Commercial Airplanes

CRISIS
COMMUNICATIONS
A Guide for Planning

Boeing is a trademark of The Boeing Company. Copyright © 2012 Boeing. All rights reserved.
W
hen an airline experiences an accident or major incident, everyone in the industry
is affected. News of the accident is broadcast around the world, prompting the
public to question the safety of our industry.

Air travel is the world’s safest form of transportation. But occasionally a flight goes
tragically wrong. As communications professionals, we cannot prevent accidents
from happening. We can, however, greatly reduce the damage to the reputation of
the airline and the entire aviation industry.

For the airline involved in an accident, the trauma is intense and immediate—
disrupting operations, attracting news media from around the world and setting off
a social media conversation that is rapid and widespread. Implementing an
effective crisis communications plan takes on crucial significance for all involved.

At Boeing, we have found that the key to success in crisis communications is

preparation. We hope this guide will assist your airline in developing or improving
your plans for communicating during a crisis.

This planning guide deals with communications issues, not operational issues. The
content reflects the experience and plans of leading airlines. You can learn from
what other airlines have done and customize the information to reflect your airline
and culture.

Part 1 is an analysis of the issues involved in accident communications, how the

news media behaves and how social media affects the communication process.
Part 2 includes materials that should be included within a crisis communications
plan. It will serve as an outline to help you create your own crisis communications
plan to anticipate media reaction so that you can use those relationships that will
assist in getting your messages out.

Our experience at Boeing, reinforced by our discussions with airlines, is that a

sound crisis communications plan, executed properly, can positively affect your
reputation and enhance important stakeholder relationships.

Mary Foerster
Vice President—Communications
Boeing Commercial Airplanes

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................... 3
Part 1: Overview ........................................................................... 6
Public Relations/Communications Objectives ......................... 7
Public Relations/Communications Strategies........................... 7
Public Relations/Communications Tactics ............................. 10
Conclusion .................................................................................. 17

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 Introduction
Your telephone rings. When you answer, your Flight
Operations Center—or, more than likely, a reporter—tells you,
“There’s been an airplane accident ....”

The news of that accident kicks off a series of events:

 Investigators and your airline want to determine why the

accident happened.
 The news media want to cover the accident and determine
what caused it and who’s to blame.
 A rapid and expansive social media conversation begins,
often filled with speculation, rumor and individuals
recounting personal experiences with your airline.
 The public asks, “Is it safe to fly?”

Communications after an Your communications after an accident are among the most
accident are among the important and most sensitive activities you have as airline
most important and most
sensitive activities for the communications professionals. What the public learns about an
airline’s communications accident will come from the news media and the social media
professionals. conversation. Many people—including your customers, your
government and your employees—will judge your airline at least
in part by what they see in the news and in social media.
Therefore, the news media and social media will help the public
answer the question, “Is it safe to fly your airline?”

Are you ready? When the first call is completed, will you
pick up your emergency response communications manual? Or
will you ask, “What do I do now?”

This book will help you develop your own emergency

response communications manual. The book is in two parts:

1. Part 1 is about the news media, social media and the issues
related to airline accident communications. It will help you
understand how these media act after an accident and how to
prepare strategy. Part 1 reflects best practices in our industry.
2. Part 2 is an example of an accident communications plan,
designed to help you prepare your own emergency response
manual. Your manual must be unique to your airline, country
and culture, but plan on developing responses if you fly into
countries with other cultures.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 Together, Part 1 and 2 will help you create your own plan
based on the experience of other airlines.

The Public Relations Although this is a response manual for the public relations 1
department should be department only, you must ensure that your airline treats
represented on the
airline’s emergency
passengers and their families and friends in a professional and
management team. caring manner. Why? Because delays in identifying victims or
any insensitivity in the treatment of victims and their families
will attract negative attention: Grieving family members will talk
to the media, and they and their friends will post messages on
social media sites. You can reduce or eliminate this risk by
discussing the importance professional treatment with the
executives who will develop a confirmed passenger list and work
with the families. Public relations must be part of this emergency
response planning, and in fact, should be represented on the
airline’s emergency management team.

You also must ensure that when the media, family members
and the public start calling your reservations centers, individual
agents know how to respond. This will be the first sign to the
media and to family members how professional and caring you
are. Reservations agents must know where to route callers—
either to a media call center or to the team or individuals
responsible for working with family members.

This guide is based on Boeing Communications’ belief that

during accident communications, you can expect certain things to
happen. For example, the news media will call in overwhelming
numbers. This will affect your telephone lines and your media
relations activities. How will you ensure that you talk to priority
media first? What will you do with lower priority media calls?
Who will handle social media and how will you enter the
conversation?

Accident communications The work that must be done during accident communications
can quickly overwhelm a can quickly overwhelm a large public relations department, not
large public relations to mention a small one. Act now to identify and train the extra
department, not to
mention a small one. people you will need during an emergency. These employees
won’t be handling media interviews or talking to passengers’
family members, but you can train them to take messages or
provide other support (e.g., updating already released
1
The terms “public relations” and “communications” are used interchangeably
throughout this document.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 information). In addition, you may want to secure an outside
public relations agency to help your staff. A public relations
A public relations agency agency can be especially helpful at an accident site in another
can be especially helpful country: If you need to distribute information in foreign
at an accident site in
another country. languages to meet the needs of media at the site, the agency can
help you get your materials translated. Agencies also can provide
additional professional staff and possibly crisis communication
experience and expertise.

Station managers play an important role with the media after

an accident. Are your station managers ready for this role?

The airline public relations and communications department

will be under very high pressure during an emergency. The
demands will be significant: stress, long workdays, inadequate
meals and perhaps the inability to go home. All members of the
airline communications team should be expected to be
professional despite these hardships and demands. Be sure to
schedule rest time for them. Have food and beverages for both
airline personnel and the media.

After an accident, the news media will move very quickly.

The media have large investments in technology and people to
rapidly gather and distribute news. No airline can match their
speed and technology. In many cases, you will learn of an
accident from the media. Once an accident happens, you simply
won’t have the time to prepare your public relations activities.
You must prepare now. Your emergency planning now will
determine how well you respond after an accident.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 Part 1: Overview
The accident investigator After an airplane accident, investigators and journalists both
and the journalist have try to learn all they can about the crash: what happened, why,
different goals.
how, who, where and when. But the accident investigator, the
journalist and the person on social media have different goals.

 The investigator wants to know why the accident happened in

order to prevent another accident. The investigator will ask,
“How can we keep this from happening again?”
 The investigator will take as much time as necessary to reach
that goal.
 The journalist and social media participant want to know
who’s at fault and will ask, “Why wasn’t this accident
prevented?”
 To get answers, the journalist may use so-called “experts”
with questionable credentials.
 The journalist will gather information as quickly as possible
in an effort to be the first one to get the story out.
 Those on social media generally want to converse, sharing
personal stories and perhaps even eyewitness accounts and
photos of what happened. They will speculate, spread rumors
and use inaccurate information and rumor as though they
were fact. Part of the job of the communications staff is to
add a factual voice to this conversation.

These competing goals create conflict. As the investigators

look for facts over time, the journalists and social media
participants may be satisfied right now with pure speculation. In
the end, the investigator must be correct; the journalist and social
media participants don’t need to be correct.

What do you do in this environment? What can you do? This

book identifies four objectives for emergency communications
and four strategies to help you reach those objectives. The book
also provides tactics—things you can do if your airline has an
accident or serious incident.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 Public Relations Objectives
After an accident, communications has four objectives:

1. To help the news media focus on facts and positive airline

behavior.
2. To portray the airline as safe and caring.
3. To maintain public confidence in the safety of air travel.
4. To be a factual voice in the social media conversation.

If you achieve these objectives, you will help protect your

business and the interests of our industry. The public must have
confidence in the safety of air travel for all of us to succeed.

Public Relations Strategies

Your opportunity to deliver 1. Be a quick source of accurate information that is useful
positive messages is and important.
biggest in the first hours
after an accident.
Commercial airplane accidents are big news: There
usually is a large loss of life, significant property damage and
human drama. So communications will happen whether the
airline communicates or not. If you don’t provide
information—or don’t provide it quickly enough—others will
speak for you.

The news is biggest when the facts are fewest. Therefore

your opportunity to deliver positive messages about the
airline is biggest in the first hours after an accident. Be
available, prioritize your news media and provide information
to them. After more is known about the accident and after the
investigating agency begins to provide briefings, you’ll have
less opportunity to communicate your messages.

