PR Challenge

The NAACP has advised African-American travelers to avoid American Airlines. The rights organization has cited several incidents in which the airline’s personnel have acted badly when dealing with black passengers. American Airlines is upset over the advisory and publicly noted its disappointment. It is now a PR challenge for the carrier to show the African-American community that it has no bias against any of its passengers. This is more than messages to the media. It extends to gate personnel and airplane staff who need to be sensitized to the situation.  One outcome is that airline personnel will “walk on eggshells” to avoid upsetting African-Americans. That is not desirable either. All passengers should be treated equally without bias to any group. What this calls for is training. One hopes American Airlines is doing it.