NoteJetBlue is a low-cost domestic airline operating in the United States following a unique combination strategy of low-cost and differentiation. Since its inception in 1999 by CEO David Neeleman, JetBlue has been enjoying stellar reputation and were consistently ranked among the industry's best in service quality. The airline mainly operated from New York City's John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport.On 14 February of 2007, an ice storm hit Eastern United States causing many disruptions in flight schedules as most airlines had responded by canceling flights schedules for that week. However, JetBlue was very optimistic and were convinced that the weather would improve and they would be able to f ...view middle of the document...
A three minute video of Neelemen making a public apology was also uploaded on Youtube. On 20 February, JetBlue introduced a Customer Bill of Rights, an official document that outlines JetBlue's promises and compensation to passengers in cases of flight delays or cancellations. It was a step that no other airline had ever taken.JetBlue had used the 'mortification' crisis communication strategy in order to create forgiveness and gain acceptance. They continued be apologetic, offered compensation and provided the customer bill of rights; showing a measure of future crisis prevention.JetBlue's constituencies and resourcesJetBlue's key constituencies consist of the general public, victims from the ice storm delay, competitors, media and analysts, the American congress, investors, employees, and top management. We have chosen to focus on the general public, victims from the ice storm delay, competitors and media & analyst.JetBlue has the following resources for them to execute their crisis communication plan:•An established reputation of being a low cost carrier known for its excellent customer service•An influential CEO, Neeleman, who exudes outstanding leadership qualities•An exceptional top management team that are experts in their field•A talented and dedicated organization of employees•Previous positive relationships forged with frequent JetBlue customers•Its reactive PR team and spokespersonsAnalyzing the general publicJetBlue received a mixed reaction of support and condemnation from the general public due to this crisis, which were evident in reactions in the blogosphere. There were bloggers who agreed with the victims who complained of their woes and hence condemned JetBlue. Some others said that this was an opportunity for them to stand in the airline industry. Lastly, there were also those who gave a neutral stand point on the matter while providing suggestions on how JetBlue could communicate better. JetBlue's goal was for the general public to consider JetBlue as a company that handled the crisis very well and to view JetBlue as their first choice domestic airline. This was a challenge as their established reputation was now damaged. JetBlue would have preferred to have the entire public support their current efforts in regaining the victim's trust and could use this opportunity to display their effective crisis management policies e.g. Bill of Rights, YouTube video showing Neeleman apologizing.Although JetBlue had reacted swiftly using its 'mortification' crisis communication strategy, Neeleman did not utilize his blog as a channel for updates on the crisis. JetBlue could have used Neeleman's blog as another way of communicating with and a means of feedback from the general public. JetBlue should constantly communicate its efforts in this crisis and address the public's main concern for immediate responses. JetBlue ought to assure the public that there are strong measures in place to rectify...
