EP 44 American Airlines plane collision at Reagan National Airport - review of initial communications response

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On January 29, an American Airlines commuter plane collided with an Army Blackhawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport. All aboard both aircraft were killed, in what is our nation's worst airline incident in 11 years. 

How did American Airlines manage early communications around this horrific incident, a worst case scenario for any airline? We walk through the company's initial communications response to understand how they chose to speak to families of those who were on the plane, their employees involved in the response, and other stakeholders. We review their initial messaging and approaches to see what messaging they used and which channels they chose to deliver it.

Hosts Tom Mueller and Marc Mullen are joined by PR practitioner Destin Singleton, APR to discuss their early assessment. Destin is principal at Emic Communications, a strategic communications consultancy. Find her at emiccomms.com.

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