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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
Crisis Communications Plan COMM 498C
Sara Fogel, Kelsey Ginck, Cassie Greco, Megan Dutill
4/26/2012 Introduction: This is a crisis communication plan that will be a guide to help you through a communication crisis. You may need to adjust certain elements and add the correct information to have it apply for your particular situation. This plan is not intended for all questions you need answered for a crisis. This is just a basic outline of options that should be considered if and when you find yourself in a crisis and need help. Any situation that threatens your integrity or reputation of your company is considered a crisis. These various situations can be any type of legal dispute, theft, accident, fire, flood, or manmade disaster that involves negative media attention towards your company. The media can also reflect your company negatively if they felt that you did not handle the crisis in the correct manner. This plan is designed to assist you in situations where you might find yourself in a crisis to help minimize the damage being done to your company. The first thing to remember when handling any crisis is to tell the truth, and tell it fast. By doing this, you can minimize the negative attention directed towards your company. If a crisis arises, you must immediately contact the CEO and the chief of the public relations department. Once these two organizations are aware of the certain circumstances you might be facing, this plan can be put into effect. Dark Site: http://crisiscommdarksite.weebly.com/index.html
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Table of Contents Acknowledgment Page……………………………………………………………………………1 Crisis Background……………………………………………………………………………………2 Crisis Scenario……………………………………………………………………………….2 Prodromes…………………………………………………………………………………….2 Key Publics…………………………………………………………………………………….2 CEO Biography…………………………………………………………………………………………3 Statement from Management to Employees…………………………………………..4 Crisis Team……………………………………………………………………………………………..5 Crisis Directory of Key Personnel…..………………………………………………………..6 Phone Tree……………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Crisis Management Plan: Operational Steps……………………………………… 8-‐11 Situational Analysis……………………………………………………………………….8 Strategic Considerations………………………………………………………………..8 Operation Response/Action Steps…………………………………………………9 Key Themes/Specific Messages……………………………………………………..9 Q&A………………………………………………………………………………………….9-‐11 Media Directory……………………………………………………………………………….12-‐14 Press Release…………………………………………………………………………………………15 Media Advisory……………………………………………………………………………………..16 Opening Statement……………………………………………………………………………….17 Pre-‐gathered Information……………………………………………………………………..18 Fact Sheet……………………………………………………………………………………18 Backgrounder…………………………………………………………………………19-‐21 Map of Company Area…………………………………………………………………22 Press Conference Information……………………………………………………………….23 Designated Spokesperson……………………………………………………………24 Media Information Center……………………………………………………………24 Crisis Supply List………………………………………………………………………….24 Emergency Response Information…………………………………………………………24 Federal Agencies Contact Information…………………………………………………..25
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Acknowledgement Page David Barger Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director __________________________________ Date: ____________________ Mark Powers Chief Financial Officer __________________________________ Date: ____________________ Joanna Geraghty Executive Vice President and Chief Personnel __________________________________ Date: ____________________ Robin Hayes Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer __________________________________ Date: ____________________ Rob Maruster Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer __________________________________ Date: ____________________ James Hnat Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, General Council and Corporate Security __________________________________ Date: ____________________
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Crisis Background Crisis Scenario: It is one of the busiest seasons of the year, and a bad storm is on the forecast. In a last minute decision Jet Blue executives decide to not cancel flights in the hopes that the planes will beat out the storm. But the plan fails, and the planes must wait for it to pass. Unfortunately because it is the busiest season of the year, all gates are full, and the plane is stuck sitting on the runway for an extended period of time. What will we do? How will we calm the worries of the customers, how will we quell the media from scaring people into demanding refunds? How will we protect our reputation? Prodromes:
• Bad weather • Other airlines cancelling flights • High traffic times e.g. Holidays, Vacation times, etc. • A lot of employees off duty • Flights getting backed up on the runway
Key Publics:
o Passengers o Family of Passengers o General customers o News Media o Employees o Shareholders o Labor Union
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CEO Biography David Barger Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director David Barger is our Chief Executive Officer, President and a member of the board of directors. He joined our board in September 2001 and served as our President from August 1998-‐September 2007. Between 1998 and 2007, Mr. Barger also served as the company's Chief Operating Officer. From 1992 to 1998, Mr. Barger served in various management positions with Continental Airlines, including Vice President, Newark hub. He held various director level positions at Continental Airlines from 1988 to 1995. From 1982 to 1988, Mr. Barger served in various positions with New York Air, including Director of Stations. Mr. Barger attended the University of Michigan.
