Airline gets high marks for response: Crisis drills paid off

Tuesday, March 7th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Somewhere high above, Southwest Airlines flight attendants were joking with passengers, maybe tossing out packages of peanuts or conducting a trivia contest featuring a $20-off certificate on their next ticket.

Meanwhile, on the ground on this day last fall, another 200 Southwest employees in Dallas were in a deadly serious mood. For several hours, they were going through a disaster drill - preparing for the day that many major airlines have already endured and all dread - a catastrophe, a crash.

In their make-believe scenario, they practiced everything they could think of, from dealing with the families of victims to handling calls from customers worried about their own flight plans.

Sunday night, that disaster drill became real life, at least on a limited scale, when a Southwest flight crashed after landing in Burbank, Calif. There were no serious injuries reported by passengers, but the airline that's famous for fun showed that it was ready for the worst, too, shifting into its practiced response.

Chairman Herb Kelleher, known for his Hawaiian shirts and a great Elivs impersonation, was on television within hours and again appeared at a somber press conference Monday morning. The airline quickly posted the news on its Internet site, and the message was the same: He emphasized his concern. But he also noted that despite the crash, the airline still has an enviable industry safety record, with no fatalities in its 29-year history.

"So far, it looks like they have handled the issue surrounding the accident with forthrightness," said Jim Brown, a veteran airline spokesman who has worked for two carriers.

Others experts in handling bad news for the public also gave the carrier high marks.

"You can definitely tell a crisis plan was in place because of their speed," said Lisa LeMaster, owner of The LeMaster Group in Dallas and a longtime consultant to corporations on disasters.

Beneath all their gags and stunts, Southwest officials also said Monday that the issues of safety and disaster preparedness have always overridden every aspect of the business.

Safety is No. 1

Fun is fun, but "safety is something we do not joke about," said Southwest vice president Ginger Hardage, who heads public relations and corporate communications.

Mr. Kelleher was serious at his news conference Monday morning. And a company statement echoed that tone: "Safety is job one at Southwest Airlines. We have flown more than 13 million flights in our history without a fatality."

A crucial and immediate task for Southwest Sunday night and Monday morning was getting out the word - in the right words. Company officials had privately interviewed news media personnel in the past about what they would need to know in times of crisis.

In the hours after the crash, they answered some questions before reporters could ask them. And they adeptly used traditional media as well as the new, some experts said.

In the Internet age, where news is continuously undated, it is essential to get information out quickly in multiple venues, said Sam Falcona, an executive vice president at Edelman Public Relations Worldwide. Even though Southwest's crash involved no deaths or serious injuries, Mr. Falcona noted that Southwest made swift use of its Web site.

"The name of the game now is how fast can you get the message out, and how many ways you can get it out. You used to be dependent on television, but now you've got to do it online," added Ms. LeMaster, the Dallas specialist in crisis consultation.

Although media may change, "some issues always stay the same," Ms. LeMaster said. "The media and the public want you to begin speculating right away on what caused it [an airline accident]. Knowing exactly what happened is always months away."

Southwest had information about Flight 1455 on its Web site Sunday night. The tightly worded first statement noted twice that there were no fatalities or serious injuries. A second statement, posted Monday, emphasized Southwest' sympathies with the victims of minor injuries and the scare. "Our hearts go out for the trauma these people have experienced," the statement read.

Careful comment

Mentioning indelicate information, such as never having lost a a passenger in a plane crash, must be done properly, said Mr. Brown, the former airline spokesman.

"You have to be very careful about communicating that kind of message to your customers and the public," Mr. Brown said. "Herb [Kelleher] at this time is emphasizing that record very appropriately."

To help handle issues at the site of the accident, Southwest dispatched a "Go Team" to Burbank shortly after the accident. "They came into the office with a bag packed ready to go," Ms. Hardage, the Southwest spokeswoman, said.

The airline's employees at the Burbank airport had already gone to hospitals and spent time with passengers, she said. Part of the Go Team's purpose was to pick up the task with the customers and "take care of their needs, a hotel room or a rental car and medical attention." The airline paid for any such items, she said.

The employees standing by for any Go Team have wide expertise, Ms. Hardage said, including legal skills and media relations experience.

Although Sunday's accident was Southwest's worst, the airline isn't planning to abandon its sometimes-goofy atmosphere for passengers. Fun still has a place, Ms. Hardage said. "It is not inconsistent."