United’s CEO Gets Re-accommodated

Don’t think we didn’t see your Friday afternoon news dump United.

BREAKING: United Continental says CEO Oscar Munoz will not become chairman of the company next year, as previously planned.

— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) April 21, 2017

This sprang from their filing with the SEC today, and it is a change of plans for the company. They initially had planned for Munoz to become chairman of the board next year, but after dragging a paying customer off a flight, United faced a tsunami of bad press that they handled about as poorly as possible—exemplified by Munoz’s statement that was so absurd it bordered on self-parody.

This response by .@united CEO sounds like a teenager response to an insult. “I’m gonna re-accomodate your face with my fist” pic.twitter.com/lBtBGqDKZQ

— CeejTankGaming (@CeejTankGaming) April 10, 2017

Most Popular

• The 50 Best TV Shows on Netflix, Ranked (July 2025)
• The Best TV Shows on Amazon Prime Video (July 2025)
• The 20 Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix (July 2025)

Additionally, United missed their deadline today to answer the Senate’s questions about what exactly happened in that entire ordeal. This is a PR nightmare that the entire company—especially the CEO—has only made worse, so it should come as no surprise that the board is hesitant to let Mr. Re-accommodated become the most powerful man in a company that he helped put on the ropes.

Jacob Weindling is Paste’s business and media editor, as well as a staff writer for politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling.