What was Continental thinking?
We have all read the story about Continental Express flight 2816, from Houston to Minneapolis. It was diverted to Rochester, Minnesota due to storms, and allowed to sit, fully loaded, on the tarmac for 6 hours before the passengers were allowed off the plane. (Why does the theme song to Gilligan’s Island come to mind?).
Express Jet, who operated the flight for Continental, blamed security for keeping everyone on the plane, but the airport manager said that was not true, it was the airlines fault.
What it comes down to is someone, or lots of someones could not see the opportunity. Take the passengers off the plane, let them relax in the terminal, or bus them to Minneapolis, like Northwest Airlines did.
Continental apologized and offered refunds and vouchers. But they can’t get the genie back in the bottle.
What could have been a positive experience, and created goodwill, turned into a PR nightmare.
So is there a PR nightmare waiting for you? Is your staffed trained to react, or do they wait for permission from above? A quick response will create more goodwill, than a late apology.
AssociationOkie 
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