Strategic Communication in Crisis Management: Lessons from the Airline Industry

270 Pages·1999·14.32 MB·English

by  Sally J. Ray

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT
~~~~~~~
Lessons from the Airline Industry
Sally J. Ray
Q
BOOKS
QUORUM
Westport,C onnecticut London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ray, Sally J., 1961-
Strategic communication in crisis management :l essons from the
airline industry I Sally J. Ray.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56720-153-9 (alk. paper)
1. Aircrafta ccidents. 2. Airlines-Communication systems.
3. Crisism anagement4. C. ommunication in management. I. Title.
TL553.,5.R36 1999
658.4'056-dc21 98-4 1664
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright 0 1999 by Sally J. Ray
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-41664
ISBN: l-,56720-153-9
First published in 1999
Quorum Books, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.quorumbooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (239.48-1984).
l 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
Part I Context
1 Context for Crisis: The Airline Industry 9
2 Organizational Crisis and Communication 13
Part II Pre-Crisis Stage
3 Existing in a Perpetual Pre-Crisis Phase 31
4 Preparing for the Worst: Contingency Planning 43
5 Northwest Airlines Flight 255 55
6 American Airlines Flight 191 75
Part 111 Crisis Stage
7 Disaster Strikes! Confronting Crisis 95
8 Delta Airlines Flight 191 117
9 Trans World Airlines Flight 800 135
Part IV Post-Crisis Stage
10 Post-Crisis Investigation:
The National Transportation Safety Board 159
Vi Contents
11 Pan American World Airways Flight 103 183
12 USAir Flight 427 205
13 ValuJet Flight 592 219
14 Lessons from the Airline Industry 24 1
Selected Bibliography 25 1
Index 25 3
Acknowledgments
Many people have offered assistance and guidance, as well as support and
encouragement, in the process of working on this project. I am sincerely ap-
preciative of everyone’s help.
My interest in exploring crisis communication in the airline indbuesgtrayn
as a doctoral student at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. The
crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in
August 1987 raised my awareness of the many complexities associated with
major airline disastersp,a rticularly the communicative aspects.I wish to thank
Matthew W. Seeger for his guidance in the initial phasoef this research.
At a time when there is much cynicism about our government, the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an agency in which the American
people can take pride. Its outstanding achievements are noted worldwide. I
am indebted to NTSB Chairman Jim Hall, who granted me permission to
interview NTSB aviation officials. I cannot express enough thanks to Jim
Danaher, retired Chief, Operational Factors Division, NTSB Officeo f Avia-
tion Safety, who hosted me when I visited the Board in Washington, D.C.,
and set up appointmentsw ith the key people I interviewed and put additional
energy into assisting me with the chapter on the NTSB to ensure factual ac-
curacy. Special thankst o A1 Dickinson, NTSB SeniorA ir Safety Investigator,
for his insights and comments on TthWe A case, as wella s for hiesn courage-
ment. I wish to thank additional individuals in thNeT SB’s Office of Aviation
Safety who gave me their time and shared their personal experiences with
major airline disasters: Senior Air Safety Investigators Robert BenzonG, reg
Feith, and Robert MacIntosh; John Drake, ChieAf,v iation Engineering Divi-
viii Acknowledgments
sion; Nora C. Marshall, Survival Factors Division; Barry Strauch, Chief,
Human Performance Division; and Peter Goelz, NTSB Managing Director.
I would also like to thank alml y colleagues in the Department of Commu-
nication at Western Kentucky University for their interest and encourage-
ment. Special thanks to my colleague, mentor, and friend, Judith D. Hoover,
for suggesting that I write this book. Thanks are also due Larry J. Winn for
insights on the subject of crisis, as well as his support and encouragement,
and to Mary Schneider for her assistance and continuous enthusiasm for this
project. Through the years a number of graduate students have assistedm e in
researching this subject. I wish to thank Andy Poklad, Stephanie Franklin,
Doug Morey, and especially Lihong Zhao for their work.
Thanks also go to Sam Willett for his interest, support, and opening the
necessary doors, and to my colleague and friend, Roger D. Vincent, for his
dialogue, insights, and suggestions.
Finally, I wish to thank my family for their patience and understanding.
Mother and Arthur, whenever I have experienced my own crises you have
always been there fomr e. Your support and encouragement did much to make
this book possible.
lntrodu ction
Strategic Communication in Crisis Management: Lessons from the Airline
Industry examines organizational crises in the context of the airline industry
and the communication strategies employed by airlines when responding to
various issues associated with a major air-carrier crash. Airline accidents il-
lustrate the industry’s high level of vulnerability to crisis and capture the
complexities of crisis management and communication. Because of its vul-
nerability, the industry is well-prepared to handle a crash at a moment’s no-
tice. But the unpredictable nature of crisis can challenge even the most prepared
organizations. Major air-carrier crashes are large-scale events that involve nu-
merous stakeholders, receive considerable media coverage, and are characterized
by surprise, threat, uncertainty, time pressures, and extreme emotions. Critical
issues which emerge following a crash may result in an airline contending
with accusations of blame, irresponsibility, or inadequacy. Under these con-
ditions a company must provide appropriate and effective responses. For this
reason, the airline industry has much to teach crisis managers in other indus-
tries. The case studies in this book demonstrate both the successes and fail-
ures of the airlines and the industry as aw hole when responding to crisis.
Major aviation accidents fuel concern abosuatf ety. After a well-publicized
plane crash, airlines expect an increasei n cancellations. Naturally, when the
industry encounters two or three crashesa iyne ar’s time, the public forms the
impression air travel in general is suddenly unsafeT. he fact the industrym ay
go years without a major crashu sually goes unrecognized.
Despite its vulnerabilityt o aviation accidents, the aviation community has
achieved some compelling statistics where safety is concerned. The airline