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Jetblue and the Blueprint for Successful Crisis Communication

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Jetblue and the Blueprint for Successful Crisis Communication University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2013 Changing To A Different Shade Of Blue: Jetblue And The Blueprint For Successful Crisis Communication Catherine Renner University of Central Florida Part of the Mass Communication Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Renner, Catherine, "Changing To A Different Shade Of Blue: Jetblue And The Blueprint For Successful Crisis Communication" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 2574. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2574 CHANGING TO A DIFFERENT SHADE OF BLUE: JETBLUE AND THE BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESSFUL CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS by CATHERINE MARY RENNER B.A. Cleveland State University, 2001 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Nicholson School of Communication in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2013 Major Professor: Timothy Coombs ABSTRACT On February 14, 2007, JetBlue Airways experienced a major blow to their well-respected reputation when ten planes were delayed with passengers stranded on board for up to eight hours each. Through intense coverage and negative reporting from the media, JetBlue launched a multi-pronged crisis communication response strategy to repair the damage. Using Situational Crisis Communications Theory (SCCT) as a framework, the research in this study demonstrated the importance of crisis communications planning, corporate apologia, corporate impression management, and image restoration within an organization. A discourse analysis was utilized to identify the types of messages delivered by the media, the crisis response strategies and tactics implemented by JetBlue, and stakeholder reactions to the JetBlue responses. Content from the messages were then placed in appropriate categories identifying the type of strategy and tactic utilized. Category definitions, examples of comments, and the identifying attributes were included to help support that JetBlue was successful in repairing and recovering their reputation. ii There are several individuals that I am dedicating this project to as I never would have been able to succeed and persevere without their support, push, and love. I owe tremendous thanks to my professional mentors, Dianne Owen and Jim Thornberry. Dianne is a mentor that everyone dreams of having, simply because she sees the best in you and won’t let you give up on yourself. She also pushed me to complete my Masters for me – no one else. Graduate school would never have been possible without her. Jim Thornberry is my version of Obi-Wan and he lit a fire under me to make graduate school a reality. My family is my bedrock and my brothers Will and Mike cheered me on every step of the way during my program, all through the hurdles going on simultaneously. They helped me to keep school a priority and for that I am grateful. I’m sorry that my grandmother is not here to see this accomplishment happen, especially since she is the reason that we were able to attend school and never have to worry. I know she is proud, but not as much as my parents. Thank you Mom and Dad for making education a priority for your children. Can’t wait to see where my journey takes me knowing that you’ll be there with me. I have saved my greatest thanks for my husband Zachary. We both sacrificed a great deal the past two and a half years, and he made my graduate school experience a joy because of his support. He is my partner and best friend and I don’t think I ever would have been able to finish this without him. He is a good sounding board and often served as an informal focus group for my ideas. I love you buddy. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks to Dr. Timothy Coombs for his support of my thesis project and encouraging me to pursue this topic. It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to learn from one of the most respected experts in the field of crisis communication. Learning from Dr. Coombs was a once- in-a-lifetime experience and is something that I will carry throughout my professional career. Thanks to Dr. Jennifer Sandoval for unknowingly planting the seed that pursuing a thesis would be the best choice for me. I had it in my head that a thesis would be too cumbersome, but her class is what inspired me to change my mind. It was by far the best decision I had made in my graduate school experience. She is a great mentor, patient, and roots for you to succeed. These two individuals have made an impact on me that I will always so thankful for. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................1 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................................................4 Crisis Communication Overview .............................................................................................4 Crisis Communications Strategies .......................................................................................7 Corporate Apologia .........................................................................................................7 Corporate Impression Management ............................................................................... 10 Image Restoration Theory.............................................................................................. 11 Situational Crisis Communications Theory ............................................................................ 16 Crises in the Airline Industry ................................................................................................. 21 About JetBlue........................................................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 27 Data Collection ..................................................................................................................... 27 Procedure .............................................................................................................................. 27 CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 46 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 54 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Overview of Crisis Response Strategies ........................................................................ 15 Table 2 JetBlue Crisis Aftermath New Stories ........................................................................... 33 Table 3 JetBlue’s Crisis Response Strategies ............................................................................. 37 Table 4 Public Reaction to JetBlue’s Crisis Communication Strategy ........................................ 42 vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION February 14, 2007. Ten JetBlue airplanes were grounded at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport for up to eight hours each due to an ice storm. Passengers were unable to de-plane as there were no available gates. Some planes’ wheels were frozen to the ground. De-icing each aircraft took at least 30 minutes. What was the impact of this event on passengers? Passengers were essentially stranded in what one individual described as a “sound- proofed coffin” (www.cnn.com, 2007) with poor air circulation, low supplies of food and drinks, and a lack of fundamental communication from the flight crew. Said one stranded passenger, “One of the pilots should get out here and have a mini-press conference. The longer they wait, the more people are going to get upset” (www.cnn.com, 2007). Passengers were eventually able to disembark with buses from the port authority taking weary travelers back to the airport. JetBlue had offered to provide customers with a full-refund and a free future round-trip ticket for those that were stranded more than three hours. But the damage to the customer-organization relationship had already been done. Consumerist.com named the crisis one of the top ten biggest business debacles in 2007 (www.consumerist.com, 2007). Pop culture quickly coined it “the Valentine’s Day Massacre” (Basulto, 2007). Media coverage of the flight delay dominated the airwaves almost immediately, with all major networks and newspapers reporting that passengers were stranded and unsure when flights would again resume. Flights were cancelled on a Friday. JetBlue indicated to the media that the normal flight schedule would be in operation that Monday. Then flights were cancelled again, with normal operations not resuming until Wednesday, February 19, five days after the initial 1 delays. With the media recording and reporting JetBlue’s every move, and disgruntled passengers venting their frustrations to both reporters and online social media sites, JetBlue’s
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