What are airlines supposed to do when every mishap seems to goes viral and the positive stories fly under the radar?
They may not be able to avoid the rising controversy, but they certainly can use viral stories about other airlines to their own advantage, and Delta did exactly that in response to an uproar against United Airlines in March of this year.
The controversy began when two girls were prohibited from boarding the plane because their clothing- leggings- was "inappropriate." Another flyer witnessed this, and went to Twitter to spread the news. Almost instantaneously, a whole sea of people were disgusted that the airline had "sexualized" these girls and enforced a ridiculously strict dress code. They demanded an explanation for the treatment of the girls and began arguing about times they were allowed to freely board the plane in whatever they desired.
United Airlines definitely could have responded to their angry customers more effectively than they did. They quickly became defensive and claimed the dress code was solely in place for Pass Members who represent the company and therefore are required to present themselves in a way that will grant respect for the airline. Customers were not convinced. More clear expectations for passengers and Pass members would benefit United Airlines in the future.
While United Airlines drowned in the negative attention, Delta used the situation to bring their company into the forefront of the minds of angry customers. They poked fun at the controversy by tweeting, "Flying Delta means comfort. (That means you can wear your leggings.)"
View Delta Tweet
Humor proved to be a successful strategy here, as Delta received a lot of positive engagement from their post. Some loyal United Airlines customers even pledged to make the switch to fly with Delta in the future. By taking advantage of a poor bout of publicity for United Airlines, Delta was able to display some ways they believe they provide better customer service for their passengers. They inserted themselves into a saturated conversation between hundreds of thousands of people, making a comparison between United Airlines and themselves that very clearly favored their own brand. Delta is one step ahead of the competition when it comes to combatting the negative airline stories we have become so used to seeing.
