A half-hearted attempt by Continental Airlines to compensate passengers held for nearly six hours on a Minnesota airport tarmac has resulted in a serious wave of negative publicity. With reports surfacing about poor conditions on the plane, and the fact that multiple passengers asked to be let off and were denied, the need for crisis management was clear. Sadly, the minds of whoever formulated the plan were not.
The compensation package included a standardized letter of apology, a promise to refund the cost of their tickets, a $50 gift card and a $200 voucher towards a future flight, which as any traveler can tell you will rarely cover a round-trip. To add insult to injury, the voucher includes both an expiration date and a liability release, as described this quote from a USAToday.com article:
“…the $200 voucher expires in a year and includes a “release of liability.” The voucher reads that by accepting it, “you release Continental, the operating carrier and their respective employees, agents and representatives from any and all liability, claims or damages resulting or arising from the matters related to your flight, compensation therefore or any related complaint.”
If your customers are describing time spent on your airline as “trapped in a flying coffin” and “imprisoned,” it would be wise to err on the side of being overly generous rather than disguising a liability waiver as a gift. I get the distinct feeling the snowball is only just now beginning to roll on this one.
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/