In the chosen situation, David Dao, a passenger, was forcibly removed from an aircraft by United Airlines in 2017. In order to get four United personnel to the docking station, the airline made the decision to remove four passengers from the aircraft (Gunter, 2017). The airline provided travelers with restitution and a place on the afternoon departure the next day. A selected passenger, David Dao, explained that he was a doctor and had patients to see the next morning before refusing to get off the aircraft (Gunter, 2017). The airline employees made the decision to contact airport security, who removed the customer from his seat under duress. His face impacted the armrest during the incident, and he was removed from the plane bleeding (Gunter, 2017). Other passengers on the plane recorded this incident, which led to significant indignation at the firm and its conduct.
Since consumers accept the terms and conditions of the airline when they buy a ticket, airlines are legally permitted to exclude paying customers. Following the event, the CEO of United announced in an internal message to staff that although staff members were following established protocols to handle circumstances like this, the business would evaluate its policies (Benoit, 2018). However, the employees of the corporation ought to have acted differently in this case.
Having a legal right to do something does not always imply that it is ethically acceptable for both ethical and practical reasons. The boundaries between legal and ethical rights are mostly, but not entirely, blurred. Under some conditions, United Airlines may have had the legal authority to let people off its flight (Benoit, 2018). However, in the instance of passenger David Dao, the presence of such a right did not automatically imply that such an act was morally acceptable. Additionally, even if the United personnel and airport security may have followed protocol, because of their deference to the authorities, Dao was physically hurt while being forcibly removed. They abandoned their moral autonomy in favor of deferring to authority (Benoit, 2018). Their actions generated criticism of the organization, damaged United’s reputation, and sparked discussion on the moral and ethical treatment of passengers by airlines.
The course of action, which would be received positively by the customers, would be reflected in a proper dialogue with passengers, ideally, notifying them some time before boarding or checking in. Nevertheless, the use of force to remove the passenger from the plane should be avoided in any case. Communication and peaceful resolution should have become the cornerstone for the action, not the imperatives. To sustain a correct and ethical path of conduct, a corporation must change its culture. Although the CEO of the business acknowledged this in an internal message, it appears that more serious action has to be taken. Training and interventions for both individuals and teams may give some leeway. However, the uproar brought on by this incident is probably going to stop business representatives from acting in the same way again (Benoit, 2018). As a result of the indignation generated by the company’s conduct during the incident would result in higher levels of consumer satisfaction and confidence.
The company’s reputation and credibility were severely damaged as a result of the incident. It negatively impacted the company’s financial performance, which experienced specific losses as a result of the occurrence. The recommended course of action would undoubtedly maximize the benefits for the business and its stakeholders, particularly in terms of public perception, which is crucial for airlines and other transportation businesses. Overall, this is a great illustration of non-ethical conduct, which harmed the organization’s perception in the long term.
References
Benoit, W. L. (2018). Crisis and image repair at United Airlines: Fly the unfriendly skies. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 1(1), 2. Web.
Gunter, J. (2017). United Airlines incident: What went wrong? BBC News. Web.