CHICAGO _ Reeling from a year of public relations disasters, United Airlines has named former White House press secretary Josh Earnest as its new spokesman.
Earnest, who served for eight years under President Barack Obama, the last three as press secretary, will handle communications for United, which stumbled in its messaging in response to situations including a passenger-dragging incident and a series of mishaps involving pets, damaging the Chicago-based airline's reputation.
"United Airlines is an iconic, global brand with a long history _ but it's United's bright future that makes me enthusiastic about joining the team," Earnest said Thursday in a news release.
Most recently a political analyst for NBC News and cable channel MSNBC, Earnest advanced from deputy press secretary to top spokesman for the Obama administration in 2014, regularly dealing with high-pressure situations and the glare of the media spotlight.
That experience should serve him well at United, which has seemingly dealt with more than its share of bad publicity through its reaction to a number of high-profile incidents.
The airline's most prominent PR misstep occurred in the wake of the April 2017 incident during which Chicago aviation officers dragged passenger David Dao through the aisle of a United Express jet at O'Hare International Airport after he refused to give up his seat to make room for airline employees. Cellphone video of the incident went viral.
The initial response by United CEO Oscar Munoz seemed to defend the airline's actions, calling Dao "disruptive and belligerent." As backlash grew and the company's valuation plummeted, Munoz took a more apologetic tone, with the airline ultimately reaching an undisclosed settlement with Dao.
Pets traveling on United haven't fared well either in recent months, including a French bulldog puppy that died after being stowed in an overhead bin at a flight attendant's direction on a flight from Houston to New York. United also had several pet cargo mishaps in March, sending a Kansas City, Mo.-bound German shepherd to Japan and diverting a St. Louis-bound flight to Akron, Ohio, after mistakenly loading a dog. In response, the airline suspended bookings for passengers traveling with pets in cargo and this week announced changes, including an expanded list of banned dog and cat breeds.
While such matters are far removed from defending Obamacare or the country's Middle East strategy, Munoz praised his new spokesman's White House experience.
"Josh is a proven leader and world-class communications strategist who has thrived when the stakes are highest _ and the margin for error is the smallest," Munoz said in the release. "He'll play a crucial role on our leadership team as we position our brand and this company for success."
Earnest will begin at United on May 21 and is planning to move with his family to Chicago this summer.
