United hires former Obama spokesman

Former Obama press secretary Josh Earnest is joining the United Airlines communications team, the company announced on Thursday. 

Earnest will serve as a senior vice president for United and as its chief communications officer focusing on global communications.

{mosads}”Josh is a proven leader and world-class communications strategist who has thrived when the stakes are the highest — and the margin for error is the smallest,” United CEO Oscar Munoz said in a statement.

“He’ll play a crucial role on our leadership team as we position our brand and this company for success. I am looking forward to working closely with him to continue to expand United’s global leadership.”

Earnest served as the press secretary for former President Obama’s last 2 1/2 years in the White House. Prior to assuming that role, he was a White House deputy press secretary.

“Cutting through the noise of the modern media environment is a challenge, especially in the highly competitive airline industry,” Earnest said in a statement.

“United’s advantage will continue to be its customer-focused core values, dedicated employees and visionary leadership team. That’s the story that I am excited to tell.”

The hiring comes nearly two months after United faced widespread criticism when a dog died after being placed in an overhead compartment on one of its flights.

That incident garnered attention from lawmakers and paved the way for the introduction of a bipartisan bill that would prevent airlines from putting pets in overhead bins.

The dog’s death in March came roughly one year after the public image crisis United faced when a viral video showed a passenger being forcibly dragged off of one of its flights.