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Statement from Management to Employees CONFIDENTIAL FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY To the Dedicated Employees of JetBlue, This letter is to inform you that we are currently enacting our ____________________ Crisis Plan. A pending winter storm in the New York area threatened to cancel numerous flights during this busy season, and after careful consideration the management team here at JetBlue decided to keep the flights as scheduled and hope that the weather would hold out. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, and passengers were left sitting on the planes on the runway for _____ hours. Effective immediately the Public Relations department will be launching the ______________ Crisis Plan. We want to stress that this plan is crucial to maintain our company’s reputation. The public needs to know that this was an isolated incident, and we will do our best to ensure that this does not happen again. If this plan is not followed as laid out, it will create an image of disconnect within our company, which is not what we want. We want people to know that we are all standing together through this crisis, and we remain loyal to our airline. If we show our loyalty, customers are more likely to exhibit similar behavior. All we ask for during this time is your support and cooperation. We ask that all employees who have not been authorized to do so do not respond to media inquiries. All inquiries can be directed to Tamara Young, Manager of Corporate Communications. We also ask that all employees refrain from engaging in social media conversation about this topic. We thank you for your continued support of JetBlue. Sincerely, David Barger Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director
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Crisis Team David Barger CEO and President Tamara Young Manager of Corporate Communications James Hnat Executive Vice President Rob Maruster Chief Operating Officer Vasilios Kaplanidis Station Manager of JetBlue Airways at JFK
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Crisis Directory of Key Personnel David Barger Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director (212) 556-‐1234 Tamara Young Manager, Corporate Communications (212) 556-‐1235 Mark Powers Chief Financial Officer (212) 556-‐1236 Joanna Geraghty Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer (212) 556-‐1237 Robin Hayes Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer (212) 556-‐1238 James Hnat Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary (212) 556-‐1239 Rob Maruster Chief Operating Officer (212) 556-‐1230
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Joanna Geraghty (212) 556-‐1237
Phone Tree
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Crisis Management Plan: Operational Steps Situational Analysis: During a holiday season (or extremely busy travel season) a pending storm threatens to cancel all outgoing flights in New York. An executive decision is made to keep flights scheduled in hopes that the storm will miss the New York area. What seemed like a good decision at the time turns out to be a disaster when the storm hits while planes are taxiing down the runway. The aircrafts are trapped on the tarmac, and going back to a gate turns out to be impossible because more flights have arrived and boarded new passengers. The planes are stuck on the runway for an unusual amount of hours, and passengers are at first denied food and water because of the policy that states the plane must be stuck on the tarmac for at least 4 hours before food and beverages are given out. Strategic Considerations:
• Employee Policies o Letter to employees will be released within 2 hours of crisis o General employees are not authorized to speak to media and
are encouraged to forward any inquiries to Tamara Young o Employees are strongly discouraged from engaging in social
media conversation surrounding the current crisis • Media Policies
o All media inquires will be returned within 3 hours o All interviews will be conducted by a member of the Crisis
Management team within 48 hours o All members of recognized press will be granted entrance to
press conference (held within the first 24 hours) cameras, tape recorders, and video camera are permitted
o A question and answer session will be provided after initial statement is given
o Employees are prohibited from answering questions from the press. Please direct all questions to Crisis Management team
• Customer Policies o All customer inquiries can be directed to (718) 709-‐4456 or
customer [email protected] o All customer inquiries will be responses to within 24 hours
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Operation Response/Action Steps: Step 1: Tamara Young writes Press Release and Press Advisory (within 2 hours). Sends out Letter from Management to Employees (written or authorized by David Barger) within 2 hours. Step 2: Prep David Barger for Press Conference. Step 3: Set up and old Press Conference at JFK Marriott (within 24 hours). Step 4: Monitor all Media Coverage for 2 months or more.
