The viral video that changed aviation—and the CEO who broke the rules to fix it.

On April 9, 2017, United Airlines faced the world’s first truly global viral crisis when a passenger, Dr. David Dao, was forcibly dragged off a flight in Chicago. The internet exploded, calls for resignation mounted, and the airline’s initial response—calling the incident a "re-accommodation"—only poured gas on the fire.

In this episode of Stumbling Blocks, I sit down with former United CEO Oscar Munoz to take you inside the war room during the company’s darkest hours.

Oscar pulls back the curtain on the disaster, revealing:

• The "Insider" Reality: Why the facts of the incident were far more complex than the video showed.
• The Advice Trap: How legal fears and corporate mumbo-jumbo led to one of the worst apologies in corporate history.
• The Turning Point: The spiritual moment in the middle of the night—inspired by his grandmother—that convinced Oscar to stop listening to the experts and throw away the script.
• The Gamble: Why he threw away his prepared talking points on Good Morning America to take full blame on live TV.

Special Feature: This episode features real-time breaking news audio from 2017, immersing you in the crisis exactly as it unfolded.

Note: This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation.

• Next Week: We explore the turnaround, the massive union negotiations, and the "Day 1" surprises.
• Follow the show now so you don’t miss the conclusion.

Links:

• Oscar's Book, Turnaround Time:
  https://www.amazon.com/Turnaround-Time-Uniting-Employees-Friendly/dp/0063284286
• United Airlines: United.com
  
  Credits:
  ABC Nightly News with David Muir:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdWe6I3hBxk
  
  Good Morning America:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90jSUe_vdhM&t=32s
  
  CBS Evening News
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyHu76Ofp2Y
  
  CNBC
  https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/04/11/united-airlines-faces-social-media-backlash-in-china.html

Questions? Ideas? Shoot me a note:
Jonathan@BlockLeadershipGroup.com