLIGHT TO CHICAGO BECAUSE I HAD THE AUDACITY TO

SHOW UP 20 MINUTES BEFORE THEY TOOK OFF.

I THOUGHT 20 MINUTES WASN'T ENOUGH TIME.

THEIR POLICY INDICATED THAT THEY CLOSE THE GATE 15

MINUTES BEFORE TAKEOFF.

I WAS THERE FIVE MINS BEFORE THAT, BUT THEY HAD ALREADY

GIVEN AWAY MY SEAT, BECAUSE THEY OVERBOOKED THE FLIGHT AND

THAT'S WHAT THEY DO.

I'M SICK OF IT AND I'M SICK OF THEM BEING UNAPOLOGETIC

ABOUT IT.

NO MORE OF THIS, THE OVERBOOKING SITUATION IS UNACCEPTABLE

AND IT NEEDS TO STOP.

ALSO, LET'S RECOGNIZE THIS TWITTER APOLOGY FOR WHAT IT IS:

IT IS A REACTION TO THEIR STOCK PLUMMETING.

THEY NEEDED TO GO FOR A DIFFERENT PR STRATEGY, AND

AS THE COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR, SOMEONE HAD THE BRIGHT IDEA

OF, WHY DON'T WE TRY AND BUT THE?

I HEAR HE WAS TAKING A PEPSI-COLA WHILE HE WAS

TAKING IT.

I HEARD KENDALL JENNER HANDED HIM THAT PEPSI-COLA.

OF COURSE, BUT YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT

GOVERNMENT REGULATION, I THINK A PART OF THE OVERBOOKING PROBLEM

IS LARGELY RELATED TO LACK OF REGULATION THAT SURROUNDS

THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY, AND THE FACT THAT THERE ARE THREE OR

FOUR AIRLINES THAT ESSENTIALLY OWN MORE THAN 70% OF DOMESTIC

AVIATION AT THIS POINT, SO THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.

AND BY THE WAY, THE PRICE-FIXING AS WELL, WHICH IS ILLEGAL,

WHICH THE GOVERNMENT IS CERTAIN ñ

CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING; HOWEVER, ASIDE FROM

PRICE-FIXING, OVERBOOKING IS A MAJOR PROBLEM.

AND THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE, AND THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES OUT

THERE, FOR WHY I THINK LIBERTARIANS ARE SO INCREDIBLY

NAœVE WHEN IT COMES TO ñ

YOU KNOW, THEIR POLITICAL IDEOLOGY AND WHAT THEY

THINK ABOUT REGULATIONS ON CORPORATIONS AND ALL OF

THAT, YOU THINK CORPORATIONS ARE GOING TO LOOK OUT FOR ALL OF US?

YOU THINK A FREE MARKET IS GOING TO LEAD TO THEM NOT

SCREWING US OVER?

I MEAN, LOOK AT THAT.

I HATE OVERREGULATION, OKAY?

AND BELIEVE ME, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT I THINK

ARE OVERREGULATED, LIKE OUR FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY

IN LOS ANGELES, BUT THAT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY.

BUT IN THIS CASE, YOU NEED REGULATIONS TO PROTECT THE

CONSUMER.

IF I PAID FOR A SEAT, I SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO THAT SEAT

UNLESS I AM BEING UNRULY, OR THREATENING PEOPLE OR

BREAKING THE LAW.

THAT I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND, BUT I'M A PAYING CUSTOMER AND THERE

ARE NO OTHER PROBLEMS, I SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO THAT SEAT.

IF I DON'T SHOW UP, WHO CARES?

THAT'S ON ME, THAT'S NOT ON THE AIRLINE, THAT SEAT HAS

ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR.

AND PEOPLE CAN NEVER GET REFUNDS FOR THEIR FLIGHTS.

BY THE WAY, THEY ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED, AND YET THEY FINALLY

PULLED AROUND IT AS WELL, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, GRACE AND I COVERED

11 WAYS TO GET KICKED OFF THE PLANE LEGALLY, RECENTLY, ONE

THING, YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS, IF YOU GO TO ASK

FOR A REFUND, THEY HAVE TO GIVE YOU IF IT'S UP TO $650 MAX.

YOU STILL CAN GET AT LEAST THAT, IF THEY DON'T ñ IF YOU MISS YOUR

FLIGHT WHERE THEY KICK YOU OFF OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS.

ANYWAY, WE WILL SEE HOW THIS STORY DEVELOPS, BUT I HOPE THAT

PEOPLE DON'T JUST FORGET ABOUT IT AND THEN NOTHING IS DONE,

BECAUSE, AGAIN, THERE ARE CERTAIN ACTIONS THAT NEED TO BE

TAKEN TO PROTECT THE CONSUMER.

DUST BECAUSE ALL OF THESE AIRLINES ARE MERGING,

DOESN'T MEAN WE GET TO TAKE ñ

THEY GET TO TAKE IT VANTAGE OF US LIKE THIS.