Key Themes/Specific Messages:
o You above all: remains the slogan of JetBlue and the backbone of what we do. Our customers come first no matter what.
o This was an isolated incident, and in the future better precautions will be taken when there is inclement weather.
o No one was harmed during this incident, and we are happy to say all customers and employees are currently safe in the confines of their own homes.
Q&A: Q: Why weren’t the customers given food and drink for the first four hours? A: Company policy states that flight attendants cannot give out food for the first four hours because we are unsure of how long they will be on the plane, and we want to conserve reserve resources just in case. Currently the policy is under review, and will be changed within the week, so avoid a similar problem. Q: What will the policy be changed to? A: We are looking at lowering that number of hours to ensure customer comfort and safety is put. AS of now we do not have an exact answer, as soon as we know you will know.
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Q: Why didn’t you cancel the flights? A: At the time it seemed that the storm was going to pass in time for the flights to continue on schedule, we did not want to inconvenience any customers by canceling flights unnecessarily.
Q: All the other airlines canceled their flights, what made you think your planes to “brave the storm”? A: Our slogan is You Above All, we know that our customer’s first priority is to get where they want to go on time and safely, and we felt that the weather was not severe enough to cancel the flights. In addition, weather impacts all airlines differently depending on their hubs and flight paths. Weather in one airline’s hub may cause flight disruptions whereas another airline’s hub may not be affected at all.
Q: How are you going to rebook all of the flights? A: We are rescheduling flights free of charge and have more people on call, both customer service representatives and airline personnel, to accommodate the extra number of flights we currently have. Most of our customers are already booked on a rescheduled plane and will be flying to their destinations shortly. Q: If people can’t rebook their flights, how are you going to reimburse them? A: Customers will receive vouchers that fully reimburse the tickets they lost Q: What were you doing to take care of the passengers while they are on the plane? A: Once policy permitted, passengers were given food and beverages free of cost, flight attendants continued to be available for any needs. Q: Why weren’t buses called from Port Authority sooner to get passengers off the flight? A: At first we expected the planes to be able to take off once the weather passed, as soon as we became aware that it was not going to let up, we called New York City Transportation and all available busses were busy. We had to wait for enough available busses to hold all of our passengers.
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Q: What are you doing to make sure this doesn’t happen again? A: We will be enforcing stricter policies when it comes to weather, and we will be more closely monitoring any inclement storms. As we stated before we will be changing our policy on the hours passed before distributing food and beverages to passengers. Q: How are the passengers and families responding to this? A: They are obviously not happy with the situation, but we are working as hard as we can to make this inconvenience up to them. We are doing everything possible to ensure that they do not have another similar experience and that they remain loyal JetBlue customers. Q: What are you doing to keep customers with JetBlue/why should people stay with JetBlue? A: This was an isolated incident new policies are in the making to ensure no similar mistakes are made. We hope that by showing our patrons how loyal we are to them that they will remain faithful in our services. Q: Have any of the planes been damaged? A: No, all of our planes and equipment are intact and in good operating order. Q: What are your policies on canceling/changing flights because of weather? A: JetBlue’s System Operations department weighs many factors before canceling a flight. For weather events, we make every effort to cancel flights more than four hours before departure, but unfortunately, that’s not always possible. Our customers’ safety is our highest priority
