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W hen video circulated earlier of a man being dragged from a United Airlines flight after refusing to give up his seat to make room for four airline employees， the footage left many wondering：2 Has air travel really gotten this bad？
The fallout from the footage， in which a man， whom witnesses overheard saying he was a doctor who had to see patients in the morning，3 is forcibly removed from his seat by Chicago airport police， was swift and disastrous. It didn’t help that United CEO Oscar Munoz initially responded by characterizing the passenger as “belligerent”4 and praising the actions of United employees. David Dao suffered a concussion5， a broken nose， and lost teeth， his lawyers said.
The company’s stock plunged6. Members of the US Senate called for an investigation. United customers posted videos and pictures of themselves cutting up their frequent flier cards， and in Asia the incident went viral amid allegations of racism toward a passenger of Asian ethnicity.7
But if the outcry8 reflected the shocking details of this one incident， the incident also hints at a deeper public frustration with the airline industry and the service economy more broadly.
Many customers feel they are being treated worse and worse， with few financial consequence for corporations. （United， the world’s fourth-largest air carrier， made $2.3 billion in profits in 2016）. Increased stratification of services， where a select group of elite travelers get all the perks while seats get smaller and fees pile up for the rest， may be increasing that sense of dissatisfaction.9
And it’s not limited to aviation or even the hospitality industry.10 Cable and internet service companies came in high in one 2015 survey of customer dissatisfaction， conducted by Ipsos11. Health care， insurance， and utilities12 were also high on the list. But airlines are the venue13 for some big disappointments.
“United’s policy is make the most money you can， but at some point that interferes with your actual job moving people from A to B，” says Jeff Wagg， a licensed travel agent and partner in Absolutely Cruises！， a cruise14-focused travel agency based in Cambridge， Mass. “There’s no other industry where you pay for a service way ahead and then you might not get it if it isn’t convenient to them.”
“This is an oligopolistic industry that has become increasingly callous toward customers as it rakes in billions in profits thanks to strong demand and low oil prices，”15 The New York Times editorial board wrote. “Disgruntled travelers may howl on Twitter or send furious emails，16 but airline executives know their bottom lines are for the moment secure.” One twist， though： This time’s social-media furor was a very high-profile reminder that consumers aren’t actually such helpless victims.17 In at least some cases their concerns can drive stock prices and corporate behavior. （Mr. Munoz has said United will never again have a passenger dragged from a flight.）
And to some degree， consumer dissatisfaction is a mirror of rising consumer expectations or aspirations18 in an era of everadvancing technology.
When it comes to airlines， the dissatisfaction may also stem in part from19 travel becoming cheaper and more accessible than ever before， giving more people a chance to experience it but also come face to face with those receiving better， more expensive treatment.
The （certain type of） customer is always right
United initially said that the passenger who was removed from the plane was randomly selected after no one else would give up their seats on the full flight to make room for employees who needed to travel in order to be the crew20 on another flight. But according to Mr. Wagg and others， that “random selection”is anything but.21
“If you’re in first class you’re not getting picked. In economy plus22 you’re not getting picked. If you’re a frequent flyer you’re not getting picked，” he says. “It’s people who don’t fly all the time who don’t know the game.”
But even if that’s the rule， there are exceptions. In the wake of23 the incident， the Los Angeles Times ran an account of a firstclass United passenger on a trip to Hawaii being threatened with handcuffs after initially refusing to give up his seat to an even higherpriority traveler.
The dragged-passenger incident has raised questions of whether airline tactics to fill all available seats and maximize profits have gone too far24.
“No one deserved the treatment he received，” says Robert Stuart， a sometime customer of United from Tallahassee， Fla.， who says he will never fly the airline again.“When employees trump25 the rights of paying customers， the problem is taken to a new level. And when employees resort to violence against customers， a clear line has been crossed.26 I hope this doctor pursues some type of legal action. This is assault27.”
