Efficiency Of PR-Instruments On The Stage Of Crisis Recovery Airline British Airways

1.2. Efficiency of PR-Instruments on the Stage of Crisis Response and Post-Crisis Recovery Airline British Airways

Air transport and brand management share important relation with each other. Despite the closely existing homogenous products, the airlines had to differentiate themselves (Doganis, 2006).

The British Airways has had experienced several crisis during the years. The following case will help to define the PR instruments efficiency in handling the crisis situations.

1.2. (a) Case : The Heathrow Crash

On the 17th of January, 2008, the British Airway Boieng 777 experienced a crash the Heathrow airport. The failure of the home based airport at one of the world’s busiest airport called into questions its safety concerns (Oxon, 2006).

Preparation of Communication Strategy for the Airline in a Crisis Situation

In order to repair an organization’s image in times of crisis the communication theorists have identified several response strategies (Allen & Caillouet, 1994; Benoit, 1995; Coombs, 1995). While communicating during crisis, organizations, including the aviation companies have five different choices to make:

 Hedging responsibility

 Deny responsibility

 Make amends

 Ingratiation

 Elicit sympathy

Hedging Responsibility:

The aviation industry in the wake of an incident can set itself aloof from taking the charge of the calamity. Under such situations, a body can adopt any of the four choices:

 Disproving evidence

 Excuses

 claiming ignorance

 and scapegoating

Excuses:

An excuse may involve offering excuses for mitigating conditions or justifying some action. The term scapegoating refers to the policy of making any other body responsible for the incident. Claiming ignorance means that the aviation industry states the lack of information to be the cause of the happening. Or may the conflicting evidence could prove to be beneficial to the aviation body to shed off its charge for resulting in the

In any of the faced conditions, the PR department of the aviation industry can make use of the above communication strategies.

1.2. Recommendations for Effective Use Of PR-Instruments in the Plan of Anti-Crisis Communications

• The PR department of an aviation company shall ensure flow of consistent message that demonstrated confidence and compassion.

• The company in order to maintaining the public image should demonstrate sincerity while not admitting liability to the event.

• The aviation industry should make sincere efforts to address the event and pledge not to make the event happen ever again.

• The aviation industry can use the social media power to deny any charges liable against it and communicate with the public directly. It shall post quality content over the social media platforms stating how the situation occurred, what the industry is doing to counter it and how the management

• Holding a press conference, publishing a press release the very same day of the event can as an effective measure against anti-crisis communications

• A corporate social responsibility campaign (CSR) could be run by the aviation body to win over the public’s confidence and its commitment to doing better for the public and the