The airline should have an accident or incident website 2

already loaded with background information that is prepared
in advance. This might include the airline’s history, safety
record, fleet information, bios and photos of airline
leadership, and so forth. This website would be inactive
during normal airline operations and would be turned on
immediately upon confirmation of an accident.
2
Throughout this manual, the terms “accident website” and “incident website” are
used interchangeably to refer to a website that is prepared in advance and launched
in the event of an accident or major incident.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 In addition, the airline must update social media sites
quickly to be part of the accident conversation that will take
place, and to add a factual voice to that conversation. Social
media and web content managers should be part of the public
relations team.

Your first statement must be made as quickly as possible

after public relations is notified of an accident. For this
Prepare your reason, you must prepare and approve as much
communications communications materials as possible, in advance, so you can
materials—and have them respond quickly. The first formal briefing by a senior airline
approved—in advance so
you can respond quickly. official should be held as soon as you have enough facts to
talk about the accident and what you are doing in response.

Information that the media looks for includes:

 The airplane, number of crew, route, number of

passengers, flight number and weather.
 The circumstances of the accident if known.
 How you are responding to the accident (helping with the
investigation, working with families, etc.).
 Your airline’s safety record.
 Details that may be relevant to this particular accident.

Because being “first and fast” is so important, an

immediate comment or statement is critical, even if it is
only to verify that an incident has occurred, that
information is being gathered and that details will be
released as they become available and confirmed. As the
airline, you need to be the source of accurate information.

Send out all news releases and advisories through

whatever channels provide the quickest dissemination of the
information. Post this information to the accident website and
provide it to your social media managers. In addition, you
might want to email materials to important media.

Boeing Communications will contact you within the first

hours to offer assistance.

2. Know your safety record and procedures.

Because factual information may not be available, the

news media and social media participants may use clues,

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 accusations and speculation to come up with a theory as to
why the accident happened. They will talk to others. They
will research the background of your airline, the airplane and
even the airport—whatever they think will help explain who
or what is to blame. With satellite news channels, news
reports will travel rapidly around the world. And the social
media conversation can go global and viral almost instantly.

Public relations should have key background materials

prepared in advance and loaded on the accident website.
Be prepared to tell the media what you do to operate safely
and what you have done to correct any past problems, along
with any awards the airline may have won. Statistics are quite
useful, for example, how many revenue passenger miles you
have flown. Be prepared to discuss your past accidents, past
Schedule regular briefings safety problems or industry-wide safety issues such as aging
and issue written updates airplanes. Again, you should develop much of this
to provide new background information in advance and post it on the
information.
accident website. Boeing Communications can supply you
with industry safety data as well as the safety record of all
models of airplanes.

3. Actively communicate.

Facts become public in pieces, and early information is

often contradictory. For these reasons, the airline’s public
relations must:

 Schedule regular updates or briefings and issue written

updates to provide new information. Briefings should
occur at least every hour.
 Monitor key news media to detect inaccuracies or
unbalanced coverage.
 Always correct the mistakes and misinformation of others.
 Immediately correct any inaccurate information you have
distributed.
 Actively monitor the social media conversation and
correct inaccuracies with factual information.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 4. Never speculate.

Develop a process to provide confirmed, accurate and

consistent information for you to give to the media, post on
the website and include in your social media postings.

Never guess and never answer questions that begin with

the following:

 Could it have been ... ?

 Is it possible that ... ?
 What would happen if ... ?

Always use good judgment in providing information

about the speculation or accusations of other people. Media
requests for special information or access to facilities, says
American Airlines, “need to be evaluated on the basis of
practicality and a judgment whether coverage would fuel
speculation or enhance understanding.”

These four strategies will serve you well in any

emergency situation. Although you can add other strategies,
you must follow these four to ensure that your
communications after an accident will succeed.

Public Relations Tactics

1. Have an accident public relations plan.

Your accident public relations plan must answer five

important questions:

Who will speak to the media for the airline?

Who will speak to the social media participants and be the

voice of the airline in that conversation?

Only designated and Only designated and trained public relations personnel should
trained personnel should talk to the news media and participate in the social media
talk to the news media or conversation. Others may be trained and permitted to read
respond using
social media. news releases over the telephone without answering
questions. In addition, at least one senior executive should
conduct media briefings and express the airline’s sympathy
for the families of the victims. Station managers should be

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 prepared to talk to the media until a public relations
professional arrives at the site.

Postings to the website and information released through

social media must be fully coordinated by the
communications leader and team.

What will the company representative say?

The information you give to the media and use in the

social media conversation should be confirmed and approved.
Your plan should specify how you will get your information
and who must approve it for release. This is especially
important with passenger lists, which should not be released
before families have been notified (except in those cultures
where delay is not acceptable). In some cases, releasing
partial or incomplete passenger lists as they are confirmed
may help to relieve tension with the media. But do so only if
the information is absolutely accurate and only if next of kin
have been notified. The approval process should indicate
which materials, if any, must be reviewed by the airline’s
legal staff.

Where will the company representative say it?

The spokesperson must be prepared to talk to the news

media in at least two locations:

a. The accident site, or as close to it as possible, where the

news media will assemble in large numbers because of the
physical damage and the human drama. This is
particularly true if the site is far from your headquarters or
in a foreign country. You must take great care at the site to
coordinate all media activities with the investigating
authority.
The media will arrive in b. Airline headquarters, where the airline’s response is being
large numbers at managed. This is where you’ll get your information and
headquarters expecting
briefings. provide your management with information about news
coverage. In many cases, the media also will arrive in
large numbers at company offices to hear briefings.
Company offices should be the official source of
information for the media, with the same information
available at the site.

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 c. It’s also likely that spokespersons will be required at
departing and arrival airports as well.

You will need four work areas:

a. A large work area where you and other public relations

people will gather information, prepare news releases and
statements and update social media.
b. One or two media call centers where incoming calls from
the media are directed.
c. A media briefing center to conduct formal briefings and
provide a senior executive for questions and answers.
d. A media briefing area near the accident location. Ensure
that your onsite media activities do not conflict with those
of the official investigating authority. Careful
coordination is critical to success.

Remember: The news media will also go wherever the

story is—hospitals, morgues, the homes of victims and the
airport (to find family members).

How will you assemble your communications team and

what will each person do?

Public relations must have

Of course, accidents and other emergencies can happen
a notification process in regardless of whether we’re in the office or have a full staff.
place. Airplanes operate at all times (business hours, weekends and
holidays) and in many countries. To assemble your team at
any time will require:

 That communications be included in the airline’s

emergency notification system, 24 hours a day.
 That public relations has a process to notify its members
to report for duty.
 Current telephone numbers for every person who will
respond (office, home, mobile and hotel while traveling).
 Technology to reach them (email, etc.).
 The order of notification (who will call whom).

You must determine accident responsibilities before an

accident occurs so that you can quickly carry out your duties.
Your plan must answer this question: Who goes where to
do what?

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 2. Prioritize your media.

Communicate first and at When your airline is involved in an accident, every major
length with you key media. media outlet—and many minor ones—will want information
by telephone, at briefings and in interviews. Accept this fact:
You simply won’t be able to meet all of the demands of all of
the media. The accident website can be a big help by
providing background information that many will want.
Communicate first and at length with those media that:

a. Have the broadest distribution (wire services, national

newspapers and television, international media).
b. Serve the cities most affected by the accident (the cities of
origin and destination, victims’ hometowns, if known).
c. Serve large numbers of your airline’s employees.

Before an accident or other emergency occurs, you can

identify most of the media in groups a and c by assessing the
routes served by your airline. You also can identify most of
the priority media in group b before an accident.

3. Be caring, honest and open.

Acknowledge that a tragedy has occurred and remember

that family members, friends and any survivors will be
distraught, angry and emotional. Emphasize what you’re
doing to help them and to confirm the identities of those on
board. A statement of sympathy from the most senior airline
executive should be issued soon after fatalities have been
confirmed. Or, you can have an executive read the statement
at the first media briefing. You can prepare this statement
ahead of time and keep it with your emergency response
manual.

4. Coordinate with others.

Many organizations will be giving information to the

news media about an accident involving your airplane. Try to
avoid conflicting information by coordinating with them. To
the extent possible, you should maintain a telephone list of
key organizations and their public relations contacts.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 Based on the routes you fly, this list should include:

 National investigative agencies.

 National aviation authorities.
 Airport authorities.
 Major hospitals.
 Police stations.
 Airframe and engine manufacturers.
 Fire and rescue officials.
 Codeshare partners.

5. Prepare important communications materials ahead

of time.

