I’m a bit confused at the best of times.
I look around the world, I listen to what people are saying, and all too often I whisper to myself, “Oh, why?
I am particularly troubled by boasting.
You know when football coaches or CEOs insist on calling for big things while your own ears and mind whisper, “Wait a minute. Are you sure?”
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My ears and mind whispered quite loudly when I heard United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby say his airline’s goal was “to truly establish ourselves as the biggest and best airline in the world. aviation history”.
It was in April of last year.
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Surprisingly, at the end of last year, United had apparently already done so.
Kirby, in a message to staff, sang: “In my opinion we have already become the best airline in the world and it is our challenge for 2023 to continue to improve and raise the bar every year.”
It’s actually quite difficult to congratulate yourself and write at the same time. This sentence in itself was quite an achievement. But Kirby wasn’t quite finished. He repeated again: “I often say that we are building the biggest and best airline in the history of aviation.”
Instantly, therefore, I reassessed my image of United. I was clearly wrong about the airline.
Yes, I had recognized that United had not endured the same kind of Christmas meltdown as Southwest. But who had? I also noted that United offered enterprising mumblings on all sorts of futuristic topics, though reality still bit in every now and then.
But could it be that I failed to recognize United’s complete genius, its supreme excellence, its embrace of world superiority?
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I checked the airline’s Twitter feedjust to see all the happy messages from customers.
But no, there were too many tweets like this: “Would love to sleep on that plane. Too bad I have a screen showing ads pointed at my face that I can’t turn off. Thanks, @united from m ‘ve confirmed how bad you really are as an airline.”
Or this: “WARNING: @united does not cover damage to snowboard/ski equipment. They destroyed nearly $1000 of my boyfriend’s gear and offered him a $300 theft credit “out of courtesy”.”
Like so many others in this troubled world, I needed a little objectivity. I needed someone in authority to tell me if United were, indeed, the best in the world.
As if sensing my turbulence, the Wall Street Journal came to my rescue. It has released its 2022 list of America’s best and worst airlines.
And there was United at the top.
Well, almost to the top.
Well, closer to the top than the bottom.
Well, fourth.
Fourth? There, I became confused again. How can the best airline in the world only be the fourth best in America?
According to the Journal, Delta is the best, followed by Alaska and, would you believe it, the Southwest.
I was overcome with disbelief. Could the Journal have been wrong? Surely Rupert Murdoch hadn’t accidentally taken a United flight and had a bad experience, had he?
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The ranking suggested United’s biggest shortcomings were two-hour tarmac delays and poor baggage handling.
Even more worryingly, the airline was not ranked best in any category – these ranged from on-time arrivals and canceled flights, to extreme delays and involuntary trips, a subject with which United is quite familiar. .
I want to be charitable.
Perhaps United made such stellar progress that they were too vivid for anyone to see.
However, I feel less charitable towards those who claim absolute superiority when the evidence is still somewhat lacking.
I’m sure United have improved. I’m sure it’s a little brighter than before.
But if you really are the best, please don’t pretend it. Let others speak for you.