Following the news that a United Airlines passenger had been brutally dragged off a flight, the airline is now facing an onslaught of online abuse, with its rival Emirates the latest to cash in.
Taking direct aim at the airline, Emirates released a commercial with the tag: 'Fly the friendly skies: This time for real', a modified version of United's 'Fly the friendly skies'.
https://twitter.com/emirates/status/851845063999188994The ad opens with a quote from United's CEO Oscar Munoz stating: “Those [Gulf] airlines aren't airlines” from March of this year.
The dig continues, as Emirates references TripAdvisor to prove that it is the most popular airline worldwide.
“Well Mr Munoz, not only are we a real airline, we are the best airline.”
The ad rides off the back of an ongoing feud between United and the Dubai-based Emirates. Last month, United Airline employees protested the inaugural flight of Emirates’ daily service between Newark and Athens, Greece.
The protest was intended to draw attention to what United described as unethical behaviour by the airline which could result in job losses in the US.
Twitter users have not been kind to United either, many posting memes and tweets with the hashtag #UnitedAirlines.
https://twitter.com/Lrihendry/status/851845063999188994We are here to keep you #united Dragging is strictly prohibited 🚫 pic.twitter.com/CSjZD7fM4J
— Royal Jordanian (@RoyalJordanian) April 10, 2017
— 🏒 Michael Kelly (@VIMichaelKelly) April 11, 2017
Recently, United was embroiled in another PR disaster when a woman wearing leggings was reportedly told she could not board the a flight due to 'inappropriate clothing'.
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