Many of the important Many of the important materials used in accident

materials used in accident communications can be written and approved today and
communications can be
written and posted on the airline’s accident website in advance. For
approved today. example:

 An initial statement with blanks to be filled in depending

on the accident.
 An expression of sorrow for the families of those on
board.
 Reference material on your airplanes (such as seating
capacity and crew staffing by model).
 Photos of various airplane types.
 A list of previous accidents and incidents involving your
airline, including casualties and causes.
 Your process and procedures for confirming the names of
those on board.
 Other relevant background papers on issues that may
affect your airline (such as the airline’s history and
information about your executives).

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 6. Identify facilities for briefing the media and secure
necessary equipment.

You will need a big briefing At airline headquarters, you will need a big briefing room
room to accommodate a to accommodate a large crowd of reporters and camera crews.
large crowd of reporters
and camera crews. You will need lighting, a backdrop (without airline insignia)
and an audio system. The media will need electrical outlets
for their equipment. You will also need to provide extra
telephone lines.

Most jetliner accidents happen in some phase of takeoff or

landing, so it is likely that an airport will be a center of media
activity. You must identify two facilities at every airport you
serve:

 A family area for the relatives of those on the plane.

 A media briefing facility.

Airline station managers can assist you in identifying

these facilities, which should be as far from each other as
possible. In some cases, you may choose to use a nearby hotel
(or two). Many airports already have chosen the areas they
will use for families and the media in the event of an airport
accident.

7. Use plain, everyday language.

You must be clear so no Some news reporters are veterans of airplane accident
explanation by the media
is needed.
coverage. They have a good technical understanding of
aviation and understand the investigative process. For most
others, however, your accident will be their first and only
exposure to aviation technology, airline operations and
accident investigations. You simply cannot depend on them
to provide accurate explanations to the public. Instead, you
must be clear so that no explanation by the media is needed.
You should have a glossary of technical terms as well as
prepared materials on how the investigation will proceed. All
of this can be posted on the accident website.

Identify experts at your airline who can explain technical

issues to the media. If you operate in regions where your
language is not the local language, you must be prepared to
provide briefings and written materials in the language used
by local media. This is especially difficult given the technical

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 nature of the information you may need to communicate.
Advance planning, and perhaps the help of a local public
relations consultant, will be important to your success.

This is particularly important for your social media and

web managers.

8. Use the internet.

Use of the internet exploded in the 1990s and made

information available to nearly anyone with a computer,
iPhone, BlackBerry or other device, 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. Well over 1 billion people use the internet. The
world’s news media and the general public alike use it to
access information. If there is an accident, the internet will be
the quickest—but not necessarily most accurate—way for
others to search for information on your airline. They will
look for past articles, especially if there is a question of
safety. Part of your preparation will be to research the kind of
information available and include it in your materials. If it is
incorrect, now is the time to correct it. Correct information
also should be posted on the airline’s accident website.

Use the internet (website and social media) to issue

statements, provide updates and link users to other technical
sources of information. Part 2 includes some ways other
airlines and manufacturers have used the internet to issue
statements. Choose the option best suited to your situation.
This should supplement but not replace face-to-face media
briefings.

Public Relations Strategies

1. Be a quick source of accurate information that is useful
and important
2. Know your safety record and procedures.
3. Actively communicate.
4. Never speculate.

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 Conclusion
Developing an accident communications plan takes time, and
it is difficult to find the time to do a plan that we all hope we will
never use. Part 2 of this book, the emergency response manual,
will help make your task easier. You don’t have to do your
manual all at once: You can work on parts of it, completing the
most important sections first and the others over time. You’ll find
that you already have many of the materials on hand such as
media contact information, background papers on your airline
and so on.

When your plan is finished, you should test it with a practice

exercise. You should repeat the exercise several times a year to
ensure that your plan remains current and effective. Remember,
untested or unrehearsed plans are of little value when an accident
occurs. Because telephone numbers change so often, assign
someone to keep the lists current, and make sure the webmaster
is regularly updating the background information on the accident
website.
Effort you invest in your The effort you put into your plan today definitely will be
plan today will be repaid
many times over.
returned many times over if you are ever called upon to use your
plan. The industry’s goal must be zero accidents; until we reach
that goal, however, we all must be prepared to communicate
effectively when an accident does occur.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 1)
 Introduction
Part 1 of this Boeing-developed crisis communications
manual is an overview of crisis communications related to an
airline accident. It describes the challenges and opportunities
airline public relations personnel face after a serious accident.
And it sets out objectives, strategies and tactics for
communicating after an accident. The information is general,
reflecting best practices in our industry and experience.

Part 2 is intended to help you implement the tactics in part 1.

It helps you create a plan specifically for your airline. Part 2 also
is an example of an emergency communications manual: what
one can look like and what it can contain. Its two sections
contain sample documents you must prepare as well as important
information you need to know.

This is a template for you to use in creating your own

emergency response manual. By filling in the blanks on the
following pages, you will compile useful information and see
where gaps exist in your current materials.

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Issue: Each person on the
public relations emergency
team should have a
personal copy of the
emergency
communications response
manual. The manual Airlines
should be updated
frequently and given only
to those who will have to Emergency Communications Response Manual
use it.

Date: 2012

Copy number

This copy belongs to:

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Table of Contents
Issue: Every person on
the public relations/ Section 1
communications response Introduction........................................................................21
team must know the
objectives of Policy .................................................................................21
communications after an When to Use This Manual .................................................22
accident. A policy
statement for accident Section 2
communications and Activation...........................................................................23
instruction on when to use
the manual are also Public Relations/Communications Staff Directory ...........24
valuable. Emergency Volunteers.......................................................25
Section 3
Roles and Responsibilities .................................................26
Communications Assignments ..........................................26
Roles and Responsibilities—On Site.................................28
Section 4
Documents
Accident/Emergency Report form .................................30
Log Sheet........................................................................31
Statement #1—Website, Briefing ..................................32
Release of Passenger List...............................................33
Section 5
Facilities .............................................................................34
Section 6
Statements and Advisories, Internet ..................................36
Using the Internet...............................................................37
Media Advisory .................................................................38
Site Information Center Advisory......................................39
Background Information....................................................40
Section 7
Telephone Numbers form ..................................................41
Public Relations Contacts form .........................................42
Reference ...........................................................................43
Preparing for Interviews & Briefings ................................44
Controlling the Message ....................................................45
Preparing for Television ....................................................47
News Conference Checklist...............................................50
Questions & Answers ........................................................52
Section 8
Glossary of Airline Terms ................................................56

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 Introduction
Our airline is dedicated to safe, reliable and enjoyable
transportation. Nothing will test our public reputation more than
how we behave after an accident with a loss of life.

After an accident or other emergency, our accident

communications have four objectives:

1 To help the news media properly focus on known facts.

2. To portray the airline as safe and caring.
3. To maintain public confidence in the safety of air travel.
4. To be the voice of factual, accurate information in the social
media conversation.

If communicators achieve these objectives, we will help

protect not only our airline but also the interests of an industry
that must maintain public confidence to succeed.

Policy
Because social media and the news media can influence
public perceptions of the airline, our accident communications
policy is:

 We will quickly become an authoritative, reliable source

of accurate information for the news media and the public.
 We will issue our first statement as quickly as possible
after we have been notified of an accident, and we will
work to maintain consistent messaging with the news
media and as part of the social media discussion.
 (senior executive) will
brief the news media as soon as possible, even if it is only
to acknowledge that an incident has occurred. During the
briefing, we will express our sorrow and our commitment
to assist the families of those on board.
 We will distribute statements, updates and so forth to our
employees at the same time we release the information to
the news media and add it to the accident website.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 When to Use This Manual
This manual is prepared specifically to provide a public
relations response to an airplane emergency that:

 Has resulted or may result in death or serious injury to

passengers, employees or others on the ground.
 Has resulted or may result in significant damage to or loss
of an airplane.
 Is minor but attracts significant news media attention that
could threaten the airline’s reputation.

This manual may also be used to organize a public relations

response to a non-flight emergency. For example:

 Deaths, injuries or significant damage to airline facilities

because of fire, an industrial accident or a natural disaster.
 Deaths, injuries or the endangerment of passengers and
employees as a result of criminal acts.

This manual also may be used for other events such as a labor
strike or major flight disruptions caused by weather.

Because we define a “crisis” as an “event or set of

circumstances that may significantly affect the organization’s
ability to carry out its business plan,” the effort put into this
manual will be repaid many times over as you cope with the wide
range of issues that affect any large organization.

