What United Airlines taught every business leader about crisis communications
Editor's note: This post was originally published in April 2017. The lessons have not dated.
Oscar Munoz was named Communicator of the Year just weeks before United Airlines became the most talked-about brand on the planet — for all the wrong reasons.
The incident itself is well documented. A doctor was forcibly removed from an overbooked flight. Footage went viral. And United's response turned a bad situation into a reputational disaster that wiped roughly $1 billion from its market value inside 24 hours.
The crisis was not inevitable. The response was the problem.
What actually happened
United overbooked a Chicago to Louisville flight. To accommodate four travelling airline staff, it asked passengers already seated to volunteer to leave. Three did. One — a doctor who needed to reach patients — refused. Aviation Security Officers physically removed him.
The footage was disturbing. The response, from a CEO celebrated for his communications ability, was worse.
Munoz's initial statement spoke of how upsetting the events were "for all of us here at United." There was no apology to the passenger. No acknowledgement of what viewers had actually watched. The language felt drafted by lawyers, not humans — because it was.
It took losing a billion dollars in market value before the word "sorry" appeared.
Five rules every business leader should carry into a crisis
These apply whether you're running a multinational or a ten-person agency. The scale changes. The principles don't.
1. No story stays local
The incident happened in Chicago. Within hours, it was on front pages globally. Your domestic geography is irrelevant the moment your customers have smartphones. Plan your response for the widest possible audience, not the most convenient one.
2. Your first statement sets the tone for everything that follows
It signals whether you understand the gravity of what happened. Munoz's first response used the phrase "re-accommodate passengers" to describe the physical removal of a paying customer. It read as though the legal team had stripped out every human instinct. When seeking forgiveness, speak like a person.
3. Own the situation before someone else does
When a crisis breaks, the facts are rarely complete. But silence or deflection is not neutrality — it reads as guilt. Get as much information as possible, as quickly as possible, then communicate what you know. "While the facts are still evolving" is not a position. It's a delay that costs credibility.
4. Keep communication lines open
Refusing to comment while deferring to a police department not involved in the incident — as United initially did — signals opacity, not prudence. Open dialogue, even when uncomfortable, positions you as a company willing to be transparent. Closed doors invite speculation.
5. Live your values, or don't claim them
Every airline promises a customer-first experience. When your actions contradict that promise in full view of the world, the promise becomes evidence against you. A crisis is not just a communications problem. It's a chance to demonstrate what your organisation actually stands for — or to expose the gap between what you say and what you do.
What this means for your business
Most crises don't look like this one. They're quieter, more contained, less viral. But the underlying dynamic is identical: something goes wrong, stakeholders are watching, and the response either rebuilds trust or compounds the damage.
The leaders who navigate crises well share one characteristic. They decide on their position before anyone else decides it for them. They're not reactive. They're clear.
That clarity doesn't happen in the moment. It comes from having thought through your values, your stakeholders, and your obligations before a crisis lands — not after.
If you're not sure you have that framework in place, that's worth addressing now. We work with leaders across tech, healthcare, professional services, and finance to build that readiness. The first conversation costs nothing.
→ Talk to us about crisis communications
Liam Fitzpatrick is Founder and Head of Communications at Commswork, a specialist communications consultancy working across North America, EMEA and APAC. He has counselled leaders at The Walt Disney Company, Google, NATA, Deloitte and SAP through complex communications challenges.