ELITE AIRWAYS FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN

Page 1 ©FEI Behavioral Health, 2015

Introduction

The ELITE AIRWAYS Family Assistance Program has been developed to comply with the Aviation 

Disaster Family Assistance Plan of 2008 (49 U.S.C. 1136 and 41113) and U.S. Public Law NO. 108-

176, DEC. 12, 2003 – Vision 100, Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, Section. 809, 

Availability of Aircraft Accident Site Information, paragraph (a) Domestic Air Transportation.

This program is part of a larger effort, which includes the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board 

and other U.S. governmental entities, to assist survivors, survivor families and victim families in the 

event of an aviation disaster within the United States or US Territories.

Purpose

The purpose of the ELITE AIRWAYS Family Assistance Program is as follows:

• Act in the best interests of survivors, survivor families and/or victim families.

• Respond to survivors, survivor families and victim families with sensitivity, dignity and respect.

• Respect and be sensitive to the cultural and religious backgrounds of survivors, survivor families 

and victim families.

• Meet the needs of survivors, survivor families and victim families for such issues as:

Ø timely information regarding the status of the passenger,

Ø transportation to and from the location of the accident, 

Ø lodging and meals while at the accident location, 

Ø timely information regarding survivor progress, 

Ø immediate clothing and personal hygiene necessities, 

Ø medical needs, 

Ø mental health counseling, 

Ø assistance with transportation of remains, 

Ø identification and return of personal effects, and 

Ø pastoral support and memorial services. 

ELITE AIRWAYS will also provide similar services to immediate family members who do not 

travel to the accident location.

• Provide the same level of assistance listed above for crew members and their families as well as 

others traveling on a non-revenue basis.

• Provide training to the employees and agents of the carrier to meet the needs of survivors and 

family members following an accident.

• Provide mental and emotional support to ELITE AIRWAYS employees, especially those asked to 

work with survivors, survivor families and victim families.

Upon evaluation, ELITE AIRWAYS identified limited Family Assistance personnel resources 

available to respond to a crisis. Therefore, ELITE AIRWAYS has contracted with the following 

agencies to provide additional response staff and consultation on Family Assistance.
ELITE AIRWAYS FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN

Page 2 ©FEI Behavioral Health, 2015

ELITE AIRWAYS FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 

In coordination with contracted agencies, ELITE AIRWAYS has developed detailed policies and 

procedures for affected station(s) emergency operations, headquarter emergency operations, as well 

as accident site emergency operations. In the event of an accident, the carrier will:

[Note: Principle responsibility is always the Carrier’s. For clarification, the organization(s) 

responsible for carrying out or facilitating the task is indicated at the end of each section in 

parenthesis.]

(1) Notify the NTSB Communications Center at (202) 314- 6290 immediately upon knowledge 

of a crash. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

 

a) Provide place of incident (or general vicinity of incident), number of passengers and crew 

based on preliminary departure information and number of injured and fatalities (if 

known). (ELITE AIRWAYS)

 

b) Provide flight number, origination, connection points and final destination (if known), 

and whether the flight was domestic or international. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

c) Provide name and telephone number of the person who is in overall charge of the 

incident site. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

d) Provide name, telephone number and location of the hotel that has been designated as the 

JFSOC. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

e) Provide name and telephone number of the person responsible for the passenger manifest. 

(ELITE AIRWAYS)

f) Provide name and telephone number of the person responsible for family notification. 

(ELITE AIRWAYS)

 

(2) Provide the public a reliable publicized toll free number with sufficient telephone capacity. 

