EPISODE 5: Nothing to Declare - Airline(s) Meltdown - Southwest, Westjet, and Sunwing Holiday Failures

In this Episode, Mark and Brady explore the Holiday Airline mayhem that gripped North America.

Discount Canadian Airlines Sunwing and Westjet stranded passengers and lost baggage. In the US, Southwest - an airline renowned for customer service, culture, and profitable performance - cancelled an enormous level of flights, and ultimately revealed major failings of underinvesting in communication technology.

In all cases these airlines failed on the front of following crisis communications best practices, with spotty and slow responses. The Southwest failure resonated so deeply that it featured in a lead sketch in a Saturday Night Live Sketch.

Tune in to hear what went wrong (and right) in terms of these corporate communications. Will these brands ever recover? How?

Also, check out these supporting articles if you want to dig a bit deeper:

SUNWING

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sunwing-cancun-mexico-flights-1.6697993#:~:text=228-,Hundreds%20of%20Canadians%20stranded%20in%20Cancun%2C%20Mexico%2C%20after%20their%20Sunwing,in%20sight%20to%20their%20ordeal.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/inhumane-sunwing-passenger-recounts-scene-at-mexico-airport-after-being-stranded-on-christmas-eve-1.6209223

WEST JET

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/passenger-told-to-find-own-flight-after-westjet-cancellation-leaving-her-stuck-in-calgary-1.6206608

SOUTHWEST

https://www.yahoo.com/news/southwest-airlines-ceo-described-mondays-111751666.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADMZn8eQaR4R1SWRvNJj62r5EGYan6rbvMv01J_V7nj9O6_snYu_sm5Qz5reR0xmkwnjuOOrRxAj9j9t3CMFXpjr_DgfpJGQC5fAhGvJIFLeIjH8A1dkVTSp5Su-SCN4QYxyvVbHytone4WPN1BZ74YKqPE-BAgpV-GuK6VbMdGX

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/27/business/southwest-flights-canceled-travel.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/28/us/southwest-airlines-canceled-flights.html#:~:text=the%20main%20story-,Southwest's%20Woes%20No%20Longer%20'Weather%2DDriven%2C'%20Transportation%20Secretary,days%20before%20normal%20service%20resumed.&text=As%20a%20subscriber%2C%20you%20have,can%20read%20what%20you%20share.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/28/travel/southwest-airlines-flight-cancellations.html#:~:text=Because%20Southwest%20is%20the%20largest,dozens%20of%20cities%2C%20he%20said