In 2007, when a major ice storm hit the East Coast, Jet Blue was forced to cancel 1,000 flights over five days. Customers were upset, and in the weeks that followed, thousands of articles scrutinizing how Jet Blue handled the crisis were published around the globe.

So, how did the airline respond?

To combat this public relations disaster, David Neeleman, Jet Blue’s CEO stepped up to address the crisis as well as announce the steps the company would take to ensure it never happened again. In addition to responding to journalists, Neeleman made appearances on Letterman, the Today Show, and on CNN with Anderson Cooper to respond to critics and relay Jet Blue’s messages to the public.

Jet Blue’s messaging was immediate and apologetic. Neeleman repeatedly went to the media to explain what went wrong and express how sorry he was for the effects this crisis had on his customers. The company’s messaging also highlighted its new Customer Bill of Rights, which ensures customer safety and satisfaction in the event of a crisis by way of new company protocol, including a detailed compensation package for passengers.   

If your company finds itself in the midst of a crisis, take a piece of advice from Jet Blue. To survive the crisis, choose a spokesperson who can communicate with the public, often through the media. Here are some guidelines for the designated spokesperson to follow when handling a crisis:

• Establish the spokesperson. The spokesperson is determined by the severity of the crisis and the amount of attention it is receiving. If the crisis is severe and there is growing interest from local, regional, or national media, the spokesperson should be the CEO or head of the company. This conveys that handling the crisis is of the upmost importance to the company. If the crisis is less severe, choosing a different executive may be acceptable.
• Notify employees about their role in the crisis. If the media approaches employees for a comment, under no circumstances should they respond. Instead, employees should refer the media to the spokesperson or the spokesperson’s published comments and notify the communications team about the inquiry. Ideally, the communications team will develop a strategy to combat the crisis, and the spokesperson will deploy that strategy through communication with the media.  Once you have chosen a spokesperson and notified employees of their role in the crisis communications strategy, the communications team should brief the spokesperson in order to communicate most effectively with the media.
• Stick to the facts of the crisis. When dealing with a crisis, it is critical that the spokesperson has the facts of the situation before making any public statements. Know the who, what, when, where and why of the situation. Once the facts have been considered and addressed, the spokesperson and communication team can develop a strategic response that provides the public with the facts of the situation. This helps prevent the story from spinning out of control.
• Stay on message. Key messages should be determined before speaking to the media. These are a list of messages that you want to relay to the public regarding the crisis and your company. Key messages should:
  • Share the facts of the situation
  • Explain how the crisis is being handled
  • Target stakeholders of the company
  • Work to regain trust
  • Highlight your company’s reputable actions during the crisis

You can incorporate key messages in your responses to the media in order to control the dialogue and to have a handle on the story.

• Respond to the media appropriately. When talking directly to the media, there are a few things to keep in mind. If members of the media ask you a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t speculate or say, “No comment.” Stick to the facts. However, if you don’t know the answer to something, it is acceptable to say, “I don’t know that right now.” Express a willingness to keep the public informed as details are available. Make sure to include, “But we will keep you updated as we gather more information.” This helps maintain transparency with the media.

Additionally, never make comments “off the record.” “Off the record” can mean different things to different reporters – so it’s better to completely avoid it. Even if the reporters don’t include your quote in an article or name you as a source, they may pursue a story based on the information you provided. A good rule of thumb is: If you don’t want something to appear in print, do not share it with the media – even if it’s “off the record.”

In a crisis, it’s important to operate conservatively. It’s better to stick to the facts of the situation and the official statements of the company rather than spark multiple, possibly inconsistent narratives by responding to the media in the wrong way.

• Create perspective by emphasizing the steps your company has taken to mitigate the crisis. This will help to deescalate the crisis, as well as to shed a positive light on the company during this time of scrutiny. Express that you are working hard toward solutions and improvement by showcasing specific innovations your company is producing as a result of this crisis. 

By following these guidelines, you will not only be able to survive a crisis but you will also be able to highlight the work your company has done to resolve problems and innovate solutions, prompting the public to look toward the company’s future of improvement and success.