(Vendor under Contract)

 

a) When disseminating the toll-free number, ELITE AIRWAYS will ask the media to 

inform the public that only individuals who have a reason to believe a family member or 

friend is a passenger on the flight should use the number. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

 

b) The media notice will emphasize that initial calls to the airline are to provide a point of 

contact with the airline, provide basic flight information to the caller, and gather 

information so the airline may obtain points of contact for each passenger. (ELITE 

AIRWAYS)

 

c) The media will be asked to reemphasize the carrier involved, the flight number, airport of 

origination, connection and final destination. (ELITE AIRWAYS)
ELITE AIRWAYS FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN

Page 3 ©FEI Behavioral Health, 2015

d) The "message" heard by callers on hold will urge anyone who does not have reason to 

believe that a family member or friend is a passenger or is unable to provide relevant 

information on the passenger to please clear the line. The "message" will also restate the 

carrier involved, the flight number, airport of origination, connection and final 

destination. (Vendor under Contract)

(3) Provide timely notification to family members of passengers which will consist of continuous 

updates based upon manifest reconciliation with boarding documents (ticket lifts, ticket 

readers, final gate check-in name list). ELITE AIRWAYS will provide passenger 

information to family members as it becomes known and will not wait until all names on the 

check-in manifest are confirmed before notifying individual family members. Family 

members will be notified if passenger’s name appears on a preliminary name list and 

informed that confirmation involves reconciling the manifest with the boarding documents 

collected at the gate. Once contact is established with family members, it is maintained, 

regardless of whether additional information becomes available. Personnel are trained in 

crisis response and techniques to notify a person that a family member may have been 

involved in a disaster. (Vendor under Contract)

(4) Provide the NTSB, upon request, the most current reconciled copy of 

 the passenger manifest. Each copy will be numbered or annotated so it can 

 be distinguished from previous copies. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

(5) Secure facilities at departure, arrival, and connecting airports where family members may be 

initially gathering. These facilities will protect them from media and solicitors, as well as 

provide a place to receive continuous updates on the reconciliation of the passenger manifest 

and other information on the crash as it becomes available. If at a secured facility, family 

members will be notified personally and privately by personnel trained in crisis response and 

death notification that their loved one is on the plane. (ELITE AIRWAYS and Vendor 

under Contract)

(6) Provide logistical support to family members requesting travel to the incident site (or to a 

hospital location). This includes, but is not limited to, transportation, lodging, meals, 

security, communications, and incidentals. ELITE AIRWAYS will consider the following 

during selection of a facility: quality of rooms, size of facilities, privacy for family members, 

relative location to medical examiner's office, temporary morgue, airport operations, crash 

site, NTSB investigation headquarters, and medical treatment facilities. (ELITE 

AIRWAYS)

(7) Inform family members (or family friends/clergy who are with the family) at an appropriate 

time, as early as possible after being notified, that it is critical they contact their family dentist 

to obtain dental records and dental x-rays of their loved one. Families will be asked to have 

the records and x-rays sent via overnight delivery to the address of the hotel where the 

JFSOC is located. Families will be told to send the package to the attention of the Deputy 

Director, FA, NTSB. Families will be advised that if they are coming to the site within the 

next 48 hours, they may arrange to hand carry these documents. (Vendor under Contract)

(8) Make provisions for a JFSOC to include space, communication and logistical support to 

assist local and Federal staff. (ELITE AIRWAYS and Vendor under Contract)
ELITE AIRWAYS FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN

Page 4 ©FEI Behavioral Health, 2015

(9) Make provisions for private areas within the hotel for DMORT and medical examiner 

personnel to collect ante mortem information from families at the site. ELITE AIRWAYS

will also provide quiet space and communications resources for DMORT and medical 

examiner personnel to telephonically collect ante mortem information from families who 

decide to stay away from the site. ELITE AIRWAYS will reserve 6 to 15 rooms for crisis 

counseling/DMORT use. (ELITE AIRWAYS and Vendor under Contract)

(10) Provide necessary information on foreign passengers to DOS representatives to facilitate 

interaction with appropriate foreign government embassies. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

(11) Provide notification to family members prior to releasing passenger names to the public. 

