Page 81 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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6 62 Crisis Communication

At that time the airline had been flying mostly to beach desti-
nations in Mexico. In this case, the Mexicans who died were from
Puerto Vallarta. But most of the passengers were US citizens,
including a number of Alaska and Horizon employees and
family members.
We told Alaska’s PR team in Seattle that all communications
needed to be translated into Spanish. It is not culturally correct to
distribute information to media in a foreign language: your
client will be perceived as insensitive to the culture. Since time
was of utmost importance in this case, we began distributing
information immediately. As news became available, we con-
tinued to put out almost hourly statements to the local and
national media.
When a crisis of this magnitude occurs, initially there is usually
very little information on what happened. Sometimes months go
by before the authorities determine the cause of the accident. It is
important to note that when there is a plane accident, the investi-
gation is taken over by the authorities, in this case the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The airline is there to help,
as well as the aeroplane manufacturer, but the NTSB heads the
investigation. Nevertheless, you have to issue an initial statement
with the facts as quickly as possible so that the media perceive the
company as being open in its line of communication. There were
several days of intense work, answering media queries, keeping
a log of all telephone calls and conversations with the media,
coordinating with Seattle, etc. The PR team in Seattle prepared a
Q&A for the Alaska Airlines spokesperson in Mexico and for
media queries. We were aware that the timing in everything we
did was crucial to Alaska’s image in this market, as well as the
transparency of the communication. We wanted to avoid any
type of speculation coming from the media. Lack of information
is the best way to start speculation.
Even though all media briefings/press conferences were
being conducted in the United States, we briefed Alaska Airlines’
general manager in Mexico on talking to the media at a time of
crisis. We were sure he would be approached by journalists in
Puerto Vallarta, where he had gone to assist the family members
of the passengers. The basics we gave him were:

1. Prepare for the interview. Think of what you are going to say.
2. Express condolences. There has been tremendous loss of
lives not only of passengers, but of fellow workers and their
families. The airline is also in mourning.