STAR ALLIANCE
THAI backtracks on 'Crisis Communication Rule'
The Nation


Photo : Suphakit Khumkun

BANGKOK: -- Star Alliance network has denied a claim by Thai International Airways, one of its members, that it has a policy of obscuring the logo of a plane in case of accident, CNN reported Tuesday.

A THAI flight from Guangzhou in China skidded off the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport as it attempted to land on Sunday night, slightly injuring 13 passengers.

After the accident, CNN published a photo showing workers on a crane painting over the Thai Airways logo on the tail and body of the aircraft in black.

The Guardian online quoted in its online version a Thai Airways official, Smud Poomon, who said blurring the logo after an accident was a recommendation from Star Alliance known as the "crisis communication rule", meant to protect the image of both the airline and other members of Star Alliance.

The Star Alliance spokesman for the airline group, Markus Ruediger, told CNN, "The Star Alliance crisis communications policy does not state that logos are to be covered," in the event of an accident.

Thai Airways later issued a statement "clarifying" its policy.

"Though Thai generally practices the deidentifying of an aircraft after an incident ... the company also clarifies that this is not a Star Alliance policy," CNN reported.


-- The Nation 2013-09-10

Hahahaha! Someone obviously got their bottom slapped.

Just another little white lie.

Lies, lies, and more damned lies . . . when will it ever end?

Star Alliance gave senior Thai Airways people a realisation talk. Typical loss of Face they do not want to face the accident so try and block it out and not take responsibility and think that Star Alliance are idiots so blame the farangs. The longer I stay in Thailand the longer I find it easier to predict what Thai's will say and do. Blame the farang now there's a saying especially if you have a traffic accident. Having watched nearly all the series of "Air Crash Investigations" I have never seen a logo blocked out, but there again this is amazing Thailand.

Lies, lies, and more damned lies . . . when will it ever end?

Another fine example of the first rule of speaking officially in Thailand - " open mouth without engaging brain ".

It might also help if they did not use black paint, you would think if it is Thai's policy to de-identify their planes after an incident, They would have proper paint colors as to not make it stand out like a sore thumb.

Edited September 10, 201312 yr by dcutman

In a faraway time, on the day Thais realize the world isn't stupid, they're going to be quite embarrassed.

In the meantime, shame on them for always bringing shame upon themselves.

Just another little white lie.

Someone lost a face as big as a dinosaurs ass!

Lies, lies, and more damned lies . . . when will it ever end?

Another fine example of the first rule of speaking officially in Thailand - " open mouth without engaging brain ".

It's the whole "face" thing once again and the never taking responsibility for anyone's actions. It needs to change.

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/safety/77024-thai-330-runway-incident.html

Why not use one of those blobs like they do when someone smokes on Thai television?

The Thai propensity to make up something and state it as a fact is quite worrying. They simply do not seem to recognise the difference between truth and lies and are quite willing to say anything, no matter how ridiculous or easy to disprove.

Hub of lies

Pegas and other tour bus operators should take a page from Thai's book and "deidentify" their buses after accidents.

Lies, lies, and more damned lies . . . when will it ever end?

Mmmmm let me think about that. Oh I know.......... NEVER

To label the attempt to cover up as "deidentifing" may beome a new byword for the present practice by many of those in leadership positions.It did come across that this is standard reaction by the national carrier, doubt that the practice has been too successful, no matter what the orginal intent may have been.

Having watched nearly all the series of "Air Crash Investigations" I have never seen a logo blocked out, but there again this is amazing Thailand.

Indeed. My understanding from the same programme is that after an accident the plane is treated almost like a crime scene i.e nothing should be moved or touched until we gather evidence as to how it happened.

Hard to work out for a crane and a team of workers with black paint fits into that.

Hub of porky pies

Hahahaha! Someone obviously got their bottom slapped.

OK, fellow,s.

Please be realistic.

How were the " injury " of the passengers ?

I don,t believe this are any thing to speak about.

They were send out after a short check out.

Cannot be anything to complain about.

Let,s wait to se what were the problems, or what goes wrong, before blaim Thai.

As I understand there are a lot of rain and windshear, on this airport, just this time of the year.

Thai record of incidents, read safety, are around the highest in western world.

As I can se on the pictures the aircraft, have just set down the front landing gear, maybee outside of the runway.

This should not be any bigger concern for a modern airliner.

Maybe the "passenger " try to get economy compensation, from Thai?

Lets wait and se if I are wrong, or when the investigation are ready.

