CHICAGO, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- United
Airlines (UAL) today announced 10 substantial changes to how it
flies, serves and respects its customers. The changes are the
result of United's thorough examination of its policies and
procedures, and commitment to take action, in the wake of the
forced removal of a customer aboard United Express Flight 3411 on
April 9.
United commits to:
- Limit use of law enforcement to safety and security issues
only.
- Not require customers seated on the plane to give up their seat
involuntarily unless safety or security is at risk.
- Increase customer compensation incentives for voluntary denied
boarding up to $10,000.
- Establish a customer solutions team to provide agents with
creative solutions such as using nearby airports, other airlines or
ground transportations to get customers to their final
destination.
- Ensure crews are booked onto a flight at least 60 minutes prior
to departure.
- Provide employees with additional annual training.
- Create an automated system for soliciting volunteers to change
travel plans.
- Reduce the amount of overbooking.
- Empower employees to resolve customer service issues in the
moment.
- Eliminate the red tape on permanently lost bags by adopting a
"no questions asked" policy on lost luggage.
While several of these policies are effective immediately,
others will be rolled out through the remainder of the year. The
facts of what happened aboard Flight 3411 and a full review of
United's changes can be found at hub.united.com.
Oscar Munoz, chief executive
officer of United Airlines, said, "Every customer deserves to be
treated with the highest levels of service and the deepest sense of
dignity and respect. Two weeks ago, we failed to meet that
standard and we profoundly apologize. However, actions speak
louder than words. Today, we are taking concrete, meaningful action
to make things right and ensure nothing like this ever happens
again."
"Our review shows that many things went wrong that day, but the
headline is clear: our policies got in the way of our values and
procedures interfered in doing what's right. This is a
turning point for all of us at United and it signals a culture
shift toward becoming a better, more customer-focused
airline. Our customers should be at the center of everything
we do and these changes are just the beginning of how we will earn
back their trust," he added.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,500
flights a day to 337 airports across five continents. In 2016,
United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights
carrying more than 143 million customers. United is proud to have
the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S.
mainland hubs in Chicago,
Denver, Houston, Los
Angeles, New
York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 743 mainline
aircraft and the airline's United Express partners operate 478
regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 190
countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit
united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The
common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc.,
is traded on the NYSE under the symbol "UAL".
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SOURCE United Airlines