You know things are pretty bad when America’s most-hated legacy airline (as measured by a 2017 consumer-satisfaction poll) doesn’t even want to associate with you.
Adding its name alongside a growing list of American corporations, United Airlines today announced via social media that it would also be pulling all discount benefits from the National Rifle Association (NRA). The move comes in the wake of a mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead and sparked a student-led push for federal gun control that has gain attention nationally.
That’s a lot coming from an airline so unpopular, even Central Intelligence Agency officials have complained about it.
At least 17 companies have now announced publicly that they will no longer offer discounts to NRA members. Those companies include: Alamo Rent a Car, Avis, Allied Van Lines, Best Western, Budget, Chubb Insurance, Delta Airlines, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, First National Bank of Omaha, Hertz, MetLife, North American Van Lines, Paramount Rx, SimpliSafe, Symantec, and TrueCar. Bank of America is also “re-examining” its business relationship.
For the corporations, it’s a bid that risks enraging conservatives who oppose gun-control measures. By the same token, in coming out publicly against the NRA as part of the #BoycottNRA movement, those same companies are banking on the idea that they’ll ingratiate themselves to a majority of people. To be sure, a majority of Americans say want to see more gun control measures implemented.
According to a new poll this week by Quinnipiac University, 66% of Americans say they would support measures to make it harder to buy a gun. Of those same people, 97% say they want universal background checks to become the norm.