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Media Directory Broadcast New York 1, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC Phone: (212)-‐367-‐0600 Fax: (212)-‐367-‐0670 11 W. 19th Street 8th Fl. New York, NY 10011 [email protected] GM: Steven Berman-‐ Senior VP General Manager
(212) 367-‐0605 [email protected]
ABC (212) 456-‐7777 Fax: (212) 456-‐3884 7 Lincoln Square 6th FL New York, NY 10023 GM: Dave Davis Print: Newspaper NY Times (212)556-‐7356 Fax: (212)556-‐7614 news-‐[email protected] 229 W. 43rd St. New York, 10036
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NY Daily News 450 W. 33rd St New York, NY 10001 (212) 210-‐1585 Fax: (212)643-‐7831 [email protected] Wall Street Journal 200 Liberty St FL 11 New York, NY 10281 (212) 416-‐2500 Fax: (212) 416-‐2733 [email protected] New York Post 1211 Avenue of Americas New York, NY 10036 (212) 930-‐8500 Fax: (212) 930-‐8280 Managing Editor: [email protected] Washington Post 1150 15th St NW Washington, DC 20071 (202)334-‐7300 Fax: (202) 334-‐5269 [email protected]
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USA Today 7950 Jones Branch Drive Mc Lean, VA 22108 (703)854-‐7125 Fax: (703)854-‐2079 [email protected] Print: Magazines Trans-‐Atlantic Report (212)922-‐0400 Fax:(212) 370-‐9507 355 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10017 Travel Agent Magazine (212) 895-‐8200 Fax: (212) 895-‐8215 757 3rd Ave Fl 5 New York, NY 10017-‐2013 Time Time-‐Life Building, Rockefeller Center New York, NY 10020-‐1393 (212) 522-‐1212 Fax: (212) 522-‐0936 Newsweek (212)445-‐4000 Fax: 445-‐4425 251 W. 57th St Fl 16 New York, NY 10019
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Press Release
For Immediate Release Contact: Tamara Young Corporate Communications Manager
718-‐709-‐3089 [email protected]
NEW YORK -‐ Due to a winter storm, a JetBlue plane has been prevented from
taking off and has been sitting on the runway for an extended period of time waiting for
a gate to become available. Flight [insert] from JFK Airport to [insert] is carrying [number
of] passengers along with [number of) crewmembers and will be returning to a gate as
soon as possible.
JetBlue staff and crew are working to ensure the passengers are provided for
during this wait. Assistance in rescheduling flights is available, and refunds and vouchers
will be given to each passenger.
A press conference will be held to release more information as it is available, and
updates and information will also be provided on the JetBlue website,
www.jetblue.com. Families of the Flight [#] passengers are encouraged to call a special
customer service hotline at 718-‐709-‐4456 with questions and concerns.
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Media Advisory Press Advisory On the Web: http://www.jetblue.com/ Public Contact: Customer Service Hotline Media Contact: Tamara Young +1 (718)-‐709-‐4456 Corporate Comms. Manager [email protected] +1 (718)-‐709-‐3089 _____________________________________________________________ No. 006-‐12 Insert Date Here
Passengers Stuck on Runway Due to Inclement Weather
A press conference will be held on [Insert date and time] at the JFK Marriott Hotel, at 145-‐11 North Conduit Avenue, Jamaica, NY. Updates on the situation will also be available at www.jetblue.com.
A winter storm has prevented JetBlue flights [Insert #] from taking off. The planes have been idle on the runway since [insert time] today, as it waits for the storm to pass and a gate to become available.
