United Airlines ends discount for travel to NRA annual meeting

United Airlines announced Saturday that it would eliminate a discount program for the National Rifle Association (NRA), following in the footsteps of competitor Delta Airlines and a host of other companies that have cut ties with the gun group in recent days.

In a statement posted to its Twitter account, United said it would no longer offer a discounted rate for NRA members traveling to their annual meeting.

The company also requested the NRA remove its information from their website.

United is notifying the NRA that we will no longer offer a discounted rate to their annual meeting and we are asking that the NRA remove our information from their website.

— United Airlines (@united) February 24, 2018

{mosads}In a statement to ThinkProgress Friday, a United Airlines spokesperson said the company “does not have an affiliation with the NRA” and that its program related to the NRA’s annual conference came from its “standard meeting agreement process.”

United’s announcement came hours after its competitor, Delta Airlines, announced it would also end a discount program for NRA members.

Delta is reaching out to the NRA to let them know we will be ending their contract for discounted rates through our group travel program. We will be requesting that the NRA remove our information from their website.

— Delta (@Delta) February 24, 2018

Delta had previously defended its NRA discounts, telling ThinkProgress they were “routine” and “[a]ny group with more than ten people traveling from more than two departure cities, within a defined period, can qualify for a group discount (excluding weddings and family reunions). Delta has more than 2,000 such contracts in place.”

A host of companies have terminated their business agreements with the NRA under heightened public pressure following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last week.

Multiple car rental companies, including National Car Rental, Enterprise and Alamo, announced this week that they would end their discount programs, and car pricing group TrueCar announced it would end its program that allowed NRA members to save an average of nearly $3,400 on new and used cars.

First National Bank of Omaha also announced Thursday it would end its business relationship with the gun group, which included issuing NRA-branded credit cards to members.

The outcry against the NRA comes a week after the shooting at the Florida high school left 17 dead and multiple others injured.

Survivors of the shooting have focused much of their advocacy attention on GOP lawmakers who have received campaign contributions from the group. The students have used social media to increase public pressure on companies who have business relationships with the NRA.