CHICAGO _ At the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival, one of the biggest laughs came not from the feature film, but from a United Airlines commercial shown before the screening.
Audience members were settling in to watch the world premiere of a documentary on music industry executive Clive Davis when a commercial highlighting the luxurious perks in United's Polaris international business class began playing.
When United's name appeared first appeared at the end of the ad, "the entire arena broke into laughter," said Ayanna Prescod, founder of Brooklyn-based website OurBKSocial.com, who attended the Wednesday screening at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
"The gentleman sitting next to me, after maybe a full minute of laughter, said 'They need to just give up. No one should fly with them,'" Prescod said in a private message to the Chicago Tribune.
It's one sign customers aren't quickly forgetting viral videos of a United passenger being dragged from his seat on a flight from Chicago to Louisville, Ky., earlier this month. The passenger, David Dao, suffered a concussion and broken nose after Aviation Department officers pulled him from the plane to make the seat available for an airline employee, according to Dao's attorney.
The screening, which included a post-film concert with Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson and Earth, Wind & Fire, drew a crowd of 6,000, according to MarketWatch.
Backlash over Dao's treatment led to questions from legislators and regulators. The Chicago-based airline is reviewing its policies around oversold flights and already has announced changes, including requiring United employees traveling for work to book seats at least an hour in advance to avoid displacing customers already aboard an aircraft. The airline also has said it will avoid calling law enforcement officers to remove passengers unless it is a matter of safety and security.
United will participate in an upcoming U.S. House Transportation Committee hearing, airline spokeswoman Maggie Schmerin said Thursday.
"We look forward to meeting with the committee and sharing with them the comprehensive review and the customer-focused actions we will communicate," she said in an email.
