Okay. I get it. The airline industry is a tough one. But, still, don’t they have to engage with their customers?

A week ago, I had a near-death experience - along with 200 other passengers - on United Airlines Flight 814 from Denver to Laguardia. A routine landing turned into thirty harrowing moments as our plane lost part of its hydraulic system and our captain manually figured out how to safely land the plane. There was a distinct air of uncertainty regarding our safety, and people on the plane acted out in varying degrees of panic: some passed out, others vomited, and, in general, we were all saying our last prayers as our captain flew our plane over the Atlantic Ocean, dumping fuel, in preparation for a crash landing.

To cut to the chase, we are all fine, save for the fact that we landed at JFK, instead of Laguardia, with 15 fire trucks and ambulances awaiting our plane. Our pilot successfully managed to bring us down using his back-up instruments, and all’s well that ends well. He made Sully proud. 

However, to this very moment, I am shocked by one stark fact: I have not heard a peep from United.

Not an email. A phone call. A text message. A brief explanation. When is the last time your company put 200 customers' lives at risk and left them with a dial tone? Honestly, it has left a terrible imprint in my mind, and, when given the choice, I will never fly United Airlines again. There are other friendly skies.

United failed to capitalize on a “customer engagement moment.” A simple email, perhaps from Jeff Smisek, CEO, would have brought me closer to their brand. It would have made me feel good about choosing United on the occasions when I have a choice of airline. United missed out on an opportunity to make me a better customer and, instead, I am posting a negative story about their airline. Every opportunity to engage with a customer is an opportunity to either build or destroy loyalty. There is no middle ground.

And hey, #unitedairlines, what the heck happened?

More on what we can learn from United's customer service blunder: following up.

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