Page 79 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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6 60 Crisis Communication
3. Expect the unexpected. During the tsunami, my client had to build
holding structures in Thailand, but had insufficient funds to pay
local contractors to do the work and the ATMs in the region would
dispense only very small amounts. In New Orleans, there was
insufficient room available for the thousands of workers who came
to assist in reconstruction efforts, the telephones worked intermit-
tently and travel within the city was both difficult and treacherous.
Utilities were inconsistent and food was hard to find. A trip that
under normal conditions might be 30 minutes could turn into one
of 150 minutes, and those people who were expecting you on time
in one location had probably moved to the next location to meet
someone else.

Being prepared: Alaska Airlines 261
Silvia Pendás de Cassina

Nobody wants to lose a loved one, a daughter or a son.
Nobody thinks that it will happen to their family.
Father of Alaska Airlines 261 victim

Introduction
Being prepared for a crisis made all the difference when, in this
case, an air accident occurred. Being prepared means having a
plan to hand ready to implement when there is a crisis. This
allows one to concentrate and focus on what needs to be done
and act quickly, rather than start figuring out what actions to
take. Time is of the essence in a crisis, especially when we are
talking about an aeroplane accident that involves the loss of
many lives. By acting quickly and diligently, the company will be
perceived as honest, caring and facing up to the facts no matter
how grave the situation. We have selected this case study of an
Alaska Airlines jetliner that went down off the coast of California
in 2000. We hope this experience will be of value when the
inevitable occurs without notice.
The company
Alaska Airlines is the ninth largest US airline based on pas-
senger traffic and is the dominant US West Coast air carrier.
Headquartered in Seattle, WA, Alaska Airlines carries more pas-
sengers between the state of Alaska and the Lower 48 than any
other airline. During recent years, the airline has expanded sig-