No one knows for certain what happened to US Airways Flight 1549, which plunged into the Hudson River last week — was it a bird strike or a mechanical failure? — but it’s already clear the airline did a lot of things by the book. Since this blog has asked some tough questions about the airline (and some would argue, unfair ones) I thought I’d take a moment to review the positive things the airline has done.
No one died. Of course, the biggest positive news — and the survivor stories bear this out — is that a well-trained crew appears to have saved the day. Not a single life was lost. Not even a pet.
The check is in the mail. The airline quickly mailed a $5,000 check to each of the passengers and refunded their fares. Under federal law, the maximum payout for lost luggage is just $3,300. In a letter accompanying the checks, US Airways apologized for the crash and told survivors the money was meant to cover their “immediate needs.” It normally takes weeks, but more often months, for an airline to own up to its responsibility when it comes to lost luggage. My journalistic instincts tell me to pull up US Airways’ lost-luggage record here. But no, that’s not what this post is about.
They didn’t pitch the “hero” story. I had two lengthy conversations with Jim Olson, the vice president of corporate communications at US Airways, on the day of the crash and the day after. We discussed the media’s canonization of pilot Chesley Sullenberger. He repeatedly told me that the airline had not been trying to sell the story of a “hero” pilot to any media outlets, and I believe him. I think the airline knows this was a team effort, as my colleague Charlie Leocha pointed out yesterday. That’s good.
US Airways deserves a lot of credit for the way it handled Flight 1549. I think this crash has altered public perception of the airline for the better. Hopefully, US Airways will continue doing right by its customers — even the ones who haven’t been in a crash.
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