Page 83 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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6 64 Crisis Communication

In the case of Alaska Airlines, it had such a plan and everyone
involved knew their responsibilities and roles and acted quickly.
Time is essential in a situation like this. The airline lived up to the
moment, faced the situation and did what it was supposed to do.
We in Mexico had excellent support from the Alaska Airlines
PR team; without their support we would not have been able to
do our work and react quickly to the challenges ahead. There
were no gaps in the information and the media were thankful for
the information passed to them in a timely manner.
Of course the news of the accident dominated the media for
days, but the important fact here was that no speculative or sen-
sationalist articles were published. The media reported on what
was distributed to them, and Alaska’s General Manager in
Mexico did a great job in the interviews, which also aired on
national television. As news of the investigation developed, the
media continued to report on it.
Local dailies reported that relatives of Gabriela Chavez, a
Mexican woman who died in the accident, had requested that her
body be recovered and flown back to Puerto Vallarta. The media
also announced that the MD-83’s two flight recorders were found,
200 metres underwater off the California coastline. Mexican
media stressed the consistent support and guidance provided to
the families and friends of the victims by Alaska’s CARE team.
According to Mexico Hoy, aircraft in the MD-80/90 range are
considered safe and efficient by the commercial aviation industry
in general, despite the tragic fate of Alaska Airlines’ MD-83. That
same article went on to state that the accident came as a complete
surprise, given that the airline had had an impeccable safety
record since it began operating in Mexico years earlier.
Likewise, El Sol de México business and financial columnist
Edgar Gonzalez acknowledged Alaska Airlines’ quick response
and praised its efforts to keep the Mexican media fully informed
of events relating to the accident (see Figure 4.1).

Translation: El Sol de México, 3 February 2000, Los Capitales:

Alaska Airlines. In the midst of all the pain caused by the
Alaska Airlines accident, it is important to acknowledge that the
airline maintained an excellent level of communication with
both the print and electronic media. The situation was handled
in such a professional manner, on this occasion very correctly,