Broadly defined, a crisis is any situation that has the

potential to

 Escalate in intensity.
 Fall under close scrutiny by the media or government.
 Interfere with normal business operations.
 Jeopardize the positive reputation or position enjoyed by
the company or its management and employees.
 Damage the company’s bottom line in any way.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Activation
Issues: When an accident Notification
occurs, your public  Public Relations should be notified of an accident or emergency by:
relations department must
be notified as soon as
possible. Public relations  If Public Relations is notified first by the news media, then Public Relations
may even learn of an should call:
accident first from the
news media. To ensure Emergency Call-Out
that everyone who needs
 The Public Relations representative who first learns of an accident will begin
to know about the accident
notifying those who should respond.
is informed as soon as
possible, you must  The first person to learn calls:
develop the following: 1. Senior media relations representative or Public Relations duty officer.
 A process that explains 2. Vice president or director of Public Relations.
how your management
3. Notification team (a person or small group of people who will notify others
will immediately inform
by telephone to report for duty).
Public Relations about
the accident.
 A process that explains  #1 Senior media relations representative or public relations duty officer calls:
how Public Relations will
inform management, in
4.
the event the news
5.
media learn of the
accident first. 6.
 A process that explains  #2 Vice president or director of Public Relations calls:
how the public relations 7.Incident Web Master
leader will notify the
8.Social Media Specialists
public relations team
during and after 9.
business hours.  #3 Notification team calls all others:
10.
The best notification
process is a telephone 11.
“tree” where each person 12.
is responsible for notifying 13.
others.
14.Phone company to activate 800 numbers for media and family

All emergency public relations team members should

immediately report for duty at the media information center
located at . The public relations
representative(s) going to the accident site should report to
prepared to travel with the airline go team.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Public Relations/Communications Staff Directory
Issues. A fast response is NAME OFFICE PHONE MOBILE PHONE HOME PHONE EMAIL FAX
essential. You must have a
complete and accurate
telephone list to notify
people who have public
relations/communication
responsibilities after an
accident. List the following
information for each
person who will be
participating in accident
communications.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Emergency Volunteers
Issue: In an emergency, NAME OFFICE PHONE MOBILE PHONE HOME PHONE EMAIL FAX
the demand for information
could easily overwhelm the
communications staff.
Consider having a team of
trained volunteers
available to assist when
needed. An accurate and
up-to-date list of these
volunteers will be needed.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Roles and Responsibilities
Issue: Before an
 Information related to the accident will be supplied by
emergency, determine
who will do what. This 
will help you react Information will be approved for release to the news media by:
quickly and ensure that
 (senior executive) and
all work gets done. It will
also help you answer  (senior communications executive)
important questions  Release of the confirmed passenger list will be approved by:
about other departments  (senior executive) and
that will work with public
 (senior communications executive)
relations after an
accident. More than one
person can share each
responsibility, or one
person can have Communications Assignments
several.. You’ll also want
to have an alternate for NAME RESPONSIBILITY
each responsibility in
case of absences. Name: Conducts initial media briefing; expresses
the airline’s sorrow and sympathy; may
This will be a senior (Chairman/President/ travel to the site or to visit survivors,
communications Managing Director) depending on circumstances and location.
executive.

This person probably Name: Maintains contact with senior

reports directly to the management; advises senior management
senior communications of issues developing in the media;
executive. approves all materials for release to the
media, for posting on the website and for
use by social media managers.

Name: Coordinates all activity with the news

media; makes staffing assignments and
schedules; prepares initial news release.
Facilitates coordination with the web
master and the social media managers.

Name: Gathers accident, airplane and passenger

information from the airline emergency
management team; may be stationed in
the system operations center.

Name: Travels with the airline go-team to the

accident site to manage a briefing facility
and to coordinate all media activity at the
site.

This could be done by a

Name: Sets up the media briefing center at
trained volunteer.
company offices.

Name: Boeing Communications contact

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Communications Assignments
NAME RESPONSIBILITY

Name: Prioritizes and responds to media

inquiries; prepares additional news
releases, briefing advisory and statement
for executive to read; coordinates with
legal.

Name: Activates and oversees media call centers.

These tasks could be Name: Arranges for media access to briefing

done by a trained facility, arranges for additional phone lines
volunteer. and food service for media briefing center
and media information center.

Name: Records all briefings on videotape.

Name: Answers telephones; completes telephone

log form and gives it to those authorized to
talk to the news media.

Name: Prepares communications for employees.

Name: Collects and prepares obituary information

regarding the crew members.

Name: Monitors the news media and records key

newscasts; notes trends in coverage and
alerts others to inaccuracies and
speculation.

Name: Carries out the telephone notification of

emergency communications team
members.

Name: Ensures that inappropriate company,

employee or public events are canceled;
works with marketing executives to cancel
advertising as necessary; ensures code
sharing and other partner airlines are kept
up to date with current information.

Station manager: Serves as the initial media contact at the

airport; activates the site information
center; provides confirmed and approved
information to the media, as supplied by
company offices; alerts Public Relations to
any problems or issues at the site.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Roles and Responsibilities—On Site
The senior onsite public relations person is responsible for the
following:

 Immediately receiving all current information approved

for release.
 Providing approved, confirmed information to the media
at the site.
 Coordinating information activities with other public
relations personnel (investigating authority, hospital,
police, airport, etc.).
 Providing information to company offices on the tone and
nature of media questioning.
 Collecting information released by investigators.
 Maintaining contact with headquarters.
 Educating the media on the process of confirming the
passenger list and the time involved in doing so.
Issue: The news media—  Coordinating and overseeing web postings, social media
especially television—will postings and activation of the media call center(s).
go immediately to the
accident site or as close to
the site as possible. Your Each national government has its own agency to conduct
public relations department
will want to send a senior- official investigations into airline accidents. That agency also
level public relations releases information to the media about the crash, the
person there also. This
allows you to have an on- investigation and any findings. Airline communications
camera spokesperson to personnel at the site must not violate the investigating agency’s
deliver your messages.
Airline headquarters must information policies while also protecting the airline’s interests.
be able to talk with the
onsite person to supply The investigating agency usually will brief the media or
information and key
messages. The onsite publish information about the accident investigation at least once
spokesperson should not a day. The airline representative on site should attend these
release any information
that has not been briefings to hear what information the agency is releasing and
confirmed and approved at what questions media representatives are asking. The tone and
airline headquarters.
subject of the questions may indicate that media coverage will be
harmful to the airline. If any information seems harmful, it
should be reported to the senior airline public relations executive.
In addition, the airline public relations representative at the site
must coordinate all releases of information with company offices
to ensure consistency and with the investigating agency to ensure
transparency.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 If an accident occurs on airport property, airport public
relations officials may try to take control of media relations,
including the use of social media to distribute images of the
accident airplane. If this happens, the airline communicator on
site may be powerless to protect the airline’s interests. Therefore,
the airline should establish a positive working relationship with
the airport as early as possible, preferably well in advance of an
accident.

At the site, the airline representative can give information

through one-to-one interviews or more formal briefings, if a
briefing facility exists. This representative should be trained and
prepared to do televised interviews. Priority media also may be
granted telephone interviews with executives at company offices.

You can send more than one public relations representative to

the site. However, current practice indicates that most airlines
tend to exercise control from their own headquarters. Time and
distance can put considerable stress on the onsite personnel.

Airline public relations personnel who are on site will need to

establish a private work area and install reliable communications
systems. Given the other demands on local communications
facilities and the need for confidentiality, this may require
considerable advance planning.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Accident/Emergency Report
Issue: You must carefully Use this form to record information when you are notified of an accident or other emergency.
document the activities of
 Source of information:
all public relations
representatives during the  What happened?
crisis. Written records help
you ensure accuracy when
providing information to
others.

 Where did it happen?

 When did it happen? Time (specify time zone): Date:
 Flight number:
 Origination city:
 Destination city:
 Intermediate stops:
 Type of airplane:
 Are there deaths or injuries?
 Number of passengers: Number of crewmembers:
 Other confirmed information:

Report prepared by: Time:

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Telephone Log Sheet
Issue: Hundreds of news Use this form to record each phone call from the news media.
media will call your public
Priority:
relations department after
an accident. You simply  Major wire service
won’t have enough time or  International media
personnel to talk to all of  National television station or newspaper
them. This form will help
 Media from origin and destination cities
you determine which
media to respond to first.  Employee base
(Make a list of priority  Other
media in advance.) It also
will provide a record of
your contact. Public  Date: Time:
relations personnel should
use their time to talk to  Call received from:
important media and get
 Name:
information about the
accident from airline  News organization:
management. Clerical staff  Location:
or other personnel can  Telephone number:
answer telephones and
complete this form for  Email:
public relations  Message:
professionals to use.

 Other information/notes:
Email:
Cell phone:

 Call returned by:

 Date: Time:

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Statement #1—Website, Briefing
 Contact:
 Telephone:

HEADLINE

CITY, DATE— Airlines flight number

was involved in an accident at approximately :
today while the airplane, a (type of airplane), was
flying from to . The accident
occurred (where) .

Issue: You must issue a

The preliminary passenger list indicates that the airplane
statement within one hour carried passengers and a crew of , although this
after your public relations is subject to confirmation. Airline personnel are currently
department has been
working to confirm the number of people on board, their
notified of an accident. The
news media may think you identities and any casualties.
are not honest if you don’t
confirm an accident and We extend our condolences to the families, friends and
provide some information. colleagues who have been affected. At this time, all available
You can prepare this news
resources of Airlines are devoted to contacting family
release ahead of time and
complete it with specific members and providing whatever assistance to them possible,
information about the and cooperating with all authorities who respond to the accident.
accident. Issue your news
release as you usually do, (Add any additional confirmed facts about the accident.)
or read it over the
telephone to important
media. It is a good idea to
include a telephone
number for the public to
call, even when you use
your web page. This keeps
accident calls from going
to reservations centers.

Those who need information about passengers on Flight #

may telephone Airlines at .
Information and updates will be posted on the airline’s incident
website at www.XXXXX.com.

Issued at (time) on (date) .

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Release Passenger List
Issue: The news media  Contact:
will want to know
 Telephone:
immediately who was on
the airplane. Confirming
the passenger list,
however, is time
consuming. You can HEADLINE
release the entire
passenger list once it is CITY, DATE— Airlines has released a
complete or release
(complete) (partial) list of passengers confirmed aboard Flight .
portions of it. Caution:
Before you release the list
to the public, ensure that
City/country of residence is given, where it is known.
the list has been confirmed
and families notified, Airline personnel continue to work with the families of those on Flight
unless cultural , providing whatever assistance they can.
requirements demand an
immediate release of Additional names will be released as soon as they are confirmed.
names. Be sure to
coordinate with the Those confirmed to be aboard Flight are:
investigating agency.

(List names alphabetically with city or country of residence,

where known. If there are survivors, list them as “survivors” or
“hospitalized” and others as “unknown.”)

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
Issue: The news media
will go to the site of the
Facilities
accident, or as close to it
as possible. Some media 1. Information Center
also will come to your
airline's headquarters. You Location:
must accommodate them
in both places. In addition, The airline will manage all media activity from the
you’ll also need a work information center. The information center also will be the
area (an information
center) where you’ll gather primary work area of the emergency communications team.
information and prepare All media materials will be prepared here. If you plan to issue
materials. You’ll also need recorded messages for radio or video news releases for
a media call center where
television, you should plan in advance to have production
you’ll talk to the media by
telephone. facilities readily available. The facility will operate up to
24 hours a day. Media are not allowed in this facility.
2. Media Call Center(s)
Location: ___________________________________
All incoming media calls will flow to the media call
center(s). Individuals staffing these centers ask whether the
reporter/caller has been to the airline’s website. Individuals are
allowed only to read releases, updates and statements. If the
media wants to talk with someone about information not
provided through the call center or found on the website, phone
messages will be taken.
3. Media Briefing Center
Location:

All in-person media briefings will be conducted at airline

headquarters. Security should be provided to keep the media
from entering other areas of company offices. This facility
may be occupied by the media up to 24 hours a day and can
be closed when the airline has no additional information to
release.
4. Site Information Center
This is comparable to the information center and is the
working area for on-site airline personnel. Media are not
allowed in this facility. At an airport, this could be set up in
the station manager’s complex or at a nearby hotel.
5. Site Briefing Center

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Location: (At the nearest airport or another facility close
to the accident scene.)
All on-site media activity will be conducted at a site
briefing center. Information released here should be the same
information released at company offices. This facility may be
used by the media up to 24 hours a day until they have
gathered all the information they need.
The media briefing center and the site briefing center
should be big enough to accommodate at least 50 journalists.
The centers should be equipped with
 A lectern and microphone.
 A junction box for TV and radio microphones.
 TV lighting.
 Chairs, or tables and chairs.
 An area for television cameras, perhaps on a riser.
 Electrical outlets for cameras and computers.
 Extra telephones.
 Internet access.
 A background curtain behind the lectern.

Do not use an airline insignia on either the background

curtain or the lectern.

Food and beverages should be available. Parking should be

sufficient and close to the building. Provide security to keep
journalists out of other company areas.

(Note: Many airlines use an auditorium or part of a cafeteria

as a briefing center.)

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Statements and Advisories
Issue: The news media  In response to questions about the cause of the accident:
will want more information
than you have. They will
“It is much too early to talk about the cause. It will take
ask questions on many weeks or months of investigation to determine the cause so
subjects. The following that we can prevent it from happening again. The
statements and news
media advisories can save investigation will be conducted by the , and
you time during an we will cooperate fully in that investigation. We will not
emergency. They can be
written and approved well speculate about what may have been the cause, and we
in advance and updated to encourage others not to speculate.”
fit a specific accident.
 When you have no more information to release:
“We have released all of the confirmed information that
we have at this time. As soon as we have additional facts, we
will share them with you. We ask for your patience at this
difficult time. Feel free to check our website as new
information will be posted there as soon as possible.”
 In response to questions about the passenger list:
“Confirming the identities of those on board is one of the
most difficult and sensitive matters we face. We are working
as rapidly and as accurately as we can. As we confirm the
names, we will notify relatives first before we release any
names to the public. This can be a time-consuming process,
but we need to be certain about our findings before we
release them. We know that this process is painful for family
and friends, so we ask for your patience and understanding.”
 An expression of sympathy
“All of us at Airlines extend our deepest
sympathies to the families and friends of those who were
injured or killed in the crash of Flight . We hope that
those who survived the crash have a rapid and full recovery
from their injuries. Safety is our top priority, and we are
cooperating fully in the investigation to ensure that such an
accident never happens again.
“We also are working to assist the families of the
passengers and crew on Flight . We cannot undo the
pain and grief they feel, but we can help share the burden of
dealing with this tragedy.
“We are dedicated to the safety of our passengers and
crew. This is a very sad day for all of us at Airlines.”

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Using the Internet
 Concurrent with a face-to-face media briefing, included are
two examples of links that might be placed on your primary,
commercial website. Choose the one that’s best for your
airline and situation. Some airlines and manufacturers go
“dark,” which means their regular homepage is replaced by a
page that advises:

For more information on XYZ Flight 000, click here

Enter main site, click here

 Visitors or media who want information on Flight 000 will

find a condolence statement or update. There, you can also
make available links to the accident website, manufacturer,
investigative authority, etc. Your regular airline homepage
may be found by entering the main site. Although your airline
will be very involved with the tragedy at hand, you still have
a business to run. Having an accident website allows your
commercial website to continue to provide for the booking of
flights while providing a place for the media to find the
information they need without plugging up your homepage.

 We would recommend that a link be placed on your regular

homepage: For more information on XYZ Flight 000,
click here. This would take the individual to the accident
website where all updates, statements, releases, background
information, etc., would be housed as well as links to other
sites as described above. Links to the airline’s social media
sites would be posted here as well.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Media Advisory
Issue: When you schedule  Contact:
a briefing for the media,
 Telephone:
you should give them
advance notice. You can
do this with a media
advisory, which you would
issue in the same way a HEADLINE
news release is issued.
CITY, DATE— Airlines will hold a news
briefing regarding Flight for members of the media
(today/tomorrow) at XX:XX (a.m./p.m.) at the airline’s headquarters
at (location).

Only accredited representatives of the news media will be

admitted.

(Provide information on where to report for admission to the

briefing.)

(Provide information on parking arrangements.)

(Provide information for television satellite and microwave

trucks and access for television cables.)

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Site Information Center Advisory
 Contact:
 Telephone:

HEADLINE

CITY, DATE— Airlines has established

an information center for members of the news media covering
the Flight accident. The center is located at (airport or
other facility near the accident site).

Only accredited representatives of the news media will be

admitted.

(Provide information on where the center is located.)

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Background Information
Issue: After an accident,  Contact:
you simply will not have
 Telephone:
time to research and write
background information
about your airline,
airplanes and operations.
You should prepare Some recommended backgrounders for the media:
information now to be
released to the news
1. A brief history of the airline and its routes.
media following an
accident and posted on the 2. Operating statistics (e.g., number of flights each day, revenue
accident website. All of passenger miles flown last year, fleet size and composition)
these materials should be that illustrate the safety of the airline.
prepared in such a way as
to reinforce the image of
3. The process the airline uses to confirm the passenger list and
your safe, professional and notify families.
caring airline. 4. What the airline does to help families and survivors.
5. Fleet description (include photos).
6. Bios and photos of airline leadership.

