It’s no secret that the airline industry has had a tough go the last couple of years. In 2020, the year the pandemic reached the U.S., airline travel dropped by 60%. This year, air travel has continued to make a strong comeback with the amount of international travel increasing and domestic flights carrying 83% more passengers than 2020.
While the travel industry has started to bounce back, it hasn’t been a completely smooth recovery. Many airlines have struggled with staffing, weather and more, leading to canceled or significantly delayed flights, which continue to make headlines.
With the inconsistencies, many airlines have had to communicate the disrupted services to disappointed and even irate customers. Let’s look at the lessons we can learn from airlines’ communication around these crises.
Consider the Figures Made Public
Most recently, there were more than 7,000 flights canceled worldwide over Memorial Day weekend. While the delays were caused by a number of reasons, it left many travelers frustrated and disappointed. Among the hardest hit was Delta Air Lines. Over the holiday weekend, Delta canceled more than 700 flights.
There’s no denying that is a significant number, however, in several articles the quantification of flights was broken down by the number of flights canceled each day, giving the impression of a smaller impact. Additionally, when presented as a percentage, it may have seemed even less significant. For example, Delta cancelled about 140 flights on Monday, about 4% of its global operation vs. more than 700 flights.
Ultimately, when in a crisis, the facts are the facts and cannot be changed. But it’s important to be thoughtful about which figures are made public and if they should be presented as a number, percentage or broken down.
Consider Different Mediums
During a crisis, many organizations turn to written statements to provide an update, acknowledge the error and outline what steps they are going to take to ensure it doesn’t happen again. However, sometimes written statements can come across as dry or too scripted.
To help with this, consider alternative mediums that humanize the company. In December 2021, COVID-19 surges and severe weather led to more than 1,000 canceled flights. Alaska Airlines was one of the most impacted airlines and canceled about 21% of its flights. Following the chaos, the company’s COO was featured in a video apologizing for the disruptions, outlining what went wrong and how the company planned to fix it.
By emailing a video directly to customers, the company demonstrated that everyone, especially the executives, was aware of the significance of the problem. Additionally, the video humanized the company, giving customers access to the individuals doing the work to solve the systematic problems that disrupted their travel.
Acknowledge the Impact and Focus on Solutions
In May 2021, Alaska Airlines sent out another video apologizing to customers for not “living up to their commitment.” In the video, the CEO apologizes for the canceled flights and disruptions it has caused before focusing on the steps the airline plans to take to address the problem, including hiring more pilots, flight attendants and reservation assistants.
The apology follows textbook recommendations when in a crisis. It acknowledges the problem, outlines what went wrong and focuses on the steps the airline is taking to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Overall, the apology is effective, but does seem to skip over the apology portion quickly.
It’s an important reminder that while it’s critical not to dwell on an error or problem, it’s important not to breeze past it or the impact it has on your customers. Adequate recognition will ensure that customers feel acknowledged and that the company has taken appropriate ownership of the mistake.
Unfortunately, the airline industry has had a tough couple of years. It has been faced with countless challenges and unprecedented circumstances. These unique situations have forced the company to publicly respond and provided a unique case study around communications strategies have worked well and what can be done better.