EMBRY RIDDLE MGMT408 2.3 - Discussion: Public Relations

Public Relations - Read about the following Public Relations (PR) disaster from Business Insider and then post your comments on how you, as an airport director, would avoid getting involved in this PR nightmare.

In early 2007, nine JetBlue flights at JFK airport were delayed for up to 10 hours because of serious inclement weather. Normally, this wouldn't have resulted in much more than a few really irritated travelers, but in this case, JetBlue decided to keep its nearly 1,000 passengers trapped in the runway-bound planes for the entire time.

According to CBS News, passengers described the experience as "horrific". As snacks depleted and the bathroom situation grew unpleasant, people on the planes grew more and more upset that they were not being allowed to de-plane and walk to the terminal, which was within sight. They were only permitted to leave the aircraft when official airport vehicles arrived to transport them to the terminal.

JetBlue at first defended it's decision, arguing that its passengers' safety in the ice storm was top priority but the incident sparked government debate about passengers' rights. According to Consumer Affairs, a week later, JetBlue announced its own "Passengers' Bill of Rights", which detailed different levels of compensation for varying types of delays, as well as a promise to de-plane passengers after five hours' delay in the future. (Male, 2009) (Links to an external site.)

You can read more on the Passenger Bill of Rights at: www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/04/passenger-bill-of-rights.html (Links to an external site.)