Rob Schneider tells United Airlines CEO he won't fly airline because it prioritizes ‘diversity’ over 'safety'
Comedian Rob Schneider put United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby on notice, Sunday, telling the business executive he and his family will "no longer" fly on the airline because it is sacrificing safety in its fixation on pushing diversity.
In an X post, Schneider brought up a near-fatal accident during one of United’s flights in late 2022, insinuating it could have been avoided if Kirby’s business wasn’t prioritizing diverse hires and, rather, focused on competent hires.
Schneider also dinged Kirby on allegations that he performs in drag shows following prominent conservatives sharing video of someone in a drag show they claimed was the CEO.
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Schneider wrote, "Dear Scott Kirby CEO @UnitedAirlines and Drag Queen practitioner, I regret to inform you that I will no longer allow my family to fly on your airline as you have clearly placed ‘diversity’ of pilot hiring above safety of passengers and crew."
Though he was off by a year on when it occurred, the comedian brought up the 2022 UA1722 flight during which the company’s Boeing 777-200 plummeted around 1500 feet shortly after take-off before leveling out only 775 feet above the Pacific Ocean.
He said, "As evidenced by the near aviation catastrophe of UA Boeing 777 flight 1722 from Maui to San Francisco Dec 18th 2023, where your diverse but incompetent flight crew didn’t know which flaps were causing its near disastrous dissent, coming within 750 feet of killing every one aboard your United Airline."
A United Airlines spokesman told FOX Business shortly after the incident that an investigation revealed the pilots involved needed "additional training" to prevent such situations.
"I cannot tell you how many @UnitedAirlines employees have personally thanked me for my valid criticism of your careless and life-threatening leadership," Schneider wrote, adding, "I look forward to your swift dismissal by UA’s board of directors before your inane actions cause the deaths of hundreds of men, women and children."
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He concluded his post with a final dig at the CEO, saying, "After your inevitable firing you can get back to your true passion, your Drag Queen performance. Sincerely yours, Rob Schneider. Former 1K United Airline frequent flyer."
Schneider isn’t the only prominent figure that has been trashing Kirby over how he runs his business. X owner Elon Musk ripped Kirby after a 2021 Axios interview featuring him touting his company’s commitment to diverse hiring resurfaced online.
In the interview, Kirby committed to ensuring 50% of their graduating pilot classes will be women or people of color. As of 2023, that rate is still only 19%.
After watching the clip, Musk commented on his platform, "This is messed up."
Scheider criticized this interview as well in a stand-up special from June 2023 that was released exclusively on Fox Nation.
"What? Diversity? Not the best pilots you could find?" he asked during the Fox Nation performance, adding, "The ones with the most hours and experience? The ones who’ve done it before? Nope, diversity."
"I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of flying all the time with these White pilots landing safely and on time. Boring!" he quipped.
Fox News' Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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