Ever since the man was dragged off the plane, there has been an uptick in stories about how bad the airlines are. What does this mean? I see two likely scenarios:
One: Airlines have become terrible recently. Not that airlines have been great, but for some reason they have descended to a less tolerable level of customer service. The news media has recognized this and is giving exactly the amount of coverage that it merits.
Two: The dragging story was a ratings winner and the media are currently in a feeding frenzy for more stories that reflect badly on the airlines. Thus, though the level of service is no different from what it has been, the added attention is highlighting what wasn't considered newsworthy before the dragging.
My vote is for scenario 2. More than a million people fly each day and it is a virtual certainty that a few of those people had a bad or even disastrous experience. Right now, those 1 in a million stories are getting front page treatment and painting the airlines as villains. The airlines are cruel capitalists who don't care about their customers and the proof is that they do not achieve a 100% satisfaction rating.
The dragged passenger has settled with United, as all knew he would. This should be a lesson: Never go willingly, make them drag you and there is a payday in your near future.
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