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PR disaster for American Airlines?

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  • Description

    Company grounds eight planes over loose seats, denies sabotage link

  • Duration 3:50
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Well American Airlines has grounded at least eight planes on reports it even more loose seats and it all comes -- that -- date accusations of sabotage.

Take a look at the video you can see -- kind of inspecting the seats and at least two planes earlier today.

American now confirms three related incidents and just last week during which rows of seats came loose from the floors.

Keep in mind that American is stuck in contract negotiations with the union representing its pilots less than a year after the company filed for bankruptcy and just last week.

One airline officials send an email to the unions saying.

There was evidence that some pilots were deliberately trying to damage the company by delaying departures or moving the planes too slowly.

But today a spokeswoman for American denied any sabotage linked to those blue seats the company released a statement today saying quote.

We are working very diligently to gather all the facts related to our 757.

Seats issue.

Joining us now public relations consultant -- side tell he is the president of the communications firm.

Emerald partners and author of the book rethinking reputation.

How PR trumps marketing and advertising.

In the new media world Frazier did you see it you know even though the FAA and American says there's no evidence.

Well sabotage the word sabotage.

Is gonna scare people from the American gate.

Down to the united -- yeah no it's not it's not gonna help -- is a good way not only to lose your reputation.

But to lose your company so they've got to nip this in the bud and as you say they've they they had two incidents.

They've taken they've grounded eight planes there is a report that this might have been a subcontractor.

Who is working on the seats.

Whatever the case is they've got to find it out and debt and debt announce what is happened because.

Unhinged seats.

And emergency landings and delayed flights are not exactly the ideal marketing position for an airline so they've got to.

Nip this in the -- and and and it's is serious problem.

Yeah it's very serious because even if this is not sabotage and when you talk about a PR perspective it's not sabotage Frazier you -- is it's sloppiness.

On the part of the maintenance workers and when you talk about airplanes at 35000 feet sloppiness is every bit as dangerous as sabotage and this is day is a reputation killer no of course and and pursue.

-- as you say is reality -- what they're involved in here and you mentioned it.

Is a serious game of chicken with the pilots they've got 101000 pilots who have no contract they want the airline to merge with the US there.

American is the third largest carrier in the country it's got four and a half billion dollars in cash and has revenues of two billion dollars a month it doesn't want to merge because the management -- its job but.

What they've got to be careful about his people seeing this on the front page on newscasts like this and saying rather than flying AA American Airlines we want to fly ABA.

Which means anybody -- un American and that's a problem.

And is a problem because you know the bottom line here is even -- American Airlines is safe which it still is very safe.

You know more more it's a hassle it's a hassle to fly because 33% of the time you gotta be late so.

You know how does American convince people -- still fly with what it has to do traces like the NFL that it's got to realize that the time has come to settle with the pilots first in public relations.

You fix the action first you can fix the performance so they got to sit down.

Knock out a new contract -- pilots and then start talking.

About working their way back to reliability.

With a better reputation.

I just thank goodness these are not replacement pilots into the real ones for your side tell -- to see you sir thank you thank you.

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