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PR beyond the Smileys
MANILA — The undying brouhaha over Cebu Pacific’s attempt to boot out of its Hong Kong-Manila flight two passengers with disabilities is turning out to be a public relations nightmare for the Gokongwei-owned airline.
On December 23, 2009, teenager John Arvin Alcantara, a boy diagnosed with global developmental delay (Autism) and his mother Maritess were asked by the cabin crew to deplane, citing company regulations that a flight can have no more than one passenger with mental illness on board, and that this is for safety reasons.
By the time the Alcantaras boarded another child passenger with Down syndrome was already on the aircraft. The Alcantaras stood ground after an argument with the crew.
A Rough Ride
The flight proved to be “turbulent” even way after the plane landed in Manila. When media got word of what happened, the story of the Alcantaras came out and the condemnations poured in.
Cebu Pacific in its statement apologized to the families and said its cabin crew might have misinterpreted company (and government) regulation limiting the number of people with mental illness on a plane.
It also acknowledged that Autism and Down syndrome are not considered mental illnesses in the first place, and that the crew may have been misguided.
Apology not accepted
Of course the Alcantaras would not take a mere apology for the crew’s oversight. The family is suing big time. Advocates of the rights of Persons with Disability (PWD) have also rallied behind the Alcantaras describing the incident as a giant leap backwards, in an already uphill battle against discrimination.
In a statement, the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines Incorporated (DSAPI) said it would “extend its support to the family of the child with Down syndrome who was in the Cebu Pacific flight”—underlining that the incident should never happen to any PWD.
The group further said, “We, together with the Autism Society of the Philippines (ASP), the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) group of Architect Jimmy Silva, ADHD Support Group and others regularly give seminars, in partnership with the SM Committee on Disability Affairs, to SM Malls all over the country. These seminars help familiarize its managers and store personnel on the different disabilities and how best to assist these special customers.”
The SM Experience
In 2004, store personnel of one of the SM malls in the country allegedly mishandled an Autistic teenager. After the dust settled, SM was left with a major corporate learning which paved the way to the creation of the SM Committee on Disability Affairs. The SMCDA looked for more ways for the company to be responsive to the needs of PWD. Since then the company actively promoted the welfare of PWD as it worked closely with various groups to improve special customer service.
“We can offer this to Cebu Pacific and other service-oriented companies to better understand how positive behaviors can make a big difference in the world of Persons with Disabilities,” the DSAPI statement said.
Corporate Social Responsibility is key
It is already moot and academic that the crew misinterpreted policy. On its own, Cebu Pacific would have to deal with this in succeeding trainings. What the incident brought upfront is something that’s lacking in many of our country’s corporations— Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR.
Many Filipino companies are still in customer service mode, meaning—customer relations are intended only to attract clients and generate outright sale.
While traditional customer service helps companies rake in profits using a pleasing face (or personality) at the front line, CSR takes customer relations a few notches higher by tackling issues like: What more can a company do to serve its customers? Is the company doing everything to understand and provide for its customers’ current or future needs? How does the company make life better for its customers?
CSR may not generate sales right away (and may even cost the company a small investment at first) but it sure builds a far more important corporate commodity than daily revenue—- Customer Affinity or Loyalty.
And it’s been known that companies with loyal customers are assured of the enticing prospects of profitability en route to a loftier dream of business longevity.
