Reinvention Angle Crucial on the Airline Beat

When it comes to the airline story, reinvention is the ultimate form of reporting.

Business journalists are all too familiar with airline struggles that have consistently graced the headlines in the past three and a half years. Financial warnings and bankruptcy filings have become the rule, rather than the exception. When thinking about how to approach another airline report, keep in mind that readers are hip to this game.

By offering a fresh angle to the story, you will be better positioned to connect with an audience saturated with news in this industry.

One approach "would be to keep a focus on the consumer as much as possible," recommends Bill Hensel, business reporter for the Houston Chronicle who covers Continental Airlines. "This can come in forms ranging from higher ticket prices to service issues that invariably arise as employee morale falters.

"Sometimes, fewer workers are asked to do more with less, and that is going to become noticeable over time. That, in turn, can hurt the company, which can then hurt the investors."

Also, expand your source rolodex to get perspective from others outside the airline gates. For instance, attorneys can be used to provide legal insight to help determine how long an airline will be under bankruptcy protection.

When it comes to the financial restructuring of a carrier, some more obvious contacts come to mind.

"Talk to as many sources as possible to get a range of opinions from experts, plus analysts," Hensel says. "Check out all leads from employees, including the disgruntled. This will help your comfort level as much as anything."

Many reporters like to paint a broad brush of the entire airline industry and how airlines can remain financially solvent given any host of economic factors. Reports of increased fuel prices and competitive fare wars may tempt skepticism that the airlines will continue to fly financially low.

But be careful when coming to your own conclusions about trends that may not have been realized. Be sure you can back them up.

"Take into account how well the experts believe the carrier you are covering does in handling changing fuel prices and in competing with carriers on other fronts," Hensel says. "Sometimes the 'chatter' level goes up and that is going to affect how you view what is going on. The situation today is so fluid, particularly given what has transpired the past three or four years. Then again, the argument could be made that the airline business has been that way for decades."

Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism