A CRISIS IN THE AIR: ANALYZING PUBLIC RELATIONS AT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES TO RESTORE PUBLIC TRUST.

• Author: Kanso, Ali

INTRODUCTION

Problem Statement

On April 17, 2018 Southwest Airlines had its first in-flight fatality on flight 1380 going from New York to Dallas, Texas. Twenty minutes into the four-hour flight, the left engine of the plane exploded and the passenger Jeniffer Riordan (a 43-year-old Wells Fargo executive from Albuquerque, New Mexico) got sucked partially out of the plane and later was pronounced dead at a hospital. At 30,000 feet up in the air, a scene of terror and chaos ripped through the plane as it plunged towards the ground (Healy & Hauser, 2018). The pilot, Tammie Jo Shults, and her crew of flight attendants were well prepared to handle such a stressful situation. While passengers live streamed the chaotic event and others prayed, flight attendants were able to keep passengers calm and safe. By 11:20 a.m., the plane safely landed at the Philadelphia International Airport with only one casualty.

This study assesses the public relations activities that Southwest Airlines pursued to protect the company's reputation and alleviate the concerns of current and future customers after the unfortunate event.

History

On June 18, 1971 Southwest Airlines started offering flights to Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston (swamedia.com, 2019). The company operated only in the state of Texas until January 25, 1979 when they opened lines from Houston, Texas to New Orleans, Louisiana. From 1979 and every year forward, Southwest Airlines continuously expanded their business into other states. Ten years after starting their airline, they had served over six million customers, flown over 110,000 flights, and had 27 aircrafts in their arsenal (swamedia.com, 2019).

For the past 46 years Southwest Airlines had a profitable business and at the end of their third quarter in 2018 they reported a net income of $615 million (swamedia.com, 2019). Southwest Airlines is known for offering cheap flights with outstanding service to customers all across the United States. On any given day, a passenger can find a one-way flight for less than $100. The company also offers hotel and car rental bundles to passengers.

Throughout the years, Southwest Airlines has found ways to be innovative and attract customers to fly with their airline. On December 7, 1981, they introduced "Pick-a-Pack" discount tickets (swamedia.com, 2019). From this point forward, they became known as a cheap airline that continuously offered discounted airfare to major cities while having outstanding customer service relations. Southwest Airlines has continued to make customer service their number one priority. Throughout the years, Southwest Airlines kept receiving awards in recognition of their top of the line service and dedication to customers.

Mission Statements

Southwest Airlines has two mission statements: one for customers and one for employees.

For customers: "Southwest Airlines is dedicated to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit."

For employees: "We are committed to provide a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest customer."

Southwest Airlines does a good job at mirroring their mission statements. In general, they have a positive reputation with their customers, employees, and media.

Public Relations Structure

The exact responsibilities of Southwest Airlines public relations team are not explicitly stated on their website. However, in analyzing their flight 1380 incident and other previous cases, it can be assumed that public relations' main responsibility within the company is to monitor media coverage, send press releases,, and promote Southwest Airlines campaigns. Everything media related is done through www.swamedia.com. The public relations team publishes statements and press releases through this website. It also states that if journalists have any questions to contact Southwest Airlines through www.swamedia.com.

We can assume that the public relations department at Southwest interacts with other departments and high ranking officials as needed. During the flight 1380 case, Southwest Airlines public relations worked closely with the CEO to help combat negative media. Their primary function is to interact with the media in different forms.

Social, Political, and Economic Contexts

Americans are constantly connected to the world through the use of social media, and their personal safety is always granted. Such an expectation, along with the passengers and public's reactions to the flight 1380 incident and Jeniffer Riordan's death, impacted the way that Southwest Airlines handled the crisis. As the left engine exploded and the plane went down, passengers got on their phones to live stream the event and say goodbyes to their families and friends. With this type of social media culture, where everyone can connect with the outside world and everything can be documented, Southwest Airlines had to handle the event effectively. Throughout the crisis, the company responded and monitored social media coverage. Videos of the incident happening can still be found on YouTube.

Southwest Airlines' political environment is influenced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which enforces strict regulations on all airlines. The FAA sets the standards for safety, protocols, and other important requirements that all airlines must follow. In this case, Southwest Airlines worked directly with the investigators and the FAA to determine the exact cause of the explosion.

The economic environment determines the competition among all airlines in the United States. Southwest Airlines had to keep up with competitors' pricing and quality of service. They also had to match or have better products, service, and prices with their competitors. It is evident that Southwest Airlines had tremendous economic success in the past and continues to do so. While flight 1380 and Jeniffer Riordan's death had an impact on revenue, Southwest Airlines is still in a very good economic standing.

RESEARCH

Case Study Method for Analysis of Southwest Airlines Response

In analyzing how Southwest Airlines managed the crisis, the authors used the case study technique. It is well established that this research method offers the investigator an opportunity to deal with a wide spectrum of information about the research topic. As Yin in his authoritative Case study research and applications: Design and methods (2018, p. 5) points out, "Case study research is commonly found in many social science disciplines as well as the practicing professions (e.g., psychology, sociology, political science, anthropology, social work, business, education, nursing, and community planning)." In terms of corporate issues, the case method was pioneered by the Harvard Business School faculty and "is a profound educational innovation that presents the greatest challenges confronting leading companies, nonprofits, and government organizations--complete with the constraints and incomplete...