Crisis Management Plan For Etihad Airways
Crisis management is an integral part of any company’s strategic planning not only to prepare but also to mitigate the effects of a crisis on business continuity. In this discussion, I will design a crisis communications plan for Etihad Airways, which is the company that I have worked at for the past eight years. I will follow the outline of describing the organization first, and then the communication management team and crisis communications team, and the relevant external and internal publics. Subsequently, I will describe the crisis communication policies, strategies, techniques, and tactics; and, the required resources and continuous evaluation that are needed.
Etihad is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and based in Abu Dhabi; it is just 12 years old, and only operates international routes. Etihad is a government-owned company; however, organizational wise, it is a semi-governmental entity (Etihad Airways, 2015).
Etihad’s crisis management team consists of the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. James Hogan; he will serve as the crisis management team president and the spokesperson of Etihad to the media. Under the president operates a
Likewise, it contains a list of emergency personnel, local officials, and international staff to contact. Moreover, Etihad’s crisis communication plan designates a control center fully equipped and supplied with all the supplies needed by the crisis teams, media, and publics. The plan makes a full use of the pre-gathered information, pre-prepared key messages, any list of prodromes, a shadow website, and training for the spokesperson and the entire crisis communications team for such
How Social Media is Elevating Airline Crisis Communication « Social Fresh. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://socialfresh.com/how-social-media-is-elevating-airline-crisis-communication/
The National response plan outlines four key actions the disaster coordinator should take. They are gaining and maintaining situational awareness, activate and deploy key resources and capabilities, coordinating response actions and demobilizing. Throughout the response it is essential that responders have access to critical information. During the initial response effort the situation is will change rapidly. Situational awareness starts at the incident site. For this reason it is essential that decision makers have access to the right information at the right time. By establishing an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) all key responders are brought ...
The company was heavily critiqued for their poor response to the crisis. In response, Malaysian Airlines’ crisis director, Fuad Shariju admitted that his team could have handled the case better. He claimed that the airline was kept in the dark regarding the government’s efforts, which came off to the public as withholding information, which was beyond their control. Shariju expressed his grief, identifying with the devastation of the families of the victims (Culbertson). Agenda setting was used in this situation to evoke sympathy and understanding for Malaysian Airlines. Shariju’s transparency in the statements he released, as well as his identification with the emotional struggles of the families put the company on a more empathetic level.
Competing with not only with domestic carriers but also with foreign carriers, Delta Air Lines has to do everything possible in order to win the business. Well-funded airlines in the Gulf regions like Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways who increase their services to the United States from their hub in Middle East make it impossible for domestic carriers like Delta to stay in profit ("DAL 12.31.2014 10K," n.d.). Furthermore, these international carriers who are either funded or supported by the government are able to purchase the newest wide body aircrafts. Having a newest fleet amongst its competitors pleases the customers and helps save more fuel on the long haul international flights saving the company money on fuel and increases the customer service at the same
The role of the emergency manager in the incident is to education the public in relevant areas. For example, posting information in Women’s Health Clinics, etc., such
British Airways (BA) is the main and largest carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It’s headquarter is located in Waterside. The British Airways Group was established in 1972. It included British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA). In 1974 British Airways was formed after the dissolution of BOAC and BEA (British Airways, 2015).
Ulmer, RR, Sellnow, TL & Seeger, MW 2007, Effective crisis communication, Thousand Oakes: Sage Publications.
Several large scale, interrelated conditions have affected the airline industry over the past several years in such a manner that every carrier has had to respond in order to remain viable and competitive.
Emirates (Fly Emirates) is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. It is one of the fastest growing airlines and is known for consistently turning a profit. Though Emirates is owned by the UAE government, is has “evolved into a globally influential travel and tourism conglomerate known for its commitment to the highest standards of quality in every aspect of the business” (The Emirates Story).
The communication process is not something that begins when a crisis rears its ugly head rather it is a process that takes place in preparing for a crisis before it happens. While the term crisis represents a blanket term used to describe many situations, each situation is unique, thus presenting different obstacles to overcome. However, with a well-established advanced plan in place an organization places itself in a position to overcome and work around obstacles. The development of a comprehensive crisis management plan is one achieved through effective communication where each member of the crisis management team has an advanced shared understanding of his or her role and responsibility during a time of crisis (du Pr'e, 2005).
Managing a Crisis Using Public Relations Handling Public Relations for any organization can be very difficult. task in any circumstance - even in simple, non-crisis situations. When a crisis strikes, that's when PR managers really have their work. cut out for them to see. A PR manager must always be prepared for the inevitable crisis to happen because that is when their jobs are really tested by the public and the organization.
The airline industry is very competitive, the market share of the industry is control by a few companies that spends millions of dollars into advertising. The industry have a lot of competitor that go bankrupt in 1987 87 airlines failed. It is very hard for airline companies to have a competitive advantage after all of the regulations and upkeep it take to have an airline. And then to have great customer service.
To deal with the situation, the airline set up a crisis management centre to continuously monitor the situation. At the crisis centre, a team of 15 personnel from planning, revenue management and public relations worked round-the-clock to reschedule various flights and monitor the
In the evaluation of strategic management of public relations, both concepts of risk communication and situational theory can be integrated into the above-mentioned model. Risk communication is an ongoing process that builds the foundation for crisis communication. Particularly, the risk analysis process consists of hazard identification, risk assessment, significance of risks and communicating risk information.
British Airways has focused its mission and objectives towards satisfying its key stakeholders that include employees, customers, Government and the British public. The company has been successful in dealing with cultural differences that arise between the UK and foreign countries, adopting a geocentric approach to hiring workers. The airline has also created a flexible organisation that responds quickly to the changing needs of its consumers.