Airbus Industry have send their own investigators, and will for sure, release the result, soon.

Hahahaha! Someone obviously got their bottom slapped.

OK, fellow,s.

Please be realistic.

How were the " injury " of the passengers ?

I don,t believe this are any thing to speak about.

They were send out after a short check out.

Cannot be anything to complain about.

Let,s wait to se what were the problems, or what goes wrong, before blaim Thai.

As I understand there are a lot of rain and windshear, on this airport, just this time of the year.

Thai record of incidents, read safety, are around the highest in western world.

As I can se on the pictures the aircraft, have just set down the front landing gear, maybee outside of the runway.

This should not be any bigger concern for a modern airliner.

Maybe the "passenger " try to get economy compensation, from Thai?

Lets wait and se if I are wrong, or when the investigation are ready.

Airbus Industry have send their own investigators, and will for sure, release the result, soon.

What'd he say ?????

Is that statement defacing ?????

Yes but who is going to blamed! for the decision to paint?

Amazing how big this has blown up. What could have been small media coverage with faulty landing gear turned into HUGE negative world wide coverage. How could anyone think that covering up a logo will be enough to hide the accident. lol

this thing is increasingly becoming a PR disaster for Thai, so stupid!

Thai officials always muck up after a crisis and make things worse. Thainess

Hahahaha! Someone obviously got their bottom slapped.

Like Kittarat always says, "it was just a little white lie to protect the people".

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20130908-0

Hahahaha! Someone obviously got their bottom slapped.

OK, fellow,s.

Please be realistic.

How were the " injury " of the passengers ?

I don,t believe this are any thing to speak about.

They were send out after a short check out.

Cannot be anything to complain about.

Let,s wait to se what were the problems, or what goes wrong, before blaim Thai.

As I understand there are a lot of rain and windshear, on this airport, just this time of the year.

Thai record of incidents, read safety, are around the highest in western world.

As I can se on the pictures the aircraft, have just set down the front landing gear, maybee outside of the runway.

This should not be any bigger concern for a modern airliner.

Maybe the "passenger " try to get economy compensation, from Thai?

Lets wait and se if I are wrong, or when the investigation are ready.

Airbus Industry have send their own investigators, and will for sure, release the result, soon.

I am sorry to burst your bubble, but it was just a few months ago that I was reading about safety records of airlines around the world. Thai air was very close to the bottom of the list.

It's not something unique to THAI. From here:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/09/thai-airways-logo-crash-etiquette

Described by a Thai Airways official following yesterday's incident as the "crisis communication rule", there have been several occasions in the past when airlines have rushed to paint over a plane's livery following a crash. Take the Alitalia crash in February this year, when the ATR-72 plane veered off the runway in Rome, injuring 16 people. Giancarlo Schisano, Alitalia's director of operations, described the scramble to black out the airline logo as a "routine practice used all over the world". Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, he said: "Blocking out a carrier's livery is a normal way of protecting a company's reputation, and even more in this case, because it is not an Alitalia plane." Indeed, despite being originally coated in red, white and green , the plane was leased from a Romanian budget airline, Carpatair. No surprise then, that the only marking left on the plane by workmen was a small Romanian flag.

Hahahaha! Someone obviously got their bottom slapped.

OK, fellow,s.

Please be realistic.

How were the " injury " of the passengers ?

I don,t believe this are any thing to speak about.

They were send out after a short check out.

Cannot be anything to complain about.

Let,s wait to se what were the problems, or what goes wrong, before blaim Thai.

As I understand there are a lot of rain and windshear, on this airport, just this time of the year.

Thai record of incidents, read safety, are around the highest in western world.

As I can se on the pictures the aircraft, have just set down the front landing gear, maybee outside of the runway.

This should not be any bigger concern for a modern airliner.

Maybe the "passenger " try to get economy compensation, from Thai?

Lets wait and se if I are wrong, or when the investigation are ready.

Airbus Industry have send their own investigators, and will for sure, release the result, soon.

By the tone of your post, I am guessing you are Thai?? I am quite happy about that, it is good that we have all perspectives shaping attitudes here.

I would like to see the spokespersons name in large type who told that porky pie about Star Alliance policy number one. Number two, I would love to read the statement from the captain, who I believe has done a great job. I have to say, none of what I have read or heard would prevent me from flying with this carrier. I am also disturbed at the unsubstantiated rumours about unprofessional conduct by the flight/cabin crew, I just do not believe it.

Please, find an official to substantiate those comments, not some hysterical passenger please. Let us get a little balance in the equation please.