United Missed Their Own Flight

While reading  Real-Time Marketing & PR written by David Meerman Scott, you will read in the first two chapters how United Airlines missed a really good opportunity to put themselves ahead of other airlines. In 2008, a Taylor Guitar owned by Dave Carroll was broken during transit because of the ground crew throwing them into the plane. Right away after the flight, the band told the stewardess. Basically the band got brushed off. Well that is when United was going to be a few minutes late to their own preverbal gate. Right there is when United should have taken the opportunity to correct their mistake and start the process of fixing the problem. Instead they did not.

Dave Carroll did everything he could to try and get them to take responsibility and fix the problem when United just kept pushing him away. Dave Carroll made music videos responding to this and became an overnight superstar. Taylor Guitars and Calton Cases took notice in the music videos and used them for their own advantages. Taylor Guitars replaced Dave Carroll's guitar and then made their own video about how they can fix broken guitars and how to properly pack them for travel. Calton Cases developed a line of cases called the Carroll Cases and sold many. The cases focuses were of those for traveling musicians. United Airlines did nothing but repeating the same phrase of "No comment". For saying that phrase over and over again, figuratively United has to run to their gate and hope they have not closed the doors yet.

What's going on United?! You missed your chances to really show you are a good caring company. I mean in the end you did offer to pay for the fix, but it was too late. Dave Carroll was already going further into his career, and said to give the money to someone else who has suffered the same thing. United could have right from the beginning paid for the repairs or replacement guitar, and create promo videos about safe traveling for your customer's items. There were so many chances you could have taken to improve your company and even get yourself out there more for more potential clients.

United, you missed your flight now because of all of this. The employee at the gate would not except your reason of "No comment".