Belatedly thwarting a grade schooler’s scheme is nothing to gloat about
Most American airlines have been struggling to maintain any type of positive reputation for years now. With many of the most rage-inducing issues, like long security lines, beyond their control, you would think they’d be taking pains to ensure their own processes are working like clockwork. Speaking of, with the amount of focus that’s been placed on protecting our commercial planes since 9/11, shouldn’t we be able to expect airlines to stop a passenger from boarding without a ticket?
After reading this quote from Minnesota’s KARE 11 news, you’ll be asking the same question we were – hey Delta, are you smarter than a 4th grader?
Despite numerous checkpoints and gate agents, officials at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport say a 9-year-old was somehow able to sneak through security and onto a Delta flight headed to Las Vegas.
“At this point, this is a Delta and TSA issue,” said airport spokesperson Pat Hogan. “This is a rare incident.”
The security mishap occurred Thursday on Delta Flight 1651. It wasn’t until the plane landed in Las Vegas that the boy was stopped and questioned.
MSP officials say they’ve reviewed security footage and at this point do not believe he was carrying a boarding pass.
Delta’s statement after the incident was less-than-impressive from a crisis management standpoint, with more of a focus on self-congratulations than apologizing for allowing a potentially devastating gap in security:
“Delta continues to work with authorities and look into the circumstances involving an un-ticketed minor boarding an aircraft in Minneapolis-St. Paul. We commend the flight crew of flight 1651, whose vigilance and awareness of the cabin led them to proactively alert authorities to the situation prior to the aircraft landing in Las Vegas. Safety and security are always Delta’s highest priorities and we are reviewing our policies and procedures to make sure something like this does not happen again.”
Where was an apology to the boy’s family? Where was the red-faced spokesperson who should have stood in front of a camera and said, “We screwed up, we’re sorry, and we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen again”?
n the first half of 2012, natural catastrophes and man-made disasters caused insured losses of about $21 billion, Swiss Re said.
The numbers confirm what we’ve long espoused — crisis preparedness is an investment, not an expense. The above mentioned damage averages at $9.3 billion monthly. The cost of comprehensive vulnerability assessment, crisis planning and training is miniscule compared to the potential losses.
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]