Headlines today are rightfully calling the crew of US Airways flight 1549 “heroes.” Even President Bush said he was inspired by the skill and heroism of the flight crew and the rescue teams. That the pilots were able to ditch the A320 into the Hudson River, fuselage and wings intact and without a fire, is miraculous.
But after the cameras and the reporters go away, what happens to the survivors or the families of the victims and who takes care of them?
During almost two decades in the airline industry, I had the job of providing post-accident humanitarian assistance to survivors and victims’ families. I won’t say which airline I worked for, but I will say that I performed this role five times. Here’s what happened at my former employer.
Immediately after an accident, the airline dispatches a team of specially-trained employees to the accident site, to the city where the flight originated and to its destination city. Each of those employees is assigned to a family to provide support in the hours and days immediately after the crash, and to be a communication link with the company. As I’ve written before, in their haste to report something — anything — the media are often inaccurate, and the airline wants to make sure it’s providing the family with correct information and responding to immediate needs.
Meanwhile, in a centralized location, the airline begins setting up another team of specially-trained employees to handle longer-term needs for the survivors and victims’ families. This was my role. As the immediate, on-site activities begin to wind down, communication is handed off to this centralized team.
Full briefings are held between the on-site representative and the next employee who will be helping via telephone to minimize the need for the family member or survivor to repeat his or her preferences or needs, telephone numbers, etc. Family tree information is conveyed so the new family liaison will know who Sally Jones is when she calls. Pitfalls are discussed (you’d be amazed how many people have mistresses or kept men). Religious preferences are noted.
The role of the family liaison is to facilitate essentially every accident-related need for the survivor or family. Out of town guests may be flying in for a funeral or to visit the survivor in the hospital and will need flights arranged. Often, they do not want to travel on the airline that just crashed, so coordination is needed with another carrier. Cars (rental or chauffeured, depending on family preference) may be needed. Caskets may need to be ordered. Flowers may need to be procured. Hotel accommodations might need to be arranged. Food may be needed for a wake or in a hospitality suite at a hotel if a large family is gathering. Some people arrive without proper clothing and have to go shopping for a suit or a dress to wear to the funeral. Some want to shop at Saks; others are content at Wal-Mart. Within reason, the airline pays for all of these things.
There are some more serious tasks to complete, too. After personal effects are recovered and identified, they need to be returned to the survivor or the family (although nowadays, that’s often done by an outside company). They need to be warned that the items might smell of fire, smoke or aviation fuel. In one case, a particular crash was so severe that no bodies were identifiable and it was necessary to communicate the need to collect dental records and DNA samples from hair, toothbrushes, dirty clothing or a dirty drinking glass. Once bodies were identified, families had to be told their loved ones had been identified through “forensic means.” That meant all they would get to place in a casket was a few teeth or a bone.
Every single, solitary conversation and action is painstakingly documented, no matter how insignificant.
Eventually, many families obtain legal representation. When this happens, sadly, no matter how good the relationship is between the airline liaison and the family, the handling gets turned over to the company lawyers and the airline’s insurance company. Oftentimes, the family doesn’t want to let go of the relationship with the liaison, but when attorneys become involved, there’s no way that can continue.
After spending weeks and in some cases months interacting with families on such a personal and intense level, it can often be difficult to end the relationship. In one instance, I assisted an elderly couple that had lost their only son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren in an accident. They continued to communicate with me, invited me to play golf, have dinner, and sent me letters and cards. As cold as it felt, I had to draw the line between a professional and a personal relationship.
There’s no doubt that a lot of this work is done to minimize the friction between the airline and the victim or the family after such a serious incident. Nevertheless, many people are likely unaware of just how compassionately my particular former employer stepped up to the plate when tragedy struck.
Today’s accident in New York City dredged up a host of emotions for me, including gratitude that there were no fatalities. My heart goes out to the passengers, their families, the crew — and the hundreds of employees at US Airways who are no doubt toiling at this moment to make the situation as bearable as possible for all involved.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi David,
Great story and appropriate story.
