How Boeing Is Responding To Its Latest Crisis

Boeing is facing another crisis involving its 737 MAX. As reported yesterday by Forbes, the airline manufacturer has recommended that a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX airplanes be addressed before they fly again.

So far, in responding to the situation, Boeing appears to be doing the right thing, the right way, and for the right reasons—which is a marked improvement from how it responded to the crash of two of the planes in 2018 and 2019. Many PR experts considered the company’s management of that crisis a textbook example of what not to do in a crisis.

Best Practices

Here are some of the best practices for responding to and managing crisis situations, and how Boeing is measuring up at this early stage.

When You See A Problem, Say And Do Something About It

• On its website yesterday, the airplane manufacturer posted a statement about the matter.

Tell The Appropriate Authorities

• In that same statement, Boeing said, “We are working closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on this production issue.”

Immediately Notify Everyone Who Is Impacted

• The company noted on the website that, “We are also informing our customers of specific tail numbers [of the planes that are] affected...”

Explain What You Will Do

• As noted on the Boeing website, “....we will provide direction on appropriate corrective actions.”

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

Too Little Too Late?

Best practices not withstanding, Boeing’s latest actions may not be enough to make up for past mistakes.

Ronald Goldman is a veteran pilot and aviation accident attorney with the Baum Hedlund law firm. He has represented passengers injured or killed in airline accidents involving Boeing, including the crash of Lion Air Flight JT 610 on Oct. 29, 2018 into the Java Sea and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on Mar. 10, 2019 near Bishoftu, Ethiopia.

“The astonishing, potentially lethal, engineering mistakes that continue to plague the Boeing 737 MAX airplanes can’t help but tarnish a once-held reputation for safety,” he observed.

“It is getting so bad that the MAX is becoming the butt end of jokes: Does the MAX in its name stand for maximum trouble? It won’t be surprising to find that this blow to its reputation and credibility will follow Boeing into courtrooms around the country whether or not the lawsuit concerns a 737 or other airplane,” Goldman said.

Boeing’s Prior Mistakes

I posted a story last November about the return of the 737 MAX to service after being grounded for two years in the wake of two deadly crashes.

Robert Britton is an adjunct professor of marketing at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business where he teaches courses on crisis management. He is a former managing director of advertising and marketing planning for American Airlines, a job he started two weeks after 9/11. 

He said in November that “Boeing and the larger airline ecosystem have managed the crisis poorly. I teach courses in crisis management and for the past year I’ve used Boeing as an example of what not to do. Their disregard for best practices in crisis management has been disappointing. No sense of humanity, no visibility, no transparency. 

“And, perhaps worse, [they’ve made no] effort to tell the larger story – without minimizing the MAX crisis – that the company has been building increasingly safer and better aircraft for more than 100 years, and its design and engineering acumen, over that century, has helped airlines worldwide build a safety record that is truly astonishing,” Britton observed.

Lessons For Business Leaders

Pierre Subeh is the chief operating officer of marketing technology firm X Network. He said, “Boeing's response to this crisis can inspire business leaders to understand the importance of taking responsibility for potential mishaps and being courageous enough to take the necessary precautions needed... “ This approach he noted, “... will always guarantee the best outcome.”

According to Subeh, “... society respects and rewards brands and corporations who admit to their mistakes prior to an accident. Ensuring that they are always monitoring the safety of their aircraft fleets restores some security in the public's view.”