In addition, you will want to have other information to use as

needed:

1. The airline’s safety record.

2. The airline’s past accidents and incidents, with fatalities,
injuries and the causes of the accidents.
3. Accident rates by airplane model (available from Boeing
Communications by your contact person or
www.Boeing.com).

All of the background listed here and more can be posted on the
airline’s accident website.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Telephone Numbers
Issues: Rapid MEDIA CONTACT NAME TELEPHONE MOBILE PHONE EMAIL
communications are
Wire services
essential after an accident.
You won’t want to waste
time gathering telephone
numbers or asking who to
call. This is one of the
most time-consuming but
essential tasks in National media
preparing your emergency
response manual. Once
you have completed your
phone list, assign
someone to update it
periodically.
Internal media

Media located in
areas where
numerous
employees live

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Public Relations/Communications Contacts
Issues: After an accident, AFFILIATION NAME TELEPHONE MOBILE PHONE EMAIL
you should coordinate your
information with others to
ensure accuracy. You may
want to include airplane
manufacturers, engine
manufacturers, police, fire
and hospital contacts in
key cites; codesharing or
partner airlines;
government authorities
and others.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Reference
This section contains information that will help you have
successful communications after an accident. You can review it
or include it in your own communications plan.

Contents:

 Preparing for interviews and briefings

 Controlling the message
 Preparing for television
 News conference checklist
 Questions & answers

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Preparing for Interviews and Briefings
Executives who are scheduled to talk to the media should be
prepared before the interview. You should follow this policy
even if the interview is just a brief telephone call.

Prepare the executives by supplying the following:

1. Date, time and location of the interview

2. Name of the reporter
3. Name of the reporter’s employer (e.g., the publication, wire
service, radio station)
4. Your airline’s experience with the reporter or publication; this
can help the executive prepare for the reporter’s approach and
understand the degree of caution necessary
5. Subjects and issues to be covered, as requested by
the reporter
6. Your airline’s position or recommended response to the
subjects, and the data needed to discuss them
7. Your objective for the interview, and the top three message
points you want the executive to make in the interview (not
necessarily based on the reporter’s suggested topics)
8. List of other executives to be interviewed, including key
topics and messages the other executives should cover;
(subject matter experts also could be made available, but their
messaging should be tightly controlled or defined
9. Issues, if any, that the executives should avoid, and
recommendations on how to sidestep them
10. Background information or statistics that would be useful in
preparing for the interview

This background material for the executive should be

conveyed in writing so that executives can review it carefully.
You also should prepare a set of questions that the journalist may
ask so you can formulate answers ahead of time.

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Crisis Communications—A Guide for Planning (Part 2: Developing an Emergency Response Manual)
 Controlling the Message
1. Know your message: Never talk to any reporter unless you
know exactly what message you wish to convey.
2. If necessary, delay: Never allow yourself to talk to a reporter
if you don’t have the facts. If you can’t answer, take the
reporter’s name, note the deadline and promise a timely
response. If you don’t have to delay, don’t, because the
reporter may say the airline would not comment for the story.
However, speculation should be avoided at all costs.

There is little damage in saying, “I don’t know the

answer, but I will find out and get back to you.” Never guess
or speculate.

3. Define the headline: There will be only one headline. Try to

define that headline by making clear, coherent and strong
statements you want to see used.
4. Prepare in advance for any interview; you’ll do yourself and
the journalist a favor.
 If you expect a long or controversial interview, practice by
answering possible questions.
 Talk with others about potential difficulties and brush up
on details with which you may not be familiar.
 Right before the interview, check for new developments.

5. Kill speculation: If they can’t get an official quote, reporters

will find someone willing to speculate. If possible, use a
prepared statement.
6. Establish credibility: If you want an audience to accept your
statements and be sympathetic to your airline, you must first
establish credibility.

You can do this by providing accurate information, by

being—and appearing to be—open and honest and by
answering questions without appearing to be hiding
something. It is always better to give no answer than to
speculate about information you do not have.

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 7. Going off the record: Don’t do it without detailed, advance
discussions with and agreement from your public relations
leadership. This is a complex, troublesome area that should be
avoided.
8. Technical material: Always use written material for
technical content. If you’re dealing with reporters who are not
specialists, take the time to go through the material to ensure
that they have grasped the significant points. Again, consider
making subject matter experts available to handle these
explanations; however, depending on the nature of the
incident, this may not be possible due to the time and staff
availability. And sometimes, technical experts can be too
technical, providing explanations to the reporter that are not
clear or are overly complicated. Therefore answers should be
kept relatively short with plain language explanations as best
as can be done.
9. “No comment” situations: If you cannot comment on one of
the issues brought up by the media, make that clear and refuse
to budge. But do not say “no comment.” Explain why you are
unable to say anything. Do not be surprised, however, when
your careful effort shows up as “the airline refused to
comment.”

When using a prepared statement, you must stick to the

statement and do not add your own comments.

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 Preparing for Television
1. Dress appropriately.
 This is a somber occasion, and any spokesperson should
be dressed to reflect the airline’s concern. The clothing
must be appropriate to the individual speaking and to the
culture.
 Beware of closely woven and mixed vibrant colors, which
produce a distracting effect on television screens.
 Avoid lapel badges or other distractions such as pens or
eyeglasses in outer jacket pockets.
 If you wear glasses, make sure they are clean.
 In a studio situation, accept makeup. If none is offered,
women should be sure their makeup is fresh and slightly
bolder than normal because the television lights will wash
out flesh tones.
 In a conversational setting in which the camera may get a
full-length view, men should be sure their socks are pulled
up, and women that their skirt hems are demurely down.

2. Ensure that the situation is comfortable to you.

 If there are real problems with the location or setting (for
example, with the chair), say so.
 If you have physical problems (such as deafness in one
ear), tell the studio crew.
 If you can’t easily see studio personnel, say so.
 If the sun is in your eyes or the lighting is too extreme,
say so.

3. Retain physical assurance.

 Do not touch the microphones.
 Avoid sudden body movements. If there is a disturbance
and you have to look off camera, move your whole head,
not just your eyes.
 If you tend to visibly perspire, wear clothing that will
make it less noticeable and request face powder touch-ups
by the makeup artist.

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  Be aware of any unconscious physical mannerisms, such
as scratching your ear, fiddling with your tie touching
your face or wringing your hands. Empty coins from your
pocket and turn off any mobile phone.
 Do not drink any alcoholic beverages beforehand. Drink
warm water or a hot beverage, and avoid ice water.

4. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer.

 Do not look at the camera. However, the opposite is true if
the interview results in you are placed in a remote studio
with just a camera. Often, the U.S. network morning
shows do interviews this way, with the person being
interviewed in a remote studio along with only a camera
or camera and technical crew. The interviewer will be in
New York asking the questions. Often, the viewer sees the
interviewer and the person being interviewed side by side.
In this case, you need to look into the camera lens.
 Focus on the interviewer’s lips while he or she is asking
questions; focus on his or her eyes while you answer.
 Unless you are highly experienced, ignore the changing
camera shots that normally occur in a studio setting.
Watch the interviewer to ensure that your image maintains
balance.

5. Maintain total concentration.

 Any successful television performance, of whatever
length, depends on your ability to get and keep the
initiative.
 Focus on what message you want to convey and use every
question as a means to state that message.
 Keep your answers as brief as possible. And while you
often seem to have more time for responses when dealing
with print reporters, we still recommend short answers as
even print reporters have trouble tracking long responses.
 Try to avoid speech mannerisms.
 Don’t use industry jargon or acronyms—the audience
probably won’t know what you’re talking about, which
will make you seem distant and less credible.

6. In any interview, try to get the last word.

 In a news situation, try to finish on a strong point.

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  In a studio situation, watch for the windup and restate
your key point.
 During a recorded situation (not live), if you make a major
mistake, start again or ask for the segment to be done
again.

7. Don’t lose your equanimity; concentrate on remaining calm

and getting your message across to the audience.
Occasionally interviewers will intentionally try to provoke
you to elicit an unguarded response. If you notice this
happening, gracefully avoid answering the question or try to
turn it to your advantage.

