Crisis Comms: United Airlines Is At It Again
It seems that United Airlines just can't stay out of the way of controversy! Clearly, they need a better crisis communications or reputation management team. I think a lot of things can be put in place to avoid situations such as these.
Description Of The Crisis
Dua Lipa, the singer of "New Rules" and "I.D.G.A.F", was traveling on United Airlines when she told the flight attendant that her sister was highly allergic to nuts. The flight attendant allegedly said, “we’re not a nut free airline so if she has an epi-pen she might have to use that as we can’t not serve other passengers in your section nuts”. The incident blew up over Twitter, forcing the airline to respond.
United Airlines Response
United Airlines spoke with Dua Lipa and responded over Twitter stating, "Passenger safety is our top priority. We can’t guarantee an allergen-free environment but we work to address allergy concerns onboard ie we don’t serve pre-packaged peanuts. We want to address your concerns so let’s connect when you land. We’ll contact our in-flight crew too." The airline also issued an apology to Dua Lipa.
My Recommendations
This is a mild issue when it comes to United, but I would have had policies put in place for cabin crew (and all staff) to ensure that any mishaps would be taken care of. Southwest Airlines has already stated that they would be removing peanuts from their on-flight snacks to avoid similar situations. Personally, it has become apparent that food allergies such as gluten and nuts are very very common these days. In a contained area such as an airplane, it would make sense that an airline would have accommodation procedures put in place. Furthermore, an allergic reaction would be the first thing I would think of when drafting a crisis communications plan. I would recommend that United re-evaluates theirs.
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