Public Relations – Read about the following Public Relations (PR) disaster from Business Insider and then post your comments on how you, as an airport director, would avoid getting involved in this PR nightmare.

In early 2007, nine JetBlue flights at JFK airport were delayed for up to 10 hours because of serious inclement weather. Normally, this wouldn’t have resulted in much more than a few really irritated travelers, but in this case, JetBlue decided to keep its nearly 1,000 passengers trapped in the runway-bound planes for the entire time.According to CBS News, passengers described the experience as “horrific”. As snacks depleted and the bathroom situation grew unpleasant, people on the planes grew more and more upset that they were not being allowed to de-plane and walk to the terminal, which was within sight. They were only permitted to leave the aircraft when official airport vehicles  arrived to transport them to the terminal.JetBlue at first defended it’s decision, arguing that its passengers’ safety in the ice storm was top priority but the incident sparked government debate about passengers’ rights. According to Consumer Affairs, a week later, JetBlue announced its own “Passengers’ Bill of Rights”, which detailed different levels of compensation for varying types of delays, as well as a promise to de-plane passengers after five hours’ delay in the future. (Male, 2009) (Links to an external site.)

• Bill of Rights for Customers – JetBlue (Links to an external site.)  – JetBlue is dedicated to bringing humanity back to air travel. We strive to make every part of your experience as simple and pleasant as possible.

Read what your classmates have to say and comment on at least one. The format you use in the discussion forum is your choice; however, you are expected to write coherently, in full sentences, while paying close attention to spelling and grammar, and fully addressing the given assignment. Conventions of “online etiquette,” which include courtesy to all users, must be observed.