Top airline execs get a stern warning from House lawmakers today and state that they will take action against the industry if customer service doesn’t improve soon. This came during a time which Oscar Munoz, United CEO, was testifying before a panel along with other airline reps about the series of incidents that have happened recently, especially those caught on camera.
“Something is broken,” Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said at the start of the hearing. “Seize this opportunity, because if you don’t we’re going to act and you’re not going to like it.”
Munoz along with Scott Kirby, the company’s president, vowed to work “incredibly hard” at regaining customer trust following these failures, most notable a passenger being dragged off a plane covered in blood.
Munoz called the episode “a mistake of epic proportions” and a “turning point for United.”
“In that moment, for our customers and our company, we failed, and so as CEO, at the end of the day, that is on me,” Munoz testified. He added, “Ultimately, our actions will speak louder than words.”
Since the incident occurred United has taken steps at improving their business on the whole, including reducing overbooking, raising the offered fee to those who voluntarily give up their seats, and improving employee training.