Read and carefully consider the scenario in the Assessment 3 Scenario document,

Question

Read and carefully consider the scenario in the Assessment 3 Scenario document, before beginning on the deliverable for this assessment.

Research and consider reactions to similar incidents to envision possible reactions to this incident. It is likely to receive commentary in the press; with that, passengers or others may choose to comment. While it is not known currently whether the public is aware of the situation, it will be necessary to proactively determine an approach.

Think carefully about the impact of any selected action on the company, the industry, and, of course, the individuals involved. Also, think about any repercussions that may result from the disclosure and the communication approach you select.

Deliverable

After reading and considering the Assessment 3 Scenario document, complete the following:

Write an analysis in which you complete the following:

Analyze alternative strategies to address a crisis.

ASSESSMENT 3 SCENARIO

You have just been informed that the captain of one of your aircraft became unconscious as the airplane was about to land; the co-pilot took over and landed the craft safely. Upon landing, the aircraft was met by an ambulance, and the unconscious captain was taken to the hospital. Within an hour, you learn that the captain suffered a heart attack and is in critical condition.

The passengers did not know of the captain's collapse or that anything was amiss at the time. Fortunately, everyone is safe. The station manager who reported the situation to you believes that the passengers all left the airport terminal without talking to the press, but he is not certain that is the case. He is now asking how to handle the situation, suspecting that passengers may talk to the press soon.

You know that a report must be made to the FAA within 24 hours and that this information will become public, even if it is not already.

The concern is how this situation will impact public opinion toward your airline. You wonder: Will people be afraid that you have an aging workforce and that they are not safe? Will potential customers think that this problem could reflect on your airline in other ways, putting maintenance and overall safety into question? In short, will this situation have a negative effect on sales and, thus, profitability?

You, the president, must decide how to handle this situation.

You might choose, for example, not to comment at all and hope that the situation is never revealed. Or you might prepare a fast press release for immediate release, stating that the captain was taken to the hospital but that the plane landed safely, offering no other details. On the other hand, you might prepare a full press release with all details of the incident. Or you might send the CEO on a quick business trip, so that you can claim that no comment is available until the CEO returns, in hopes that the situation will calm down on its own. You might even try to put a positive spin on all of this and create a press release that focuses on the heroic efforts of the first officer who landed the plane.

Explanation / Answer

There was a crisis while the passesngers were travelling on an aircraft. The Captain of the aircraft has encountered with a heart attack and was ina critical situation. The co-pilot of the aircraft took over the controls and he landed the flight safely. As per the case, anything and everything that took place in the cockpit was not known to the passengers. So, there is no point worrying about getting a black mark on the airlines, as people (or passengers) will not think bad about the airlines nor about the airlines having aged staff and may predict a potential risk travelling in the aircraft. Therefore, there is no point worrying about the reputation of the airlines being tampered once the incident is known. Hence, the co-pilot who saves the lives of the people on-board should be appreciated for his timely support.

The three public relations approaches to address this issue are -

1) Firstly, the person (co-pilot) should be much appreciated for the efforts he put in in saving all the passengers on-board. And he deserves a standing ovation from the crowd and passengers for his timely help and support. This is to motivate the heroic efforts that co-pilot had displayed, and it stays as a motivation to all the other pilots as well.

So, the first approach is to tell people and press how bravely the co-pilot had handled the situation without getting tensed of the situation, since the captain was affected by a heart stroke.

2) The second approach to address the issue is, i would apologise the passengers before media, by explaining them of the entire scenario. I would start off by saying that, it is really very unfortunate that one of their captain's had a severe stroke mid way and he managed to keep the aircraft under his control till the landing. But, unfortunately, he could not hold it any longer and collapsed just before aircraft landing.

I would specifically tell the press that, his pilots are very dedicated in providing a safe journing to all its passengers. Sometimes, unfortunate and unavoidable incidents happen, but their staff is committed in fighting with the problems for the sake of passengers safety, instead of just running away from the problem and later apologising for the damage.

3) The last approach i would take is, to not offer any details to media. Instead, honor the co-pilot for his heroic efforts in a meeting with the entire staff. This is to motivate the pilot and all others to work harder towards passenger safety. On the other hand, i would ensure all the pilots undergo a strict medical examination and all those who were having risky medical conditions or parameters, shall be put to the ground staff department.

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