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Opening Statement Good morning/afternoon/evening, Thank you all for coming. I can confirm that due to a winter storm, [number of] JetBlue planes have been stuck on the tarmac for [number of] hours waiting for a gate to become available. Flight [insert] from JFK Airport to [insert] is carrying [number of passengers] and [number of crewmembers]; flight [insert] from JFK Airport to [insert] is carrying [number of passengers] and [number of crewmembers]; [insert as needed]. The planes have been unable to return to a gate due to other planes that are currently occupying all gates. At this point, no additional details can be confirmed. Our preliminary report is that everyone onboard Flight [insert] is fine, and JetBlue staff and crew are working hard to assure that everyone is provided for during this wait and that the wait is as short as possible. Our priority has always been first to our customers, and they are our first concern in this situation. We have already provided assistance in rebooking flights, and vouchers will be given to every passenger inconvenienced by this. Family and friends of passengers on Flight [number] are encouraged to call our special customer service hotline at 718-‐709-‐4456 with questions and concerns. All others are asked to please refrain from calling so that the lines are kept open for those who truly need them. We will continue to release additional updates and details as they become available. Please check www.jetblue.com for the latest information. Employees will not be responding to media inquiries, so we ask that you direct all questions to our media communications team at 718-‐709-‐3098.
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Pre-‐Gathered Information Fact Sheet Contact: Tamara Young, Corporate Communications Manager Phone: 718-‐709-‐3089 Fax: 718-‐709-‐3621 JetBlue Airways has created a new airline category based on value, service and style. Known for its award-‐winning service and free TV as much as its low fares JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (based on average fleet-‐wide seat pitch) and is America’s first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue's control. (Source: JetBlue.com) HISTORY
● Founded in 1999 ● First JetBlue flight took place on February 11, 2000 ● “True Blue” loyalty program inaugurated in 2002
DESTINATIONS ● 70 cities in more than 20 US states, Mexico, Colombia, and the Caribbean ● Hub: John F. Kennedy International Airport ● Secondary hubs: Boston Logan International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-‐
Hollywood, International Airport, Long Beach Airport, Oakland International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport
FLEET ● JetBlue flies Airbus A320’s and Brazilian Embraer ERJ-‐190s ● 172 aircrafts ● Average fleet age is 7 years ● Daily flights: 750
COMPANY INFORMATION ● Headquartered in Forest Hills, NY ● Company leadership: David Barger, President & CEO ● Approximate number of employees: 8,400 ● Approximate number of pilots: 1,700 ● 2011 pre-‐tax income: $145 million ● 2011 net income: $86 million, or $0.28 per share ● Shares outstanding: 295,829,916 as of March 31, 2011
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Backgrounder HISTORY: JetBlue Airways was founded in 1999 by David Neeleman. Neeleman began to form a management team which was rounding up financial backers to create a new airline. Neeleman and his team raised over 130 million dollars from investors such as George Soros and Chase Capital. The first JetBlue flight was on February 11, 2000, and since then JetBlue has expanded to serve more than 70 cities and become the #1 airline in Puerto Rico. AWARDS: JetBlue is a leader in providing service and value to its customers, and has been consistently recognized for providing the best service. In 2011, JetBlue received the following awards:
● Best Airline from Logo TV’s NewNowNext Travel Awards ● Best Airline Website Booking Experience from U.S. Air Traveler ● Best U.S. Budget Airline from About.com ● Excellent Web Service 2010 ● Best Airline: Logo TV’s New Now Next Travel Awards ● Best Airline Website Booking Experience 2011: U.S. Air Travelers’
Choice Award ● Best Airline Website Booking Experience 2011: U.S. Air Travelers’
Choice Award ● Best U.S. Budget Airline 2011: About.com ● Excellent Web Service 2010: Compuware Gomez Web & Mobile
Performance Awards ● Best Value Airline (Domestic), Most Customer Friendly Airline, and
Best Coach Class Experience: Travel 2011 Editor's Choice Awards ● Top Low Cost Airline for Customer Satisfaction: JD Power and
Associates
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ● JetBlue was founded with a core set of values and on the principles
of serving one another and treating people right. To that end, we support over 700 nonprofit organizations each year in destinations throughout the Americas. In addition to charitable giving, we encourage our crewmembers and our communities to give their time
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and get involved through annual volunteer projects, engagement programs, and several signature initiatives.
● We primarily focus our time and resources on four causes: health and wellness, education, environment, and community. In addition to work we undertake on our own, we also partner with several major national partners including First Book, Do Something, KaBOOM!, Carbonfund.org, American Cancer Society, and Soaringwords.
