Jazz Thomas Cook and the Lost Art of Corporate Communications

My family and I travelled to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico for a one week all-inclusive vacation the week of Christmas for a much needed rest. The resort - the Occidental Grand Nuevo Vallarta - was fantastic. However, the flight to get there was a nightmare. Our carrier was Jazz Thomas Cook, which I believe is operated by Air Canada.

While delays can be expected at this time of year due to weather and traffic, however, poor communication regarding the reason and length of the delay cannot be excused, particularly in this era of instant communication - the internet, email, bbm, sms, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 9 am EST on December 23, 2011. We dutifully showed up at the airport 2 hours ahead of the departure time to check in. We were advised that the flight was on time and we were excited to start our vacation.

At 8:30 am or so, we were advised by the gate attendant that the flight was to be delayed due to unidentified equipment issues. By 10:30 am, it was announced that the flight was delayed until 9 pm and that we should go home until 7 pm. We were offered taxi/limo vouchers, on which the telephone numbers of a limo company and Jazz Thomas Cook were handwritten for our convenience. We were told to check the Jazz Thomas Cook website or call the number that had been provided to us. We weren't happy about the delay, but could understand that safety must come first. So, off we went home.

As the time for departure from home to go back to the airport approached, I attempted to find out whether the flight was still departing at 9 pm. I went to the Jazz Thomas Cook website, but could not find any information about our flight. (Either it wasn't there or the site was impossible to navigate.) I then called the number that I was given. After navigating through the usual menu of options and sub options, I finally got to the recording for "Today's Departures", which said that there were no departures today and promptly hung up. Finally, I checked the Greater Toronto Airport Authority website, which said that the flight was still departing at 9 pm. So, off we went back to the airport.

Upon arriving at the airport and finding the gate, the posting at the gate said that the flight was still leaving at 9 pm. However, as time went by it became apparent that 9 pm was no longer realistic as no plane had arrived. Finally, at 9 pm the flight number and departure time disappeared from the board at the gate, with no update. The passengers at this point got very agitated as there had been no public announcement about our flight since we were sent home at 10:30 am that morning. The GTAA employee at the gate either didn't know anything or was stonewalling for some reason. The natives continued to get more and more restless.

Rumours starting circulating that there was going to be an unscheduled stop in Windsor, Ontario (of all places). The GTAA employee (whose name was Brenda, with no last name) continued to stonewall. Eventually the plane arrived and was boarded without any explanation for the delay. When asked whether it was true that we were stopping in Windsor, Brenda refused to answer and simply said that the captain would provide us with the flight plan update.

Once on board, we finally took off at 11 pm, some 13 hours after the scheduled departure time. We did stop in Windsor for fuel (apparently, this plane with its load couldn't make it to Puerto Vallarta from Toronto).

The bottom line is that Jazz Thomas Cook treated us like mushrooms in the dark for over 12 hours. There was absolutely no meaningful communication with the passengers for a ridiculously long time and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Passengers, particularly Canadian passengers, are inherently reasonable. Had Jazz Thomas Cook opted to provide us with periodic updates as to the status of the flight, a lot of angst and anger that was directed at the carrier and GTAA staff could have been avoided. I am told that this is typical communication protocol for most airlines. We have all heard horror stories about passengers stuck on a plane for 7 or 8 hours without food, water, restrooms, access to the gate or an explanation. I just don't get it.

The prevailing wisdom elsewhere in business regarding corporate communication is to get out in front of the issue (think about the way Michael McCain handled the listeria crisis a couple of years ago). Why do airlines treat the passengers with such disrespect? Jazz Thomas Cook has a lot to learn about corporate communication best practices.