Security forces get high marks for handling of hijack crisis - JamaicaObserver.com

Security forces get high marks for handling of hijack crisis - JamaicaObserver.com


Canjet Attempted Hijacking

Date of Incident. April 20, 2009

Summary:
On Sunday, April 19, 2009, a Canjet plane scheduled to depart Montego Bay, Jamaica for Canada via Cuba, was held hostage by a man. The hijacker, later identified as 21-year-old Stephen Fray, eluded security measures Sunday night before brandishing a handgun and allegedly demanded money from the passengers while requesting that he be flown to Cuba. According to reports, all passengers were subsequently released by Fray after he received cash, but six crew were held hostage until the standoff ended early Monday morning.

News articles on incident and date within the first 10 articles under Google search.
1. en.wikipedia.org no date
2. www.flyertalk.com April 20, 2009
3. www.airliners.net April 20, 2009
4. www.facebook.com April 21, 2009
5. www.servinghistory.com May 13, 2009
6. www.alpha.org no date
7. www.network.nationalpost.com May 8, 2009
8. www.sandiegoaccountantguide.com May 16, 2009
9. www.trurodaily.com May 9, 2009
10. www.yardee.com no date

Summary of Crisis Communication Response:
The Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding and other Government ministers, as well as officials from the tourism sector, visited and spoke with the passengers and crew apologized for the incident and presented them with souvenirs before their departure on a 4:35pm flight.
Daryl Vaz, who has responsibility for information, told the Observer that after Fray was captured by Jamaica Defence Force soldiers he was found with Can$8,500 and US$500.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also praised the CanJet crew as well as the Jamaican security forces for resolving the hostage drama without violence. Harper, who is in Jamaica on an official visit, offered his congratulations for the "safe relief of the passengers and crew" at a joint press conference with Golding at the VIP Lounge at the Sangster International Airport
Airports Authority of Jamaica’s responded: "We are not aware of anything yet," as per chairman of the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) Earl Richards adding that he was in a meeting with Transport Minister Mike Henry to discuss the incident.
In the wake of the incident, one CanJet official on CNN yesterday morning quickly distanced his company from any impropriety, suggesting that the hijack resulted from a failure of the airport and not of his airline.
Kent Woodside, vice president of the Halifax-based CanJet, lauded the airplane's crew, saying that staff was trained to deal with hijackings. He added that the fact that everyone got off the Boeing 737 unharmed showed that their training worked. "I'm just so proud how they dealt with it all," he told a news conference reported in his Halifax, Nova Scotia, hometown. According to the report, Woodside said that the airline would work with officials in Jamaica to determine how the man, described as having "mental issues," was able to storm the aircraft armed with a gun.
Sandals Resorts’ response on the following day was to offer a one-week all expense paid vacation to the 159 passengers and eight crew members of the CanJet airline that was hijacked at the Sangster International Airport Sunday night. The gesture was announced by Sandals CEO Adam Stewart during a visit to the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort in this resort city where some of the passengers and crew were being housed, following the ordeal. Stewart, who said the package would cost the hotel chain US$600,000, noted that the offer can be taken up at any of its properties across the island. “We want to make this kind gesture on behalf of our team members and in fact, on behalf of all of Jamaicans," Stewart told the Jamaica Observer. Added Stewart: "What the passengers and crew have gone through is not easy and we want to show our appreciation." Canada, he noted, provides the Sandals chain with 23 per cent of its business.

Timing:
The entire ordeal in which the hijacker engaged in a standoff, lasted approximately eight hours. During this period and within less than two hours after the incident started, there were worldwide reports on CNN and BBC with responses from the airline, the Jamaican Government, the Jamaican Police and the Airport documented in the local and international media. Most of the documented responses in the media by institutions of individuals directly affected by the ordeal were identified on the day following the incident. Within one day, the CEO of a hotel chain communicated to the media and the passengers about an offer of a free vacation at any of the member hotels.

Technique:
Government officials had face to face dialogue with the passengers affected, apologizing for the incident and offering Jamaican Souvenirs. While the incident was ongoing, the Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding arrived by helicopter at the scene, to attempt negotiations with the hijacker and reassure the passengers who by that time were already released.
A Press Conference was held on the day following the incident in which Government officials, the airport, the police and representatives from the Tourism Industry spoke with the media.

Tone:
The tones identified were as follows:
Apologetic – acknowledging guilt, depicting apology, saying sorry
Explanatory – explaining what happened, how it happened, contextualizing the details
Defensive – deliberate effort to dissociate company or individual from any wrongdoing
Dismissive – trivializing event, or indicating that there is no crisis
New Media Technology. For the purpose of this case study, it is useful to highlight that this ordeal was first learnt of within an hour after the ordeal started by Blackberry Facebook status updates:
One status update by Latoya S. on April 21 at 12:36am stated “Jamaican hijacker take over plane in Montego Bay…Montego Bay under lockdown? Say it aint so!”
Her next update on April 21 at 12:50am stated: “Shots Fired on the Plane, white Jamaican male holding Montego Bay Airport hostage”
Another status update by Karen L on April 21 at 12:39am stated: “Hijack in Montego Bay to rass, what the hell is going on!”
As a commentary on the use of new media, when news of the crisis just unfolded, a cellular phone was used to call Superintendent of Police, Delroy Hewitt who was on duty in Kingston Jamaica and he confirmed that there was indeed a hijacking in Montego Bay however it was still going on and “details are sketchy” (personal communication, April 21, 2009). By that time, details were beginning to emerge via Facebook.
Throughout the rest of the day all updates on the incident for the purpose of this research were received via Facebook updates and via Blackberry internet whereby websites such as cnn.com, Radio Jamaica.com, Jamaica-Gleaner.com and msnbc.com were accessed.

Discussion:
The crisis was not handled well by the all responders as there seemed to have been no clear spokesperson for the Government. While Daryl Vaz gave an update it was still unclear that the statements were on behalf of all in the Government because while Vaz trivialized the event to the careless young ‘lad’, the prime minister was reported to have gone on site to negotiate with the hijacker, further spiraling national attention.
Canjet’s response was disappointing. Before distancing themselves from the incident and pointing fingers to an obvious breach in security, the airline should have first become human and express regret for the occurrence while expressing gratitude that lives were spared and there were no injuries. The airline could have also empathized with the passengers’ psychological trauma and like Stewart’s offer of accommodation, it would have been useful to use the opportunity for marketing and offer the return trip free of charge and discounts to future passengers to Jamaica.
With that said, Stewart’s offer of a free accommodation of one week vacation spoke volumes to the kind of crisis communication response that deflects negative attention from an otherwise traumatic experience. This is an example of crisis communication response at its best with his release to the media that “this kind gesture was on behalf of our team members and in fact, on behalf of all of Jamaicans.”