8. Be prepared for the question, “Is there anything I haven’t

asked you that you’d like to add?” Another version is, “Is
there anything else you’d like to add?” Reporters often ask
this, and it’s a good opportunity to add one of your key
messages, even if you’ve stated it before. And if there’s
something you really wanted to say but couldn’t find a good
opportunity, you can always say, “There’s one more thing I’d
like to add…”

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 News Conference Checklist
During a crisis, even routine activities such as press
conferences take on added complexity. Because there are so
many other conflicting demands for attention, small details can
be forgotten or overlooked. Thus a checklist can be an invaluable
reminder. This one is adapted from the Pratt & Whitney news
conference checklist.

News Conference Preliminaries

 1. Check with the company spokesperson to select the best
time for the conference.
 2. Notify media of time and location.
 3. Compile a list of reporters, editors and others who have
indicated that they will attend.
 4. Compile background information that may be of interest
to reporters.
 5. Invite outside officials, as appropriate.
 6. Assign someone to handle the physical arrangements of
the news conference. Consider the following:
 Do we need video services to record the event? (see
number 18)
 Do we need a junction box for TV and radio mikes?
 Do we have enough chairs, tables and podiums?
 Do we need to rope off the parking lot?
 Do we have security available to control the location?
 7. Brief the public relations staff on the subject, speakers
and schedule of events.
 8. Prepare an opening statement and review it with the lead
speaker.
 9. Review anticipated questions and answers with the speaker.
 10. Check all sound equipment and tape recorders before the
conference.
 11. Place a log sheet in the conference room to obtain
names and affiliations of attendees.

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  12. Place all news information and handout materials in
the conference room. Include the following:
 News releases.
 Background information such as fact sheets, maps,
statistics, histories and biographical information.
 Printed copies of the opening statement and other
briefing materials.
 13. Escort the media to the conference room.
 14. Make sure they use the sign-in sheet.
 15. Distribute background materials.
 16. Have an assigned staff member open the conference and
establish the ground rules.
 17. Monitor questions and answers closely. Make any
necessary clarifications before the end of the event.
 18. Arrange for the briefing to be taped and prepare a
verbatim transcript as soon as possible.
 19. You may want to consider streaming video of the news
conference on your accident website and later putting up
an edited video on YouTube.
 20. Social media managers will need to text/tweet key pieces
of the news conference as it is taking place. All social
media posts should direct individuals to the accident
website for current, accurate information.
 21. Let employees know that the press conference will be
held, but ask that they do not attend.

After
 22. Handle requests for follow-up information.
 23. Monitor the coverage and contact any news organization
that has an error in its report.
 24. At an appropriate time when the crisis atmosphere has
cleared, contact each reporter who attended and
ask how the handling of the event could have been
improved.

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 Questions & Answers
Another useful device in briefing executives, and in making
sure that the communications staff provides consistent answers,
is the Q&A document. This document provides likely questions
and their approved answers to help prepare executives and to
provide answers to direct media queries. Although the answers
are approved for public release, the document itself is not
distributed

To be truly useful, your Q&As should answer difficult

questions—not because they will inevitably come up, but
because you need to be prepared in case they do come up. The
following list is adapted from Qantas Airlines. As a reminder,
your three objectives are:

1. To help the news media focus on facts and positive airline

behavior.
2. To portray the airline as safe and caring.
3. To maintain public confidence in the safety of air travel.

Q&A
It is impossible to anticipate all the questions that will be
asked in the event of a crisis such as an airplane crash. The
following are questions that are likely to be asked. Questions that
are self-explanatory do not include an answer. In some cases, a
strategy for answering is included.

All the answers below follow the same premise: The airline
will never speculate.

Question: What happened?

Answer: Explain what happened without speculating as to
why it happened.
Question: Where did it happen?
Question: When did it happen?
Question: Why did it happen?
Answer: “The investigating authority is the only
organization that can speak to the issue of cause.”

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 Question: Is there any evidence of suspicious activity or acts
of sabotage?
Answer: This may be a way for a reporter to ask about the
cause of the accident. If the investigating authority
has confirmed that the accident is a clear act of
sabotage, you may state that as such. Otherwise,
only the investigating authority can provide any
updates.
Question: Do you have any details of the last conversation
between the crew and air traffic control?
Answer: “Not at this time.” This information should be
released only by the investigating authorities or
upon their explicit approval. Tell them that. In
some cases, the crew may have a legal claim to
control these tapes.
Question: When did the airplane go off the radar system?
Question: What kind of airplane is it?
Question: What is the history of the airplane (e.g., how old is
it, how many flights has it had and so on)?
Question: What was the destination?
Question: How many crewmembers were there?
Answer: It is appropriate to provide the number of
crewmembers but not the names of the
crewmembers. “We cannot release their names
until we have confirmed their status and notified
their next of kin.”
Question: Approximately how many passengers were on
board?
Answer: It is appropriate to provide the number of
passengers but not the names of the passengers.
“We cannot release their names until we confirm
their status, identify the remains and notify the next
of kin. In the case of those who were killed in the
accident, we cannot release their names until the
(authority in your location) grants us permission.”

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 Question: Were there any VIPs on board?
Answer: This is, in essence, a privacy issue and should
be treated as with any other passenger.
However, it is clear that the fame or notoriety of
a passenger could have a significant impact.
Question: Was there any special cargo on board?
Answer: You should not answer this question if the
nature of the cargo may play a role in the
investigation.
Question: How many people from the flight have been
admitted to hospitals?
Answer: “This is difficult to determine precisely at this
time, but we are making every effort to do so.”
(When better information is available, you can
release it.)
Question: What is the extent of damage to the airplane?
Answer: State the facts as they are known.
Question: What is the damage to the accident site (airport,
city buildings)?
Answer: Again, state the facts as they are known.
Question: What are you doing about the flight data
recorder and flight deck recorder?
Answer: Any discussion on these topics should be
cleared with the investigating authority in
advance. Generally, you can state that they have
been found or are in the process of being
located and that the data will be analyzed by the
investigating authority.
Question: Are health authorities at the crash site taking
measures to prevent an outbreak of disease?
Answer: Refer the reporter to the health authority in
charge at the crash site, or at least clear your an
answer with the authority first.

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 Question: Is there a air/sea/mountain search and rescue
operation underway?
Answer: State the facts as they are known.
Question: Are there any salvage operations underway?
Answer: State the facts as they are known.
Question: What organizations are involved in the
investigation?
Answer: Name the respective organizations and what
they are responsible for.
Question: Before this accident how many passengers has
your airline lost? When were the last accidents?
Answer: This is a classic opportunity for “bridging,” that
is, using the question to put forth your airline’s
safety record.
Question: Was there mechanical or human error involved
in the crash?
Answer: State that “only the investigating authority can
address such questions.” Do not speculate.
Question: How experienced was the cockpit crew?
Answer: (The media is usually looking for years of
service or number of hours in this type of
airplane.)

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 Glossary of Airline Terms
This glossary should be posted on the accident website as
background material for media and anyone else visiting the
website. We would also recommend using visual examples of
some of these terms, especially the parts of the airplane.

Aileron. A control surface located on the trailing edge of

each wing tip. Deflection of these surfaces controls the roll or
bank angle of the airplane.

Airworthiness. A term used to describe both the legal and

mechanical status of an airplane with regard to its readiness for
flight.

Airworthiness directive. A rule issued by the FAA to require

the correction of an unsafe condition on airplanes operated to or
from the United States.

Altimeter. An instrument that displays the altitude above

mean sea level of an airplane.

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 ARSA. Airport Radar Service Area is a type of controlled
airspace around specially designated airports.

Artificial horizon. An instrument that enables a pilot to

determine the attitude of the airplane in relation to the horizon
(i.e., whether the airplane is nose up, nose down or banking left
or right).

Auxiliary power unit. An internal aircraft engine, usually

tail mounted, for powering aircraft systems, including hydraulics
and air for engine start.

Available seat mile (ASM). One seat flown one mile. An

airliner with 100 passenger seats that flies a distance of 100 miles
would represent 10,000 ASMs.

Cargo. Anything other than passengers, carried for hire,

including mail and freight.

Cockpit voice recorder (CVR). A device that records the

sounds audible in the cockpit, as well as all radio transmissions
made and received by the airplane, and all intercom and public
address announcements made in the airplane. Generally it is a
continuous loop recorder that retains at least the most recent
30 minutes of a flight. It is one of the so-called “black boxes.”

Code sharing. A marketing practice in which two airlines

share the same two-letter code used to identify carriers in the
computer reservation systems used by travel agents.

Combi. A type of airplane that has its main deck divided into
two sections: one section is fitted with seats for passengers and
the other is left open for cargo.

