Southwest Flight 345 that landed nose first at LaGuardia
10:25 EST, 26 July 2013,
A Southwest Airlines jet that crash-landed at LaGuardia Airport touched down on its front nose wheel first before the main landing gear at the rear of the plane.
About 150 people were aboard the Boeing 737, and 16 passengers suffered minor injuries when the Flight 345 from Nashville, Tennessee, skidded off the runway Monday and came to rest on its nose.
The nose-down landing violated the airline’s normal procedures, Southwest said.
Customers’ safeties and the reputation of Southwest were both challenged simultaneously.
However, Southwest did very well in handling the crisis through social media. Speed to address the crisis rather than silence. Quick response time and open, honest communication on Facebook and Twitter were key in helping the brand control the story and maintain good faith with its customers.
Here are a few examples of there Facebook and Twitter posts just minutes after the accident, promising updates:
- Standby for more information regarding #Flight345 BNA-LGA. We are gathering details and will post a statement soon.
- Southwest Airlines confirms emergency responders at New York’s LaGuardia airport are assisting with an evacuation of #flight345 after Boeing 737 arrived this evening from Nashville. We will provide further details when available.
As we can see from this crisis, Southwest Airline knows how should they do in this crisis. Silence is useless. Address the problem immediately is the best way to solve the reputation crisis. This is what should we do in a crisis. No comments usually cause the public think your irresponsibility and admission to your mistake, which would threaten your company’s reputation further.
Besides, the crisis planning is also an really important fact in preventing and solving problems.