by Margaret Lawson 

Margaret Lawson writes that the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 is a timely reminder that how you respond – both in the cockpit and the boardroom – can be the difference between commercial life and death.

It may seem distasteful to say so, but the Hudson River crash of US Airways 1549 was probably the best thing to happen to US Airways in recent years.

In the last quarter of 2008, the company’s revenue was down US$20million on the same period in 2007 and it had lost US$541million on fuel hedges and operations. US Airways reported a full-year 2008 loss of US$2.21billion and softening in passenger demand that forced it to cut capacity by almost six per cent.

As well as feeling the effects of the global downturn, prior to Flight 1549 the US Airways brand also struggled with a chequered safety history. The company was probably best known as having experienced one of the most unfortunate accident streaks in the 1990s, with seven fatal accidents tarnishing the company since 1989.

The unenviable safety streak included, in 1992, a Fokker F-28 that plunged into Flushing Bay in New York, killing 27 passengers and crew.  In 1994, 37 people died when a USAir DC-9 crashed in a wind shear-related accident at Charlotte, North Carolina. Just two months later, USAir Flight 427 crashed near Pittsburgh when a jammed valve in the 737’s rudder PCU caused a rudder reversal: 132 perished.  

While the 737 defect was not the airline’s fault, USAir (as it was called at the time) was widely pilloried after the tragedy – not just for the string of accidents – but for its ill-prepared response.

According to Bill Adair’s account of the aftermath and investigation, victims’ families found the company’s communications slow, inconsistent, and insensitive. At the time, the company had no communication plan and no training for workers who had to respond to enquiries from families. Employees from the airline’s sales team were even assigned as family liaisons.

Adair reported that, “no airline had as much experience with crashes in the 1990s as USAir did, but the company still seemed bewildered about what to do”.

US Airways in 2009, however, has clearly learned from its PR mistakes. When Flight 1549 ditched dramatically in the Hudson River in January, things were handled very differently.  

Within 69 minutes of the plane’s ditching, the airline was promoting a toll-free number for concerned relatives. A media hotline number was also released to separate inbound media and relatives’ calls.

The airline issued press updates at least hourly and the airline’s home page defaulted to an emergency message about the ditching within minutes of it being confirmed.

Visitors to  www.usairways.com could click on the Flight 1549 message to find information about the accident, or opt not to see the message again. In today’s age of instantaneous communications and high public expectations, this has never been more important.

There are few things worse after a crash than visitors to your website being flashed discount offers for Hawaii or two-for-one deals.

US Airways also had ready a go-team of crisis support officers – the ‘US Airways Care’ Team – to deal with the passengers and families.

The airline’s PR team was also quick to identify and leverage ‘hero stories’ of the performance of their ‘five outstanding aviation professionals’ on-board. The company expressed its pride and gratitude to the captain and his crew.

The media were fast to seize on the stories, particularly the report of the captain who twice walked the length of the sinking plane before being the last to exit.

The story quickly turned from potential crisis to triumphant success. The crew sat alongside the President-elect during the inauguration. What better endorsement of its crew could a company hope for?

This near-catastrophe provides a timely reminder to all in commercial passenger aviation that how quickly you respond – not just in the cockpit – but in the boardroom, can be the difference between commercial life and death.  And this accident demonstrates why we all need to test ourselves regularly to ensure we are prepared to respond publicly in a crisis.

US Airways, with a troubled history and in difficult economic times, invested in its communication systems and personnel to avoid a repeat of its previous failures. And it paid off.

Since the accident, many of the flying public now report that they believe that US Airways is one of the safest airlines and has the best pilots.

That’s why in an industry that is hard hit by the financial downturn, oil prices and heavy competition, Flight 1549 was both a triumph of airmanship and the best thing to happen to US Airways in years.

Margaret Lawson is a public relations consultant with Cole Lawson Communications. She specialises in aviation and technical communications and is undertaking a Masters in Aviation Management at UNSW. She was in New York City when Flight 1549 ditched in the Hudson River.  margaret.lawson@colelawson.com.au