Exploring Secondary Crisis Response Strategies for Airlines Experiencing Low-Responsibility Crises: An Extension of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory

Previous literature on airline crises has largely ignored low-responsibility crises. The purpose of this study is to explore the underlying mechanism of airlines utilizing secondary crisis response strategies to rebuild their reputations during low-responsibility crises. Extending the situational crisis communication theory, the study develops a research framework and conducts three empirical studies with a multi-method design to test the proposed hypotheses. The results demonstrate that an enhancing response strategy is more effective than a bolstering response strategy in evoking more Twitter likes and higher booking intentions. An enhancing response strategy is especially powerful for travelers low in need for cognition or those with a higher level of other-orientation. The effect of the secondary crisis response strategy on travelers’ booking intentions was mediated by the airline’s reputation. These findings provide airlines with valuable insight into the development of successful social media communication strategies when handling low-responsibility crises.