Page 84 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

5
6
Calamities 65

that it should serve as an example to other airlines which find
themselves in similar situations and which limit their efforts to
sticking their heads into the ground like ostriches. Once again,
another congratulations note for the Silvia Pendás PR agency.
(Edgar González)

The final report from the National Transportation Safety Board
determined that the probable cause of this accident was a loss of
aeroplane pitch control resulting from the in-flight failure of the
horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assembly’s acme nut
threads. The NTSB conclusions were forwarded to the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), which in turn issued the appro-
priate directives to be carried out on all MD-80/90s.

Figure 4.1 El Sol de México, 3 February 2000

Conclusion
From a communication standpoint, the final result was very little
damage to Alaska Airlines’ image in Mexico. The media took this
accident as an example of how to handle a crisis and how Alaska
Airlines helped them by providing information to them in Spanish
in a timely and proper manner. Again, being prepared made all
the difference. They also appreciated the fact that Alaska had
someone locally they could talk to. Today Alaska has expanded
its routes in Mexico with successful operations in the region.