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS: A cleaner, greener planet is good for us all. At JetBlue, we are working to make a difference to the environment -‐ within our industry and our communities.
AIRCRAFT: While we operate a new, fuel-‐efficient fleet, we continue to look for ways to safely reduce fuel burn and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Solutions include:
● Using one engine to taxi to and from runways ● Connecting the aircraft to ground power at the gate rather than using
the engines to power air-‐conditioning, etc. ● Deploying state-‐of-‐the-‐art technology to develop efficient routings
and reduce flying times ● Installing lighter aircraft seats and LED lighting
AIRPORT: At our hometown airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), we strive to reduce and recycle waste generated both inside our new, environmentally-‐friendly terminal (T5) and on the tarmac, including:
● Recycling spent jet fuel and oil and oil/fuel filters. This allows us to recycle approximately 1,500 gallons of fuel and oil and some 600 pounds of steel, each month. We hope to expand this program to all our maintenance bases in the near future.
● Working with our concession providers to recycle or re-‐use cooking oils (not for human consumption)
● Using de-‐icing chemical reduction techniques to minimize the environmental impact. (We are approved to use state-‐of-‐the-‐art infrared technology in de-‐icing to reduce de-‐icing fluid usage.)
● Reducing paper by eliminating paper tickets, ticket holders and large boarding documents and offering small, simple boarding passes.
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PARTNERS
● Kezner Marine Foundation ○ Throughout 2008, JetBlue is supporting the Kerzner Marine
Foundation's The Blue Project which funds coral reef refurbishment and maintenance efforts in the islands of the Bahamas. For every three-‐night JetBlue Getaways vacation purchased to the Reef Atlantis, JetBlue will donate $50 to the project.
● Airbus, Honeywell Aerospace & International Aero Engines ○ JetBlue has partnered with Airbus, Honeywell Aerospace and
International Aero Engines to pursue development of a sustainable biofuel for use in commercial aircraft. The goal of the partnership is to develop an alternative jet fuel derived from renewable biomass sources -‐ known as second-‐generation biofuels -‐ that do not compete with existing food production. Research and testing will focus on the conversion of biological materials into aviation fuel that performs identically to traditional fuels while meeting the stringent performance specifications for commercial aircraft flight.
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Map of Company Area
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Press Conference Information Designated Spokesperson: David Barger-‐ CEO and President Media Information Center: Call Center for Media Inquiry: (718) 709-‐3098 Press Conference being held at Marriot JFK Crisis Supply List:
o Chairs o Podium o Lights o Microphone and Speakers o Outlets/Extension Cords o Cases of Bottled Water o Press Badges o Extra Paper and Pen o Extra Media Packets o Internet Capability
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Emergency Response Information New York City Police Department Deputy Inspector: Joseph Courtesis 92-‐08 222nd Street Queens Village, NY, 11428 Precinct: (718) 776-‐9090 -‐-‐-‐ 105th Precinct Community Affairs: (718) 776-‐9176 Community Policing: (718) 776-‐9430 New York City Fire Department 32nd Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano 1155 Washington Avenue Bronx, NY (917) 597-‐7937 Fire Department General Number: 718-‐999-‐2000 Community Affairs: 718-‐999-‐1438 The Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York City, Inc. Chairperson, Regional Emergency Medical: Lewis Marshall, MD, JD 475 Riverside Drive Suite 1929 New York, New York 10115 Tel: 212-‐870-‐2301 Fax: 212-‐870-‐2302
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Federal Agencies Contact Information US General Services Administration Public Affairs: (202) 501-‐1231 [email protected] Transportation Security Administration 1-‐866-‐289-‐9673 [email protected] US Department of Transportation 1-‐866-‐377-‐8642 US Department of State 202-‐647-‐6575 Federal Aviation Administration 1-‐866-‐TELL-‐FAA
