A comprehensive case study of United Airlines' online crisis communication concerning the passenger removal
Author
Arpac, Duygu Sine
Term
4. term
Publication year
2018
Submitted on
2018-05-31
Pages
80
Abstract
Specialet undersøger United Airlines’ online krisekommunikation i forbindelse med den bredt omtalte passagerfjernelse i 2017, hvor en passager blev fjernet fra et fly for at give plads til fire medarbejdere og efterfølgende kom til skade. Med afsæt i en socialkonstruktivistisk og hermeneutisk tilgang analyserer studiet, hvordan selskabet håndterede krisen, hvorfor CEO Oscar Munoz ændrede sin kommunikationsstrategi under forløbet, og hvordan nyhedsmediernes indramning kan have påvirket offentlighedens opfattelser. Empirien omfatter primære kilder som United Airlines’ pressemeddelelser, et interview, kommentarer på sociale medier, webspørgeskemaer og statistiske målinger samt sekundære kilder i form af nyhedsartikler. Teoretisk anvendes Timothy Coombs’ Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) til at vurdere strategi og ansvar, Michael Hearits apologia-ramme til at bedømme undskyldningers etik og indhold, og Robert Entmans framingteori til at analysere mediedækningens vinkling. Analysen konkluderer, at United Airlines’ krisekommunikation i første omgang mislykkedes, idet en indledende, uetisk undskyldning forværrede krisen og udløste betydelig offentlig vrede; selvom strategien senere blev justeret i en mere hensigtsmæssig retning, var skaden på omdømmet betydelig og vanskelig at ændre. Derudover peger resultaterne på en høj sandsynlighed for, at nyhedsmediernes framing bidrog til mere negative fortolkninger af hændelsen.
This thesis examines United Airlines’ online crisis communication surrounding the widely publicized 2017 passenger removal, in which a passenger was taken off a flight to make room for four employees and subsequently sustained injuries. Using a social constructivist and hermeneutic approach, the study investigates how the company managed the crisis, why CEO Oscar Munoz shifted his communication strategy over time, and how news media framing may have influenced public perceptions. The empirical material comprises primary sources such as United Airlines’ press releases, an interview, social media comments, web surveys and statistical measures, supplemented by secondary sources including news articles. The analysis draws on Timothy Coombs’ Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to assess strategy and perceived responsibility, Michael Hearit’s apologia framework to evaluate the ethics and content of multiple apologies, and Robert Entman’s framing theory to examine media portrayals. Findings indicate that United Airlines’ initial crisis communication failed: an early, unethical apology exacerbated the crisis and fueled public anger; although the company later adjusted to a more appropriate strategy, the reputational damage had largely taken hold and was difficult to reverse. Moreover, there is a strong likelihood that media framing contributed to more negative interpretations of the event.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
Keywords
Documents