Audience Shift Practice: New Airline Rules

Adapting messages to different audiences is a foundation of business communication, and recent changes to air travel guidelines offer good examples that might interest students and provide more practice.

Two similar messages communicate the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) expansion of consumer protection for cancelled flights and hidden fees. Both are intended for the press—not specifically a consumer audience.

A White House Administration Fact Sheet is designed to win political favor. “Historic steps” and “historic record” emphasize the Biden-Harris Administration’s work, and this paragraph, in particular, downplays and subordinates the DOT’s work:

Both of these actions were suggested for consideration by the DOT in the Executive Order on Promoting Competition and build on historic steps the Biden-Harris Administration has already taken to expand consumer protections, promote competition, and protect air travelers. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

A U.S. Department of Transportation announcement, of course, is also about winning political favor, but it’s more subtle and more closely aligned with the U.S. transportation secretary. The second paragraph includes boldface type for no discernible reason other than to give a shoutout to the chief:

“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them - without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers.”  

It’s fun to compare both statements to see how the DOT and Secretary Buttigieg, former and perhaps future presidential candidate, are elevated in the DOT statement. Students will find other examples.

An interesting class assignment could challenge students to write a message directly to consumers. What are the communication objectives? How should the political message change with this audience? How could the message be disseminated?

Soon we’ll see how airlines respond, and students could compare their drafts to new messages on airline sites.