Corporate Communication

Summary:

An unruly passenger forced a Continental Airlines flight traveling from Houston to Chicago to make an emergency stop in St. Louis on Sunday. Only 20 twenty minutes after Flight 546 departed from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, a flight attendant reported seeing a man run to the exit door in the front cabin stating that he had to get off the plane. Just as the he made it to the door, gripping the handle to open it, he was tackled to the floor by another passenger.

Tony Harris, the 60-year old U.S. Army Veteran who tackled the disruptive passenger, is being called a hero. Instinctively, he jumped from his seat and grabbed the man from behind and placed him in a “sleeper hold” after a long struggle. Once subdued, Harris handcuffed the passenger to a first-class seat where he, along with a flight attendant and another passenger, restrained the man until the plane landed in St. Louis.

A former Chicago Tribune reporter aboard the flight stated that she feared that it was a terrorist attack related to Osama bin Laden’s death. She stated that her “heart was pounding through her chest” and she described the incident as “the sound of terror:” She explained that loud screams filled the plane as passengers realized what was happening and rushed to assist.

Though Lynn Lunsford, FAA spokesperson, explained that it is virtually impossible to open the door of a pressurized aircraft while in flight, the pilot took no chances. After contacting Air Traffic Control, the flight was diverted to the closest airport and landed within 10 minutes.

Law enforcement agents met the plane at the gate and immediately took the suspect into custody. The passenger’s name has not been released, but he was identified as a 34-year-old man from Burbank, IL, a southwest suburb of Chicago.  When asked why he did it, he simply stated that he had a rough Mother’s Day.

The plane landed safely in Chicago a little over an hour after its scheduled arrival time with all 160 passengers.

Though few details about the incident have been disclosed, the FBI and airport police are investigating. Both FBI officials and Continental Airlines spokesperson, Julie King, state that there is no indication that the incident was an act of terrorism.

Continental’s reaction:

Continental’s flight was the second to be diverted on Sunday. Due to a security threat hours before this incident, Delta Airlines Flight 1706 from Detroit to San Diego was diverted to Albuquerque. As a Chicago based company, the Continental flight story headlined the homepages of many local media outlets. Details of this story also appeared on national news sites such as Yahoo!, Bloomberg News, and CNN.  The only place that the story did not appear was on Continental and United Continental Holdings’ websites. There has been no mention of the incident on the company’s website, Facebook or Twitter page. It doesn’t appear that Continental is hiding the story, as a spokesperson has commented to requests from media outlets. However, the company has neglected to make an independent statement through its own communication channels. Perhaps the airline decided against making a statement to avoid unnecessary panic. Perhaps, a diverted plane is not a matter of major news for the Continental. In my opinion, avoiding the subject is a mistake. 

In days following the death of Osama bin Laden, the public has shared fears of future terrorist attacks and retaliation. Seeing two security threats requiring emergency landings is a little too reminiscent of 9/11. It is a relief to know that authorities do not believe that there is a terrorist connection to either incident. However, a reassurance from the airline is needed. This is a missed opportunity for Continental, as the media and the public are both discussing the issue. Continental should tell its customers not to worry because the passenger was arrested and it was not a terrorist attack. It can tell the customers that the passenger would not have succeeded because it is impossible to open an airplane door due to the cabin pressure. Continental can even take the opportunity to applaud the pilot’s quick action to steer passengers to safety. There are many ways that Continental can communicate to the public. The point is they need to say something.