The importance of a swift response to incidents such as the plane crash in Dubai is obvious, and that principle extends beyond the actions of the crew on board and the airport’s rescue teams. When an incident like this happens at the world’s busiest airport, there is a clamour for information from the public – and particularly from those whose loved ones are flying.
This demand for information never remains unfilled. If accurate and useful information is not forthcoming from official sources, the space is filled by speculation, rumour and outright fabrications. This helps nobody, particularly because officials then must expend time and energy correcting a farrago of baseless conjecture.
Thus, even as the Emirates crew and Dubai firefighters are being praised – and quite rightly so – for the speed and professionalism of their response that prevented a large-scale loss of life, we ought also to praise Emirates airline for its rapid response in providing timely and accurate information on social media and then on conventional news outlets.
The first posts on Twitter and Facebook to acknowledge there had been an accident were posted at 1.06pm, barely 20 minutes after the crash. A range of updates – identifying the flight involved and then the vital news that all the passengers and crew were safe – followed, after which Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed addressed reporters to reveal what the company so far knew and to candidly answer questions.
This rapid flow of useful information and commitment to transparency must be commended. For the case is that in this region, corporate communication offices far too often seem to believe that the best way to deal with bad news is to not communicate at all. (Rather ironic, no?) Our friends in the corporate comms business might want a few pointers from Emirates.