Crisis Communications lessons from the 2024 Boeing crisis

The once-pristine reputation of Boeing tumbled once again in January when an Alaska Airlines door panel blew off in mid-flight, endangering passengers. Following the deadly crashes of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft five years ago, “Boeing spent billons of dollars to make its products safer and repair its reputation,” according to the New York Times. The new 2024 door development scrambled Boeing’s brand and reputation even further. What are some takeaways?

The Golden Hour

Speed in response tops the list in responding publicly to a crisis, but being fast doesn’t mean rushing out confusing critical issues with partial information.

For a short period – particularly if a company or organization has an established positive reputation – the public (including stakeholders and markets) will briefly wait for important information to materialize for the company to tell its story.

Typically, if a company is transparent and forthcoming, key media and stakeholders will continue to regard the company as a reliable and trusted source. Crisis communication pros sometimes call this the “Golden Hour.” However, inordinate delay can flatten this opportunity. If that happens, the key reputation narrative can spin beyond the company’s receding credibility.

A key consideration? The company’s response – or lack of response – will be judged. The fact that much of society reflects a low trust environment can complicate things.

How challenging can such a loss portend? In 2019, the magnitude of Boeing’s global crisis was so widespread that it even rattled the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In the wake of rising anxiety over the two 737 Max deadly crashes and an initial stoic Boeing response, falling Boeing shares brought down the influential 30-stock index by nearly 100 points in late March 2019.

How can Boeing recover from a global crisis in trust?

Back in 2019, fueled by an initial narrative where Boeing mostly was passively silent, British tabloids quickly tagged the 737 Max as Boeing’s “death jet.” Collapsing confidence and trust led nervous investors to initially trim some $20 billion from Boeing’s market value.

What will be the fallout from the current crisis, especially when Boeing again seemed slow in responding?

How Not to Handle a Crisis

Essentially building an ongoing case study on how not to handle crisis communications, Boeing first issued tepid and faceless statements in 2019 and didn’t fare much better in 2024. Various sources reported widely that Boeing didn’t seem to know what to do, flattening confidence in an industry that lives on trust and confidence.

Experts noted that the dry statements seemed to be written jointly by a lawyer and an engineer. No empathy. No assurances, No proactive statements promising action and building confidence. No credible compassion. No video of the Boeing CEO striding aboard a 737 Max to confidently demonstrate its airworthiness firsthand.

What could have been done?

Back when this author was first certified in crisis communications while living in Los Angeles some 30 years ago, the maxims for effectively dealing with a crisis were plain. They are not easy, but they are necessary.

Over the past three decades, they have proved their value. They played a major role in this author professionally assisting a $1 billion subsidiary of GM deal with looming crisis, in helping an international non-profit organization survive made-up bogus ethics allegations, in aiding a long-standing technology company to weather an economically driven reduction in workforce, and more.

Are you ready for when things go to pieces?

How does your company or organization measure up for a possible crisis? Consider these critical principles:

• Be prepared in advance (identify potential crises and establish a plan for dealing with them; media train key executives and spokespeople; ensure that your plan has a social media element)
• Tell the truth when a crisis hits (even when it hurts)
• Get control of the narrative by earning it; be transparent and emphatic
• Understand that silence is passive and implies guilt
• Remember that nature abhors a vacuum – in the absence of credible information, people will make it up
• In the 21st century, communication (particularly through social media) is instant and often shapes the narrative – “citizen journalists” will circulate their own stories, often much faster than traditional media
• Sustain trust with action – some 90% of perception comes from what the public sees an organization actually doing (including being silent or passive). Only 10% comes from what the company says.
• Conduct forward-looking public relations as if the whole enterprise depends on it – because it does. If your company has a trust bank full of credible goodwill when crisis hits – and all organizations will likely experience some sort of crisis – the odds of surviving are much higher
• Build and sustain positive relationships with your stakeholders – you will need them (and it’s just good business)
• Your culture and your people directly reflect the character of your company or organization – what does that look like today?
• Calm patience is a virtue in the face of withering criticism (especially if you have your ducks in a row)

When a door blows off an in-flight aircraft or 346 people die badly, including 19 United Nations staff members, long-lasting fears erupt.

Once again, Boeing faces a long road back. In this modern age, people are quick to mistrust and believe the worst. Trust must be earned and reestablished. Platitudes, like “safety is a core value,” are meaningless unless they’re backed up by action.

Flying puts people and heavier-than-air planes in an unnatural environment. Trust is the reason people get on them.

Safety and the Boeing Brand

Boeing was once a brand equated with safety. Time – and sustained action – will tell if Boeing can recover its once-pristine and coveted brand as the industry’s leader in safe flight.

Meanwhile, is your company or organization truly prepared? Think about it.

Michael Snyder, managing principal of MEK, was professionally certified in crisis communications while working Los Angeles in 1986. He has since successfully counseled numerous clients, companies and organizations on how to prepare for and survive a crisis (including serving on the faculty of Pepperdine, the University of Indianapolis, and other universities).