US Airways: After the 'Miracle on the Hudson'

Like the other 149 passengers on US Airways' (LCC) Flight 1549, all of whom survived a harrowing landing in New York's Hudson River, Baltimore attorney James J. Hanks Jr. was amazed by the pilot's deft response to losing power in both engines. But Hanks, a partner at law firm Venable LLP, was also impressed with the velvet-rope care US Airways employees provided following the forced landing—from the dry clothes, warm meals, and free hotel room they had waiting for him onshore to their efforts to replace all of his lost possessions, down to his BlackBerry. "I felt completely comfortable in their hands," says Hanks.

For a company that's not known for its customer service—the Tempe (Ariz.) carrier has perennially finished near the bottom of customer service rankings —US Airways' handling of the near-disaster has cast a halo around its brand. It provided passengers with everything from flights for loved ones to daily calls from counselors. Crisis-management experts say the carrier's "Miracle on the Hudson" follow-up will stand as a case study in how to treat customers after a crisis. "The airmanship was spectacular, but US Airways did an outstanding job of helping the passengers with their emotional reentry as well," says airline consultant Robert W. Mann Jr.