Originally Posted by
eightblack
I've read the whole thread and I agree, UA dropped the ball. On the surface, it sounds as if the Captain did a terrific job and again, without knowing all the facts, if he did indeed look after the 2 kids as reports indicate, then bravo to him.
While it may not be an appropriate analogy (and I will disclose that I am an Aussie but not beating the QF drum), it made me think of the QF32 incident and how the PIC handled the customer facing issues in the airport - after everyone was safely on the ground.
The QF32 incident made headlines around the world but beyond the airmanship, leadership and teamwork on the flight deck, Captain de Crespigny then instinctively continued to lead when back in the terminal with his passengers (customers).
Despite his emotional and physical exhaustion from piloting and managing the crisis over four hours in the air and on the ground, he then assumed the role of customer service and Public Relations (PR) representative for Qantas, Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
He didn’t need to refer to a manual to do a masterful job because the culture within Qantas empowered him with shared values of transparency and service excellence.
Rather than leave it to PR and customer service people, he took charge and when every passenger was safely in the terminal he went and spoke to them saying: “When you fly Qantas you’re flying with a premium airline and you have every right to expect more. An army of Qantas staff are right now finding you hotel rooms and working out how to get you to Sydney as soon as possible. But right now I want you to write down this number – it’s my personal mobile phone and I want you to call me if you think Qantas is not looking after you or if you think that Qantas does not care.”
Then he explained what had happened, why, what would happen next and disclosed everything he knew. He answered every possible question in multiple passenger lounges for over two hours. He prepared everyone for the media circus that would ensue and stayed in the lounge with passengers until there were no more questions – eventually he was standing on his own.
Source: http://www.thefordhamcompany.com.au/...ou-about-qf32/
Give this Captain the lifetime achievement award. That's how it should be done!