Journal spamming (with a purpose)
Jan. 13th, 2004 08:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojOK, I got this from the Media Relations lady at the airport. Anybody who's interested, please take a look, because I need feedback.
Hi again:
I appreciate your concern, however, we do indeed have procedures. The Ottawa Police have a detachment at the Airport, and are a very visible presence here. They are responsible for any and all safety concerns, including those of missing children.
Based on my understanding of the situation, a code Adam would never have been enacted in this situation, since they were not missing children, but in the care of a parent. I understand your fright and panic since you did not know of their exact whereabouts, however, they were not alone in the airport. In any case where children are separated from their parent(s), or in cases of attempted parental abduction, the police have documented procedures that are put into action.
Where flight information is concerned, there are 2 display terminals in the arrivals area of the terminal building; I'm not sure why you could not find them, nor why an Air Canada representative would make an irresponsible comment as was made to you regarding there being none. If the appropriate information is not displayed, it is because the airline has not provided airport personnel with the change. The same applies to the luggage carrousel information. We share your frustration and are working with the airlines to improve the exchange of information.
I've discussed the situation with the Infoguide coordinator, who has, in turn, discussed it with the particular individual with whom you interacted. Because the assigned ticket counters can change, the Infoguide volunteers do not have telephone numbers by which to contact the various airlines. Paging them may or may not have brought someone down to the arrivals level. She honestly thought that your most efficient source of information would be through discussion with an airline representative. We recognize that if she committed an error, it was in not contacting the police herself. New instructions to the corps of volunteers includes contacting the police immediately when presented with a customer who is as upset and frantic as you were. They will also be instructed that, where necessary, leaving a post to accompany someone in your situation to the airline counter would also be advisable and permissible.
Our volunteers know that if children were travelling without a parent, they would be in the care of airline representatives who would have paperwork signed by the parent(s), and would not be alone. Because your children were arriving on a flight, they would have to be with a parent, guardian, or with an airline representative who would bring them to you. I'm sharing this with you because you indicated that there was no way that the Infoguide could have known that the children weren't alone.
I'm relieved to know that there are procedures that are put into effect when they are needed. And, we now have further instruction for our Infoguides, who will hopefully handle a situation such as yours in a much more effective way in the future.
I've shared your concerns with the Director of Security, and the Director of Airline Operations who will use the case as a means of demonstrating what can happen when we don't have up-to-date information concerning flight times.
We take your concerns very seriously, and hope that you don't feel that we are minimizing the situation in any way. Should you wish to discuss any of these points further, please do not hesitate to contact me again.
Best regards,
Krista Kealey
Director, Communications & Public Affairs
Ottawa Airport Authority
Directeure, Relations mediatiques et affaires publiques
L'Administration de l'aeroport d'Ottawa
So.
I have no idea what to do. I'm too close to this to know if this is a good, reasonable answer and I'm being reactionary in wanting more from her, or if this is nothing but placating fluff and I'm an idiot for thinking, "Well, sure, that sounds reasonable," or anything in between. Any feedback would be welcome.
Later Edit: I should probably also explain that I told her I don't want an apology from anybody; I just want to know that this kind of thing won't happen again. I suggested the Code Adam thing, and indicated that it had bothered me that nobody seemed to know what to do about the situation. So that's part of where I'm coming from.
Hi again:
I appreciate your concern, however, we do indeed have procedures. The Ottawa Police have a detachment at the Airport, and are a very visible presence here. They are responsible for any and all safety concerns, including those of missing children.
Based on my understanding of the situation, a code Adam would never have been enacted in this situation, since they were not missing children, but in the care of a parent. I understand your fright and panic since you did not know of their exact whereabouts, however, they were not alone in the airport. In any case where children are separated from their parent(s), or in cases of attempted parental abduction, the police have documented procedures that are put into action.
Where flight information is concerned, there are 2 display terminals in the arrivals area of the terminal building; I'm not sure why you could not find them, nor why an Air Canada representative would make an irresponsible comment as was made to you regarding there being none. If the appropriate information is not displayed, it is because the airline has not provided airport personnel with the change. The same applies to the luggage carrousel information. We share your frustration and are working with the airlines to improve the exchange of information.
I've discussed the situation with the Infoguide coordinator, who has, in turn, discussed it with the particular individual with whom you interacted. Because the assigned ticket counters can change, the Infoguide volunteers do not have telephone numbers by which to contact the various airlines. Paging them may or may not have brought someone down to the arrivals level. She honestly thought that your most efficient source of information would be through discussion with an airline representative. We recognize that if she committed an error, it was in not contacting the police herself. New instructions to the corps of volunteers includes contacting the police immediately when presented with a customer who is as upset and frantic as you were. They will also be instructed that, where necessary, leaving a post to accompany someone in your situation to the airline counter would also be advisable and permissible.
Our volunteers know that if children were travelling without a parent, they would be in the care of airline representatives who would have paperwork signed by the parent(s), and would not be alone. Because your children were arriving on a flight, they would have to be with a parent, guardian, or with an airline representative who would bring them to you. I'm sharing this with you because you indicated that there was no way that the Infoguide could have known that the children weren't alone.
I'm relieved to know that there are procedures that are put into effect when they are needed. And, we now have further instruction for our Infoguides, who will hopefully handle a situation such as yours in a much more effective way in the future.
I've shared your concerns with the Director of Security, and the Director of Airline Operations who will use the case as a means of demonstrating what can happen when we don't have up-to-date information concerning flight times.
We take your concerns very seriously, and hope that you don't feel that we are minimizing the situation in any way. Should you wish to discuss any of these points further, please do not hesitate to contact me again.
Best regards,
Krista Kealey
Director, Communications & Public Affairs
Ottawa Airport Authority
Directeure, Relations mediatiques et affaires publiques
L'Administration de l'aeroport d'Ottawa
So.
I have no idea what to do. I'm too close to this to know if this is a good, reasonable answer and I'm being reactionary in wanting more from her, or if this is nothing but placating fluff and I'm an idiot for thinking, "Well, sure, that sounds reasonable," or anything in between. Any feedback would be welcome.
Later Edit: I should probably also explain that I told her I don't want an apology from anybody; I just want to know that this kind of thing won't happen again. I suggested the Code Adam thing, and indicated that it had bothered me that nobody seemed to know what to do about the situation. So that's part of where I'm coming from.
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no subject
Date: 2004-01-13 05:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-13 06:00 pm (UTC)But once again, I agree in thinking that they will not admit to anything that wouldn't 'look good'.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-13 06:39 pm (UTC)Other than that, it sounds strange to me that the InfoGuides couldn't call the airline - our Traveler's Assistance (MSP's term for what I'm guessing is the same exact thing) calls us all the time.
I think the thing they really did wrong was not take your concerns seriously to begin with - no matter what they personally thought, you had a problem and their job is to help you, not try to palm you off. At the very least, they could have picked up the intercom and paged someone.
My opinion (if you are interested) is that you probably got the best response you're going to get. I know that when I tried to mention this to my supervisor, she told me "Oh, it's a good idea, but you'd have an easier time trying to talk to a brick wall than to the MAC (Minneapolis Airports Commission)" Most major airports down here in th States wouldn't have even responded to you - or if they had, it would have been with a form letter that makes this one look sensitive and caring.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-13 06:49 pm (UTC)Since all turned out well within a reasonable amount of time, I think this is about as well as you can hope to do, unless you want to make a project out of it. At least they acknowledged you. I'm not sure what they're *required* to do when someone files a complaint, but my guess is that the action they've taken - although it may seem like ass-covering on their part - is discharging the letter if not the spirit of their responsibility.