At the same time as most air passengers are facing more fees for luggage， seat assignments， and even bathroom use， amenities for business class travelers，28 from flat beds to private bathrooms， are getting more luxurious.
The fallout from the footage， in which a man， whom witnesses overheard saying he was a doctor who had to see patients in the morning，3 is forcibly removed from his seat by Chicago airport police， was swift and disastrous. It didn’t help that United CEO Oscar Munoz initially responded by characterizing the passenger as “belligerent”4 and praising the actions of United employees. David Dao suffered a concussion5， a broken nose， and lost teeth， his lawyers said.
The company’s stock plunged6. Members of the US Senate called for an investigation. United customers posted videos and pictures of themselves cutting up their frequent flier cards， and in Asia the incident went viral amid allegations of racism toward a passenger of Asian ethnicity.7
But if the outcry8 reflected the shocking details of this one incident， the incident also hints at a deeper public frustration with the airline industry and the service economy more broadly.
Many customers feel they are being treated worse and worse， with few financial consequence for corporations. （United， the world’s fourth-largest air carrier， made $2.3 billion in profits in 2016）. Increased stratification of services， where a select group of elite travelers get all the perks while seats get smaller and fees pile up for the rest， may be increasing that sense of dissatisfaction.9
And it’s not limited to aviation or even the hospitality industry.10 Cable and internet service companies came in high in one 2015 survey of customer dissatisfaction， conducted by Ipsos11. Health care， insurance， and utilities12 were also high on the list. But airlines are the venue13 for some big disappointments.
“United’s policy is make the most money you can， but at some point that interferes with your actual job moving people from A to B，” says Jeff Wagg， a licensed travel agent and partner in Absolutely Cruises！， a cruise14-focused travel agency based in Cambridge， Mass. “There’s no other industry where you pay for a service way ahead and then you might not get it if it isn’t convenient to them.”
“This is an oligopolistic industry that has become increasingly callous toward customers as it rakes in billions in profits thanks to strong demand and low oil prices，”15 The New York Times editorial board wrote. “Disgruntled travelers may howl on Twitter or send furious emails，16 but airline executives know their bottom lines are for the moment secure.” One twist， though： This time’s social-media furor was a very high-profile reminder that consumers aren’t actually such helpless victims.17 In at least some cases their concerns can drive stock prices and corporate behavior. （Mr. Munoz has said United will never again have a passenger dragged from a flight.）
And to some degree， consumer dissatisfaction is a mirror of rising consumer expectations or aspirations18 in an era of everadvancing technology.
When it comes to airlines， the dissatisfaction may also stem in part from19 travel becoming cheaper and more accessible than ever before， giving more people a chance to experience it but also come face to face with those receiving better， more expensive treatment.
The （certain type of） customer is always right
United initially said that the passenger who was removed from the plane was randomly selected after no one else would give up their seats on the full flight to make room for employees who needed to travel in order to be the crew20 on another flight. But according to Mr. Wagg and others， that “random selection”is anything but.21
“If you’re in first class you’re not getting picked. In economy plus22 you’re not getting picked. If you’re a frequent flyer you’re not getting picked，” he says. “It’s people who don’t fly all the time who don’t know the game.”
But even if that’s the rule， there are exceptions. In the wake of23 the incident， the Los Angeles Times ran an account of a firstclass United passenger on a trip to Hawaii being threatened with handcuffs after initially refusing to give up his seat to an even higherpriority traveler.
The dragged-passenger incident has raised questions of whether airline tactics to fill all available seats and maximize profits have gone too far24.
“No one deserved the treatment he received，” says Robert Stuart， a sometime customer of United from Tallahassee， Fla.， who says he will never fly the airline again.“When employees trump25 the rights of paying customers， the problem is taken to a new level. And when employees resort to violence against customers， a clear line has been crossed.26 I hope this doctor pursues some type of legal action. This is assault27.”
At the same time as most air passengers are facing more fees for luggage， seat assignments， and even bathroom use， amenities for business class travelers，28 from flat beds to private bathrooms， are getting more luxurious.