Compressor. A fan-like disk, or a set of several such disks, at

the front end of a jet engine that draws air into the engine and
gradually compresses the air. Compressed intake air is then
passed into the combustion chamber where fuel is added. The
fuel-air mixture is burned, producing thermodynamic energy.

Computer reservation system. A system for electronically

reserving seats on commercial flights. Several airlines own and
market such systems, which are used by airline personnel and
travel agents.

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 Connecting flight. A flight that requires passengers to
change airplanes and/or airlines at an intermediate stop.

Deregulation. A term commonly used in referring to the

Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 in the United States, which
ended government regulation of airline routes and rates.

Direct flight. A flight with one or more intermediate stops,

but no change of airplane.

Dispatcher. An airline employee who is responsible for

authorizing the departure of an airplane. The dispatcher must
ensure, among other things, that the crew has all the information
necessary for the flight and that the airplane is in proper
mechanical condition.

Elevator. A control surface, usually on the trailing edge of

the horizontal stabilizer, used to control the pitch attitude of an
airplane. Movement of the elevator will force the nose of an
airplane up or down.

Empennage. A collective term that refers to all of the various

tail surfaces of an airplane (i.e., the vertical and horizontal
stabilizers).

En route center. Formally known as an Air Route Traffic

Control Center in the United States, it houses the air traffic
controllers and equipment needed to direct airplane not in the
immediate vicinity of a controlled airport. As its informal name
implies, this facility normally directs airplane that are in the en
route portion of their flight.

ETOPS. Also known simply as Extended Operations,

ETOPS defines the amount of time an airplane may fly away
from an alternate airport.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The government

agency responsible for air safety and operation of the air traffic
control system in the United States.

Flaps. Control surfaces installed on the trailing edge of the

wings (although there is one kind of flap on the leading, or front,
edge of some wings). Flaps are used to increase the amount of lift

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 generated by a wing at slower speeds. Flaps also slow an airplane
during its landing approach.

Flight data recorder (FDR). Often called a “black box”

(although in fact they are bright orange), the FDR records
pertinent technical information about an airplane flight. The FDR
saves information about airplane systems performance as well as
information about airspeed, altitude, heading and other flight
parameters. Like a CVR, the FDR is designed to withstand the
forces of a crash so that its information may be used to
reconstruct the circumstances leading up to an accident. (In some
cases, it is a digital flight data recorder, or DFDR).

Flight deck. The cockpit of an airplane.

Flight plan. A required planning document that covers the

expected operational details of a flight such as destination, route,
and fuel. It is filed with the appropriate air traffic control facility.
There are flight plans for both visual flight rules and instrument
flight rules flight plans, but VFR flight plans are not mandatory
(see VFR and IFR, respectively).

Freight. All air cargo, excluding mail.

Freight ton mile. A ton of freight moved one mile—the

standard measure of air freight activity.

Fuselage. The main body of an airplane, often roughly

cylindrical in shape. It contains the flight deck, main cabin and
cargo compartments.

Glideslope. An imaginary ideal descent path to a runway. It

can be electronically defined by special radio equipment that
sends a signal from the desired touchdown point back along the
approach path. An airplane carrying a compatible radio receiver
can detect this electronic glidepath and follow it down to the
runway.

Horizontal stabilizer. The wing-like surface usually installed

at the rear of an airplane’s fuselage. It provides a means to
properly balance the lift forces generated by the main wing
farther forward on the fuselage. It also usually contains the
elevator.

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 Hub and spoke. A system for deploying airplanes that
enables a carrier to increase service options at all airports
encompassed by the system. It entails the use of a strategically
located airport (the hub) as a passenger exchange point for flights
to and from outlying town and cities (the spokes).

Hypersonic flight. Flight conducted at speeds greater than

Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

Instrument flight rules (IFR). Provides radio-based

horizontal and vertical guidance to an airplane approaching a
runway. It is used to guide landing airplanes during conditions of
low visibility.

Jetway. A registered trademark for a certain kind of airplane

loading bridge that allows passengers direct, protected access to
an airplane from the terminal.

Knot. An abbreviation for one nautical mile per hour. One

knot equals 1.15 statute miles or 1.85 kilometers. To translate
knots per hour into miles per hour, multiply by 1.15; to get
kilometers per hour, multiply by 1.85.

Lift. The force generated by the movement of air across the

wings of an airplane. When enough lift is generated to overcome
the weight of an airplane, the airplane will rise.

Load factor. The percentage of available seats that are filled

with paying passengers. Technically, revenue passenger miles
divided by available seat miles.

Minimum Equipment List. A list of airplane equipment that

must be in good working order before an airplane may legally
take off carrying passengers. Repairs to some items not essential
to an airplane’s airworthiness may be deferred for limited periods
of time approved by regulatory agencies.

Nonstop flight. A flight with no intermediate stops.

Part 121 of the U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations. The

FAA safety regulations covering operators of airplanes with 30
or more seats.

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 Part 135 of the U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations. The
FAA safety regulations covering operators of airplanes with
fewer than 30 seats.

Pitch. A description of the movement of the nose of an

airplane up or down in relation to its previous attitude.

Propfan. One of several terms used to describe new

generations of jet engines that typically turn very large, multi-
blade, propeller-like fans to produce the thrust needed for flight.

Pylon. The part of an airplane’s structure that connects an

engine to the wing or to the fuselage.

Ramp. The airplane parking area on an airport, usually

adjacent to the terminal.

Revenue passenger mile. One paying passenger flown one

mile—the principal measure of airline passenger business.

Rudder. A control surface, usually installed on the trailing

edge of the vertical stabilizer, that controls the yaw motion of the
airplane (the motion of the nose of the airplane either left or
right.)

Slats. Special surfaces that are attached to or are actually part

of the leading edge of the wing. During takeoff and landing, they
are extended to produce extra lift.

Speed brakes. Also known as air brakes, these surfaces are

normally flush with the wing or fuselage on which they are
mounted but can be extended into the airflow to create more drag
to slow the airplane.

Spoilers. Special panels built into the upper surface of the

wing that, when raised, “spoil” the flow of air across the wing
and thereby reduce the amount of lift.

Stall. The loss of lift that results when a wing exceeds its
critical “angle of attack.” The angle of the wing, relative to the
flow of air through which it moves, cannot be so great that
airflow becomes too turbulent to produce lift. When that angle
does become too large, the airflow is disrupted, a stall occurs and
the wing no longer produces lift.

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 Supersonic flight. Flight at speeds greater than the speed of
sound, which varies according to altitude but is more than 700
miles per hour (1,126 km/hr) at sea level.

Terminal control area. A specially designated airspace zone

around and above the busiest airports. Flight in this airspace
carries stringent requirements for pilot experience, airplane
equipment and communications with air traffic controllers.

Thrust. The force produced by a jet engine or propeller. As

defined by physics, it’s the forward reaction to the rearward
movement of an exhaust or propeller airflow.

Transponder. An automatic electronic device that

“responds” to interrogation by ground-based radar with a special
four-digit code that specifically identifies the airplane to air
traffic controllers on the ground. Certain transponders have the
ability to automatically transmit the altitude in addition to the
special code.

Turbofan. A type of jet engine in which a certain portion of

the engine’s airflow does not go through the combustion
chamber, but rather passes the engine separately from the “core”
airflow.

Turbojet. The original designation for a “pure” jet engine.

One that produces all of its power as a result of its jet exhaust.

Turboprop. A type of engine that uses a jet engine to turn a

propeller. Turboprops are often used on regional and business
airplane because of their relative efficiency at speeds and
altitudes lower than those of a typical jet.

Unducted fan. A kind of engine that uses the basic core of a

jet engine to drive large, fan-like blades that produce the major
thrust component of the engine. A propfan is one kind of
unducted fan.

Vertical stabilizer. The large “tail” surface normally found

on top of the rear of the fuselage. The rudder is usually installed
at the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizer.

Widebody airplane. Widebody airplanes generally are

considered to be any airliner with more than one aisle in the

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 passenger cabin. Examples of widebody airplanes include the
Boeing 747 and 777, and the Airbus Industrie A340 and A310.
Technically, any airplane with a fuselage diameter in excess of
200 inches (508 centimeters) can be considered a widebody.

Visual flight rules (VFR). These rules govern flight during

periods of generally good visibility and limited cloud cover.
Airplane flying under VFR are not required to be contact with air
traffic controllers and are responsible for their own separation
from other airplane.

Yaw. A description of the movement of the nose of an

airplane from side to side (left and right). Yaw motion is
controlled by the vertical stabilizer and the rudder.

Yield. A measure of airline revenue technically derived by

dividing passenger revenue by passenger miles and expressed in
cents per mile.

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