Reading Response
The audience that we are addressing in this letter is the passengers and customers of JetBlue during the winter storm that occurred and caused hundreds of delays and cancellations. Many of these people were stranded in airports or even runways for a number of hours. After reading articles on this topic and listening to passengers' videos, these people were not very happy with the situations that they were put in because of these issues. Being stuck in an airport not being able to get a flight out and not exactly sure what is going on is very frustrating for people especially when they have somewhere that they need to be.
In my letter I plan on first acknowledging the conditions that they had to go through and taking the blame for what happened. I then will apologize to these people and let them know that they will be compensated in some way for what they had to go through. I will also let them know of the changes that have been made to assure that this never happens again and tell them that I hope they will continue to still do business with our airline. The context for this letter will surround being sympathetic for what they had to go through and assure them that they will not have to deal with this situation again.
I found this video online of a passenger that did not seem to happy with the situation that she had to deal with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZkQYjciGzc&mode=related&search=
Comments
Reading Response Comment
The way you describe the set-up of your letter sounds very good. I like that you are planning to ask the passengers to continue to do business with JetBlue. I think this is very important to keep the customers. In my letter, I plan to address customers of JetBlue that weren't affected by the events of February 14-18, 2007. I know from experience that if I've heard bad things about a restaurant or had a bad meal at a restaurant, I most likely will not return to that restaurant. I think it is important to not only keep the customers of JetBlue that were affected but those customers that weren't affected but might change their minds from what they heard on the news.
I found the same video as you and I thought it was interesting that the woman named the video "JetBlue Hostage Crisis." I never would have described this situation as that because I didn't experience it. However, I can see where they would have felt like hostages because they couldn't do anything to change the situation they were in. They weren't in control and they didn't know any new information. I also liked that the woman described it as a nightmare when she boarded the bus. The video showed passengers when they finally got off the plane after 11 hours. It showed me more of how the passengers felt by actually seeing them and their reactions.
reply
I think it is very wise to consider the costumers that didn’t suffer during the crisis. I always thought that a combination of both apologies and assurance that it wouldn’t happen again could be the best way to handle the situation. Even though I agree with you and understand the reason why you prefer to address to the rest of the JetBlue costumers, I decided to write it to the ones who suffered that terrible experience because that is something everyone would like to hear. People that weren’t there and just heard from the news what happened must have imagined horrible things about the airline, as you must have done with the restaurant. But, your opinion can change once you hear the airline apologize and take actions to keep their clients after they were victims of their inefficiency. Remember that we are all open to give second chances, but first they need to prove to us they learned from the first one.
Comment
I think that the setup for your business letter sounds great. I intend to write mine in a similar way. Acknowledging the situation is a great first step toward regaining customer support. I also think that stressing the creation of the Customer Bill of Rights is important. Doing this shows that the company has acknowledged the situation and realized that there is a serious problem. It shows that the company is looking toward the future and attempting to live up to its reputation for outstanding customer service that it prides itself on. After watching your video, the importance of avoiding a “nightmare” (as the lady filming it said) can easily be seen.