After video of a 69-year-old passenger being dragged off an overbooked flight lit up the Internet on Monday, United Airlines didn't back down. In fact, the company's CEO, Oscar Munoz, simply apologised for "re-accommodating" the passenger and inconveniencing everybody else. (Never mind the fact that the man was bloodied and physically removed from the cabin, despite the fact that he was a doctor and needed to be in the hospital the next day.)
And this comes just weeks after United prevented girls from boarding because they were company passholders who were wearing leggings. Clearly, United needs a new branding strategy, and luckily, American comedian Jimmy Kimmel is here for them.
[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV28_ENzFog&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Last night Kimmel introduced a new commercial that paints the airline as more of a mob boss than, well, an airline. "You do what we say, when we say, and there won't be a problem, capiche?" a cheerful flight attendant asks. "If we say you fly, you fly. If not, tough shit."
It gets dark, fast, showing footage of the passenger's beating. "Give us a problem, and we'll drag your ass off the plane," the attendant says, brandishing brass knuckles. "And if you resist, we'll beat you so badly you'll be using your own face as a flotation device. United Airlines. Fuck you."
This story is not going away anytime soon.
