2008 Radio winner
Emma is 19 years-old and comes from County Down. Emma wrote about the airline industry.
Zoom gloom, just who pays the cost?
Hundreds of angry passengers have been left stranded in airports across the UK, after low fare airline Zoom went bust yesterday evening. With so many low cost airlines feeling the pinch, just who is going to pay the price when it all goes wrong?
Locations:
- Pre recorded interviews in an airport
- Radio studio
- Live phone calls to the studio
Interviews:
Recorded vox pops - with stranded passengers at airports, to be used as a lead into a discussion about the issue of low budget airlines.
With a stranded passenger - to further explore the consequences upon real people.
Live phone calls - from general listeners to hear their opinions, their experiences with low cost airlines, the knock on effects of the rising fuel prices and to ask any questions they wish answered.
Spokespeople:
Zoom - to explain why there was no warning before the collapse of it’s airline and possible options for passengers who have lost their booked flights.
UK’s Civil Aviation Authority - to explain what happens when a company cannot afford to fly, for example the detainment of planes, etc. Also to give advice to passengers, such as how to get a refund.
Easy jet / Ryanair - to reassure passengers that not all low budget airlines are going to collapse.
Airline analyst - using an expert will clarify the situation regarding low budget airlines and rising fuel prices.
My report aims to explore the immediate consequences of the collapse of the Zoom airline upon local people and in addition, it will investigate the wider effects upon the aviation industry and future passengers. For example, will the public continue to pay low airfares with the possibility of losing their money if the company goes under? If fuel prices continue to rise what will happen to our cheap getaways? Will only richer people be able to afford holidays abroad?
To engage listeners, having a live discussion in the studio with the Zoom airline spokesperson and stranded passengers mediated by the presenter would be an interesting idea. While including pre-recorded vox pops will incorporate variety into the discussion.
Furthermore, aviation experts and airline company spokespeople will bring added accuracy and clarification to the report.
Quote from the judging panel
Emma chose a very topical subject and her entry was submitted before the collapse of XL. The issue affects tens or even hundreds of thousands of people and she was asking a question to which they would want an answer. Her suggested interviewees included those I would want to hear from. She also thought this as a radio report and identified location recording as well as inviting phone calls as part of a studio debate. She would also take the story on and look ahead to the future for low-cost air travel.