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While most Americans have been tuning in to outlets such as CNN, MSNBC and other commercial and cable networks for the latest updates on airline security since September 11,
airline industry players have kept their eyes on Air Safety Week, an insider's B2B newsletter and (in the spirit of full disclosure) a sister pub to PR NEWS. Managing Editor
David Evans, formerly an aviation correspondent for the DC bureau of The Chicago Tribune, joined the publication five years ago and has since become a definitive go-to source for
the mainstream media on matters of airline safety and security.
Content/Contacts
Subscribers include safety officials at the airlines, senior staff at avionics manufacturers, top brass at government agencies, industry suppliers and lawyers. Under Evans'
leadership, the publication has evolved from a bulletin board of accident reports and FAA regulatory activity to a trade bible offering investigative pieces and in-depth analysis.
Security issues have taken center stage in the wake of September 11. "We're careful to avoid emotionalism and data-free finger pointing; nonetheless, it's important to show where
past efforts and recommendations either were ignored or implemented half-heartedly," Evans says. David Evans: 301/354-1822; [email protected]. Send press releases to Assistant Editor Eric Grasser: [email protected].
Pitch Tips
The most useful overtures lately, per Evans, have come from companies offering solutions to the aviation security crisis. "At least three companies have presented concepts for
bullet-proof, knife-proof and entry-proof cockpit doors, and some have been quite innovative," he says. Given that the weekly goes to press every Friday, Mondays and Tuesdays are
the best days to contact Evans with story ideas. Call on Wednesday or Thursday mornings only with breaking news. Aviation editors are currently keen on cultivating security
experts, "with aviation law as a second-order item." But Evans is wary of legal types, and knows enough not to get sandbagged by potential ambulance chasers. "Many lawyers are on
an energetic hunt for clients," he notes. "I'm more focused on the problem and the solutions."
Comments
While much of the pub's coverage focuses on hardware matters, human angles have also found a place in recent issues. A pitch from the company Talent+, which helps corporations
screen job applicants, was especially well received, given the pressure to raise the caliber of airport security guards. With its pitch, Talent+ provided statistics documenting
how its screening process had increased performance ratings and reduced turnover inside various corporations. The least helpful PR contacts, in Evans' estimation, have been at the
FAA and FBI. "They are clearly in the groundhog mode over there," he says. And he chastises FBI communicators for posting the terrorists' "spiritual guide" on the agency's Web
site in Arabic, sans translation. "
In The Pipeline
This weekly will continue to focus on improving aviation security for the next few weeks. "We'll discuss what appears to be backsliding -- that's happening already," Evans
says, noting that some airlines are returning to curbside check-in. ASW will investigate whether bags checked curbside are examined by explosives detection assistants and whether
a system has been implemented to make sure the curbside bag-checking passenger is not on the "watch list" and not on the plane. Remember that PR pitches must take into account the
news du jour. "Someone called during the crisis," Evans recalls, "to push a story about how to better ship via air cargo. I kept asking, 'How does your packaging system help
aviation security?' They got no face time in ASW."