Pages: 4

This introduction provides readers with a thorough and captivating overview of a 35-year-plus career that introduces the reader to an insider’s view of the case studies revealed in this book. The following describes how the book brings clarity into the behind-the-scenes explorations into which organizations in the book achieved success in transportation events and shines a light on the stories behind the outcomes. Starting from the bottom in the industry with a foundation in regulation and then accident investigation, then branching out to industry across the globe, the book encompasses a network that covers not only accident investigations but also humanistic aspects. The text then goes to business with a government–industry interface while coming from a privileged perspective with a backstage pass.

Pages: 22

This chapter reveals the foundation managers use who have been perceived to have had successful outcomes stemming from tragedy; to customer service scenarios and less successful outcomes experienced by those who did not have a solid foundation in their management structure in training for these events. If there is a foundation that has been a proven success for others, it is beneficial to know what that is, to take what works, and to learn what has not worked to avoid repeating others’ mistakes. The results shown in case studies in later chapters will build on the foundation laid out in this chapter, and readers will understand the basic philosophy and principles of organizing a message and how to deliver it both internally and externally as well as domestically and internationally given the potential variables an organization may face. Reference will be made back to these strategies in later chapters.

Pages: 15

It is not enough to know what to say. One must know how to say it and that is what this chapter tells the reader. There are twenty-five techniques that tell you how to communicate and examples are given on how to put them together to convey a message. Using the foundation given in Chapter 1 and the twenty-five techniques in Chapter 2, the reader will get a very clear picture as to why some managers end up looking like successes and some as failures. Readers will see real-life scenarios as examples in each technique that occurred in case studies found in this book’s narratives from the transportation industry. These techniques are illustrated in each chapter, showing either where they are used or could have been. References will be made in later chapters showing different techniques in action.

Pages: 22

The world watched and waited when Malaysia Airlines MH370 disappeared in 2013 and not only the airline but also the government was criticized for how it handled the tragedy. Yet when Indonesia AirAsia QZ8501 crashed just months later, their CEO was praised for how he navigated the tragedy. Why was one airline criticized, and one airline praised when they both had the same training and should have had the same preparation as Malaysia had told the US government they had fulfilled all the family assistance expectations? Yes, the circumstances of their tragedies were different, but the humanitarian and communication requirements were not. The following chapter explores the efforts and strategies managers implemented before and after these events and it compares the differences to answer the question of why one airline was criticized and one was praised.

Pages: 31

Read the unbelievable story of how government managers required 4,000 subordinates to endure training over a period of ten years that resulted in harassment, humiliation, discrimination, and bullying of participants in order for them to advance through the ranks of management. This training cost taxpayers over US$5,188.847.00 (in 2024 prices) for that training and subsequent investigation that resulted in Congressional hearings and scathing media exposés. As traumatized participants recount to Congress their unbelievable experiences and resulting psychological damage that resulted in years of therapy and to some, hospitalizations, managers responsible refuse to accept what Congress characterizes as “an abuse of managerial discretion and startlingly poor judgement time and time again.” It took victimized employees to finally revolt to CNN for the story to break open and shockingly be brought to light ultimately landing one contractor in prison when repeated pleas to government managers for help fell on deaf ears.

Pages: 18

A tragic train crash on the route from Chicago to New Orleans was originally thought to have resulted in thirteen fatalities that left first responders searching the blazing wreckage that leaking diesel fuel had ignited. The rescuers sift the remaining wreckage piece by piece risking their lives looking for those still missing which everyone had assumed were fatalities based on misinformation. Infuriated by Amtrak’s inability to give an accurate passenger count along with an inaccurate assumption of fatalities, thus sending rescuers into a dangerous situation, the NTSB board member on site strongly criticizes Amtrak publicly by blaming them for the incorrect body count in the tragedy’s aftermath. The following chapter will explore how Amtrak managers handled this challenge along with their communication strategy in dealing with the affected agencies, Congress, and the public while finding out who was to blame for sending first responders to risk their lives based on misinformation.

Pages: 25

After a couple finds each other late in life and survives a near-death experience for one of them, they take an ocean cruise. Read the harrowing story in this chapter of a couple’s ocean crossing. After celebrating one partner’s birthday, the couple woke up thinking he had suffered a stroke midway across the Atlantic. Their fate was in the hands of the cruise line’s capable managers to handle things on board and beyond. The doctors kept him alive but with no diagnostic treatment onboard they were necessarily offloaded at the first stop in Africa. Expecting their insurance company to provide a life-saving emergency evacuation that their policy covered for further treatment, hopes were dashed when the company failed to deliver. Leaving the couple to make and finance up front their own arrangements, they ended up in Lisbon where the partner underwent necessary lifesaving brain surgery. Through this there were encounters that proved both heartening and discouraging. It is a story of disbelief, perseverance, and kindness.

Pages: 17

This chapter reveals how two companies who had different variables end up using solid strategies and looking good through being an exemplary model of leadership and management. The vice president of AirFrance had to use common sense based on the reality of his situation and he overrode an opposing manager’s long-standing corporate policy that had employees believe if they opposed it, they would be fired. It would have been damaging in this case, but common sense prevailed. This chapter explores why, contrary to policy, he decided that was the right thing to do. The other company had to ignore damaging speculation to work through culture and politics in the face of tragedy. A manager involved in the tragedy worked his way up to develop a complete and inclusive world-class accident investigation organization for the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia only to take his knowledge to the airline and become the safety manager. From there his professionalism led him to become the chief operating officer and ultimately the CEO where he led his company to be ranked as a world-class airline based on leadership, not advertising.

Pages: 15

This chapter describes one first officer (FO) who disagreed with his pilot when the pilot informed him he was not conforming to standard operating procedures. This led to an argument resulting in the first officer walking off the plane stranding the passengers, upsetting travel, and causing chaos at the airport for staff and passengers alike. When an FAA investigation revealed this happened for a standards rather than a safety issue, the pilots’ union, who should be the pilots’ most vocal mouthpiece, refused to present a message about what their standards policy might be or provide their own proactive pilot safety message when given the opportunity. It was a competing union and an investigator that pointed out that the FO was actually following procedures designed to put safety first, thus resetting the narrative. In the second part of the chapter after the fiery nosedive of a ValuJet aircraft into a marshy everglade that killed 110 passengers and crew, both the then-secretary of transportation, FAA administrator and ValuJet president said ValuJet was safe only to see the airline grounded weeks later. The following explores how the subsequent NTSB investigation and emotional hearing revealed concerned and overworked FAA investigators who had suggested the airline be recertified weeks before the tragedy; the causes for the crash led to the first-ever criminal indictments in an aviation crash in the United States.

Pages: 12

This chapter investigates the story of one international Asian airline who had an unfortunate tragedy in San Franciso. A fatal accident is always tragic but to make matters worse a local television station was the victim of a prank when someone reported the names of the Asiana flight crew phonetically and the television station, rushing to report them on air, failed to accurately verify them with the investigators. This caused an embarrassing situation for the airline and the Asian community as well as became fodder for late night comedy hosts. They blamed the NTSB for their failure to accurately verify the names. The prank was not the worst thing that happened when the airline became the first international carrier the US government fined US$500,000 for failing to meet their obligation under the Foreign Air Carriers Family Support Act, leaving the government, when speaking about the airline, to use phrases as the “failure” to publicize, “delayed” notification, and “insufficient” resources to assist the family members of passengers onboard although they had told the government they could meet their requirements.