United Shines

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response

A United Airlines flight from New York made an emergency landing outside Washington after a fire broke out in the plane’s cockpit, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The fire aboard the Boeing 757 was extinguished before the plane landed Sunday night and no injuries were reported, FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker said.

United Airlines spokesman Mike Trevino said the plane took off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport bound for Los Angeles and was diverted to Dulles International Airport, where it landed at 9:36 p.m. (0136 GMT) All 105 passengers and seven crew members got off safely, Trevino said. He did not have any other details.

This quote from a News 1130 article describes the frightening ordeal that passengers on a United Airlines flight experienced this past Sunday. According to the article, the flight crew did all the right things to respond to the fire, nobody was harmed, and the plane landed safely. In an industry not always known for its effective  crisis management, United really shined on this one.  Not only were statements made available to the press almost instantly, but passengers reported receiving an email directly from the airline just one hour after the plane landed apologizing for the incident. In the process, United undoubtedly build goodwill not only among those directly affected but also the millions who will hear of their actions.

The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/