It’s bad news when the rabbit dies
You know you’re in a serious mess when you’re accused of killing a giant bunny rabbit. And you haven’t even had time to eat this year’s Easter eggs.
The first paragraph of the story was a reporter’s: United Airlines is investigating the death of a giant rabbit on one its trans-Atlantic flights.
The 10-month-old, meterlong rabbit was “fit as a fiddle” when a vet checked him just before his flight from London’s Heathrow airport to Chicago’s O’Hare and the welcoming arms of a mysterious “celebrity.”
Simon didn’t survive the trip. It gets worse.
“United had the second-highest level of animal deaths and injuries of any U.S. airline last year, or 2.11 per 10,000 animals transported, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures. Only Hawaiian Airlines was worse at 3.99, the result of three deaths among the 7,518 animals transported,” said one report breathlessly.
“United reported nine deaths and 14 injuries for a total of 23 incidents, the highest figures for each category among U.S. carriers. The airline transported 109,149 animals last year, second only to Alaska Airlines with 112,281. Alaska reported two deaths and one injury.”
Well, reporters are taught to put stories in context.
Still, it could have been worse for United. They could have broken – or lost – the guitar of Dave Carroll and his band Sons of Maxwell.
Again.
You’d think that 2008 fiasco – guitar thrown around by baggage handlers and broken, complaints ignored, Carroll’s “United Breaks Guitar” song goes viral to the tune of 15 million YouTube hits by 2015 – would have taught airlines a lesson.
Nope.
Instead, earlier this month United thought it was OK to order Dr. David Dao out of his seat on a plane because a spare flight crew showed up late and needed a ride.
Dao said no. Super (wannabe) cops from something called the Chicago Department of Aviation swept onto the plane, thrashed him and dragged his semi-conscious body into the airport.
Yes, there was video. Then this happened: “Dr. David Dao has reached an amicable settlement with United Airlines for the injuries he received,” according to a document obtained by NBC. Obtained means leaked by the good doctor’s lawyers.
“A condition of the settlement is that the amount remains confidential,” the document states.”
Too late.
There’s a pattern to all of this. Watch for it the next time something remarkably stupid is done in front of a cellphone camera.
There’s denial. Then comes “there’s more to the story.” Then, we’re sorry. Then, the cheque.
The other part of the story is one such story sensitizes the media to similar stories.
So when a Wisconsin guy gets booted from a Delta Air Lines flight for using the bathroom before takeoff after he’s told that’s a no-no, it gets a headline.
Ditto when a P.E.I., family is ready to talk about Air Canada’s shameful treatment of them after their 10-year-old-son lost his spot on a flight planned for their recent vacation trip to Costa Rica.
Editors like having a news hook, a reason for a story to be a story. Having a story similar to one that just went viral internationally is a winner. And reporters, who live to please their editors, know that.
You’d think airlines would know it by now too, and avoid behaving badly, especially in front of cellphone cameras.