The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, agreed to promote United Airlines in exchange for business class seats, a sponsorship that is now subject to scrutiny after the Mayor’s office initially denied any deal at all with United.
London Mayor Sponsored By United Airlines: Free Business Class Tickets
The UK Telegraph obtained a copy of the agreement, signed in April 2022, which contained stipulations including:
- Khan would “provide recognition to United Airlines at events as part of a trade mission to the US last year.”
- United could “optimize all appropriate PR opportunities on the trip, put their logo on signs at its events and send a representative to accompany the mayor and his staff on board their flights.”
Indeed, Khan promoted United on Twitter:
London is an unrivalled location to visit and invest in. I’m excited to take this message to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles and showcase our amazing city to America.
First stop NYC – with @United – who are now flying 22 times a day from Heathrow to the US. pic.twitter.com/HLi3lx1pRh
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) May 8, 2022
and via a City Hall press release:
“United Airlines is proud to be flying the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and his team on their trade mission to the United States.”
The potential problem is not the sponsorship itself, but the failure to disclose it. Khan’s Chief of Staff earlier told the public he would “not describe it as a United Airlines sponsored trip.”
“A natural part of these trips that businesses doing business with London get some publicity out of it. I am not aware of anything specifically we did for [United] in exchange.”
But critics on the Greater London Assembly (GLA) like Green Party member Caroline Russell pointed out the
“Te opportunity to acquire flights where only taxes and fees are payable is not one that is available to the general public.
“This may therefore represent a gift from United Airlines to each of the beneficiaries in their capacity as a GLA representative. No declaration has been made in the Gifts and Hospitality registers of the mayor.”
However, the Mayor’s office has shot back, insisting there was no “formal partnership” with United:
“Promoting London at home and abroad is a key part of the mayoralty and Sadiq makes no apologies for travelling to the US last year and saving taxpayers money on the flights…
“In order to reduce the cost of the visit, City Hall secured an agreement for a group flight package with United Airlines, where only taxes and fees were payable.
“This one-off agreement did not result in a formal partnership between the Greater London Authority and United Airlines.”
I don’t think a “one-off agreement” and “formal partnership” are mutually exclusive…
CONCLUSION
The Mayor of London was comped business class tickets on United Airlines (his office only had to pay taxes and fees) in exchange for promoting United. While disclosure of such deals is not only reasonable but essential, this strikes me as the kind of deal that makes a lot of sense for taxpayers…
(Hat Tip: View From The Wing)
“Paging Jeff Smisek….Jeff Smisek”
“Your flight to Columbia, South Carolina is in its final boarding stages…”
What a disgrace. Politicians doing what they do best. It is always about THEM.
Earlier disclosure is always better.
Even with disclosure this is wrong. Why do you think it is a good thing for politicians to promote a brand or have sponsorships? They are not sports players, they were elected by people to work for people and not to get perks to themselves. Can you imagine politicians wearing jerseys with sponsors? You were elected, you do your job and put personal interests aside.
@Santastico … Moreover , London does not need such a mayor who levies surtaxes on drivers resulting from the simple act of driving into London .
If I were the Mayor of London and I wanted cheap Business Class tickets, I would look at BA, UA Polaris is nowhere near as nice as BA Biz just from a catering perspective.
How many personal trips were comped?
Traveling to America to showcase London for tourism? Why? It’s not as if it’s Stuttgart and needs some publicity. It’s London for god’s sake. I’m sure Americans are quite aware and willing to go in droves regardless.
This was my thought exactly. If this were Manchester or one of the lesser known urban centers of England – or even of the UK more holistically – I could maybe understand it. This, however, pretty clearly unadulterated bullshit. Khan wants free flights on an airline in exchange for mentioning them.
This is like Instagram Influencer: 101 level of bullshittery. Give me stuff and I’ll name-drop you.
Bribes
Three mistakes here:
– For UA and the Mayor to engage in such an arrangement (favoritism)
– To deny that such an arrangement exited (perjury)
– To permanently ding to the reputation of ‘da mayor (political checkmate)
Three consequences:
– AA, DL, & B6 are having a chuckle about this one (bad boy UA got called down to the office)
– British tabloids are having a field day (got your knickers in a twist)
– A more subdued objection to the third runway at Heathrow (he who is innocent…)
He should be flying economy class with how he has implemented restrictions on where people can drive if their vehicle is not “green” enough. Another politician not practicing what they preach.
I have never been a fan of Sadiq Khan, and his extremist islamic agenda.
Don’t clutch those pearls too hard, now.
Vinod’s comment reveals a cluelessness about what is an “Islamic extremist agenda” and what is not.
Sadiq Khan has a multi-religion family and also attends various religious celebrations that are not Muslim ones. And I’m sure his wife and kids would be fascinated to know how their dad is a so-called Islamic extremist. Nothing about Sadiq Khan’s political and governing activity is “Islamic extremist” of the scary sort.
Vinod,
If religious extremism bothers you, go look at the extremist nonsense coming from the RSS/BJP fascists. You know the governing extremists who expelled over a 120 opposition parties’ members of parliament in New Delhi so that the rest of the session could be conducted without them while short-circuiting democracy and democratic debate in both houses of the Indian parliament. Modi, Amit Shah and the rest of the fascist Hindutva gundas in power are the living antithesis to their supposed Lord Ram(a) each and every time they say “Jai Shri Ram”.
These trips will be at his own loss of comfort and the culinary experience, not to mention the seating product itself!
UA doesn’t come close to BA in any of these categories so knock yourself out!
Your biases are getting flagrant. From pretending Israel is not apartheid (yesterday, despite license plate colors determining where citizens are permitted to drive–and on what roads) to this less serious comment. If this were AA or DL, you would be saying it was wrong. But you can’t see your blind spots anymore. It’s gotten worse, and I don’t know why. Maybe your personal tragedies, for which I am truly sad for you. But your racist posts, your biased takes, your ways of slithering in with a know-it-all pontificating because you are a lawyer, but forgetting your audience is not–it’s wearying.
Bye Maria. You’re delusional. My apologies.
If you’re weary, take a nap, Karen.