123 School Work

Northwest Airlines and the Detroit snowstorm

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  Problem Statement
  
  One of the fundamental problems that resulted in the catastrophic events that took place during the Detroit snowstorm was a breakdown of communications within Northwest Airlines. This breakdown was the result of inadequate systems both technical and structural. The airline's technical communication systems were unable to cope with the large volumes of traffic running through them whilst the flow of information through the various departments and ranks of the company was also deeply flawed.                
  
  This breakdown in communications was not only evident in the events of the night in question, it was also highlighted by the lack of awareness of emergency procedures that were in place, for example, the staff failed to recognise that the use of portable stairs for deplaning passengers is actually included in Northwest Airlines' 'irregular operations plan'. Whatever this plan consists of, it is obviously inadequate and obsolete as it was not enforced nor was it common knowledge amongst cabin crew and ground staff. This also uncovers gapping holes in the airline's staff training policy as does the fact that staff were actually encouraging passengers to complain and they also made disparaging remarks about their company in the presence of passengers.
       
  Northwest Airline's displayed a distinct lack of forward planning in that they lacked contingency plans, they failed to anticipate crew shortages and they failed to recognise and make use of the options available to them amidst the delays and confusion such as the use of other airlines' facilities which were readily available in many cases. Both during and in the wake of the incident, the airline failed to take responsibility for the mistakes that were made. At a management level there was no one that took ownership of the problems or that tried to offer an apology to staff and passengers. In fact, some Northwest Airlines executives claimed that there was nothing out of the ordinary in the levels of hardship experienced by the passengers during flights such as 1829...