Family members will be given appropriate time to notify other family members and friends 

prior to public release of the victim's name. While it may be necessary for some families to 

have more than one contact point with the airline, families will be asked to designate one 

primary contact point for purposes of information sharing among the family. The carrier will 

not release the victim's name without family consent. (Vendor under Contract)

 (12) Inquire at the time of notification or soon after if family members desire, ARC crisis 

assistance or an ARC person to talk to. If family is undecided or say no, the will be asked to 

inform their airline representative if they reconsider. All requests for assistance will be passed 

to an ARC representative who will designate an ARC staff member in the family member's 

local area and request they contact the family. (Vendor under Contract)

(13) Provide the media with continuous updates on the progress of the notification process, to 

include: providing the number of victims' families notified as of a certain time and the 

number remaining to be notified. ELITE AIRWAYS will continue this process until all 

victims' families have been notified. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

(14) Assist family members as they travel to and from the site by informing flight crews and 

airport personnel that family members are on particular flights. At departure, connecting, and 

arrival airports, family members will have airline personnel meet and assist them while on 

airport grounds. If necessary, ELITE AIRWAYS will seek assistance from other carriers who 

may have a larger presence at the airport. ELITE AIRWAYS will assist family members as 

they depart the accident site and provide a contact person who will continue to be the airline 

interface with the family after the family returns to their residence. (ELITE AIRWAYS OR 

Vendor under Contract)

(15) Provide a contact person to meet family members as they arrive and accompany them at the 

incident site. A representative will be assigned responsibility for assisting the family while at 

the site and will continue to be the airline interface with the family until the family returns to 

their residence. Upon return, a single contact person for all family members may be 

designated. (Vendor under Contract)

(16) Provide a contact person from the airline to maintain daily contact with family members who 

do not travel to the incident site. (Vendor under Contract)

(17) Establish a badging system to identify family members. (ELITE AIRWAYS OR Vendor 

under Contract)
ELITE AIRWAYS FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN

Page 5 ©FEI Behavioral Health, 2015

(18) Establish a joint liaison with ARC at each supporting medical treatment facility to track the 

status of injured victims and to provide assistance to their families. (Vendor under 

Contract)

(19) Develop procedures for the handling of personal effects not being held as evidence for 

purposes of a criminal or accident investigation. Provisions will be made for unclaimed 

possessions to be retained for at least 18 months from the date of the crash as required by law. 

(Vendor under Contract)

(20) Designate an individual who will be the airline's representative to the Deputy Director of FA. 

This individual will travel to various locations, such as accident site, morgue, JFSOC, and 

family assistance center with the Deputy Director of FA. The designated individual will have 

the authority or ready access to those who have sufficient authority to make decisions on 

behalf of the airline. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

(21) Consult with family members about any airline-sponsored monument, including any 

inscriptions. (ELITE AIRWAYS OR Vendor under Contract

(22) Provide reasonable reimbursement to the ARC for services to the family, airline, and 

supporting personnel. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

(23) If the crash is declared a crime, coordinate with DOJ to arrange meetings with family 

members to explain their rights under the victims of crime legislation. (Vendor under 

Contract)

(24) Provide the same support and treatment of families of non-revenue passengers (and any other 

person aboard the aircraft) as for revenue passengers. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

(25) Participate in daily coordination meetings to review daily activities, resolve problem areas, 

and to synchronize future family support operations and activities. (ELITE AIRWAYS and 

Vendor under Contract)

(26) Provide training to ELITE AIRWAYS employees and agents to increase awareness of the 

needs of survivors and family members following an accident. (Vendor under Contract or 

(ELITE AIRWAYS)

(27) When providing assistance to US Citizens within the United States with respect to an aircraft 

accident outside the Unites States involving major loss of life, ELITE AIRWAYS will 

consult with the NTSB and DOS on provision of assistance. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

(28) In the event of an accident that involves significant ground damage to non-governmental 

property, ELITE AIRWAYS will notify the owner of the property about liability for any 

property damage and the means for obtaining compensation. This notification will include 

advising the property owner: (1) to contact the property's insurer for information about 

coverage and compensation; (2) to not rely on unofficial information from the air carrier's 
ELITE AIRWAYS FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN

Page 6 ©FEI Behavioral Health, 2015

representative about compensation; and (3) to obtain photographic or other detailed evidence 

about property damage as soon as practicable. (ELITE AIRWAYS)

(29) In the event that the NTSB conducts a public accident hearing at a location that is more than 

80 miles from the accident site, ELITE AIRWAYS will ensure that the hearing will be 

available electronically live at the origin city and destination city of the accident aircraft’s 

flight, if that city is in the United States. (ELITE AIRWAYS and Vendor under Contract)