Best
Anita
Today’s accident in New York City dredged up a host of emotions for me, including gratitude that there were no fatalities. My heart goes out to the passengers, their families, the crew — and the hundreds of employees at US Airways who are no doubt toiling at this moment to make the situation as bearable as possible for all involved.
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Years ago, my scheduled line of flying had me working a route that had a plane crash on it a week prior. Everyone died. Each week, when I arrived into this city, we had many relatives coming onboard to attend funerals. Each week, the gate agent would come down the jetway and let us know where they were seated. I have to tell you, what a horrible experience for your airline to have a fatal crash, let alone watch the surviving familes, so full of pain, flying to pay their respects. I, personally, felt like I had a death in my family. AIRLINE EMPLOYEES grief right along side these people. It’s tough.
US1549 cancellation was tagged as somehow “miraculous.”
“Miracles, Schmiracles!” It’s not miraculous to expect highly paid, thorougly tested, state-credentialed aviation professionals to properly execute processes they’ve practiced for 50,000 hours OUTSIDE their training simulations. (That’s the logbook time for the cockpit crew.) I’d guess their last simulator-based certification entailed FAR more difficult scenarios than a dead-stick, over-water landing with one engine ablaze. Both wings were still attached. There weren’t any monsters loose in the hold, threatening to eat passengers. Next time, give “Sully” something tougher.
THOUSANDS of highly trained and carefully credentialed persons must “work the list” to safely move an airplane from “A” to “B”. It’s even MORE difficult when the plane carries passengers and/or cargo. It happens all day, every day. THAT is truly miraculous!
The truly sad part is that every single one of the survivors and their families today received multiple Fedex / UPS / Express mail packages from law firms offering their services.
I once represented the family [on unrelated issues] of a person killed in a public and well-publicized event, and the survivors received 137 overnight packages from law firms offering to ‘help’ with their grief. And that does not include the regular mail and priority mail.
Every one of those law firms is also sending out investigators to locate relatives and friends whom they might know so they can get some leverage in signing up clients.
Thankfully, the USAirways family and accident team in this accident has a simpler task – since everyone is alive and well. A few minor injuries. The worst thing they’ll need to do it help deal with the luggage loss issues. I can imagine the frustration of the passengers being victimized again when they get paid $1 for a pair of pants and $5 for a sweater or coat since they do not have receipts.
For those of you who do experience airline lost luggage, whether the normal or extreme variety, keep in mind that there is no real market for used business clothing so how and where will you go to replace the suits you had that are now destroyed. . . they are not worth what the airlines sez they are, they are worth you the two of you agree upon. Ot what you can prove in small claims court.
JRL@SFO.USA–a little harsh I would say. Yes he executed what he was trained to do and did it perfectly. But real life and a simulator are far removed. Most commercial pilots spend their career without a single major incident.
There were other options available, a return to LGA, trying to make it to EWR, or the obvious one that was selected.
Yes it is miraculous that so many cargo and pax carrying planes complete successful journeys, but even moreso when one goes wrong and has a happy ending. This very well could have been an Air Florida scenario!
John F Said, “a little harsh I would say”
Hardly harsh, not in the least!
After all, the co-pilot had OVER 30 hours flying that plane type! And the team had a full 3000 feet of descent to cover the “ditching checklist”, intended for a 30,000 foot descent. And he only had to clear skyscrapers, suspension bridges, and river traffic on one of the busiest waterways in the country. And the air temperature was well over 0 farenheit, hardly even “brisk” for hardy New Yorkers. And every January 1, “Polar Bear Clubs” across the country take a quick dip in 34 degree water. What’s the big deal? ;)
Thank you for this article. I can only pray that I never have to experience such a team in my life, but for those who have the misfortune of losing loved ones in accidents, it’s nice to know there are people in place for them to continue to receive information from. It would be so much worse if there were no one to contact, save the call center voice who doesn’t care and will only tell them to contact the PR department for information.