Social Media and Marketing
Airlines should do more to connect with customers
A report has highlighted that discount airlines seem to be ahead of big network carriers when it comes to embracing social media.
Published: 15 Oct 2009
A report has highlighted that discount airlines seem to be ahead of big network carriers when it comes to embracing social media.
According to a report filed by The AP, “the discounters often respond with quick feedback to travelers’ concerns on social networking sites, while traditional network carriers peddle last-minute fare deals but seem slow to embrace Twitter and Facebook to beef up customer service.”
A survey cited in a July report by Forrester Research showed that 68 percent of U.S. online leisure travelers say they’d be willing to recommend carriers to family and friends if the company made them feel like a valued customer.
Comfort level
More and more airlines are embracing social media marketing for promoting their brands, engagement and brand loyalty. But much of this activity is still “experimental – and may be ephemeral”, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).
In its recently analysis, CAPA, which has also mentioned that such activity can be dangerous, said these intiatives are still in their early stages. But the “scale of activity at the non-commercial level is however such that businesses cannot help but seek to tap into what may prove to be a lucrative flow.”
Even though both traditional and LCC models are stepping up their efforts, till date, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and online blogs, offer largely unexplored new advertising and promotion platforms.
CAPA highlighted that through well developed social networking sites, airlines are able to communicate on a more personal level with potential and existing customers.
It is being observed that there are two clear sides to the use of Twitter for airlines: reputation management and promotions.
Last month, a site indicated that only nine airlines out of the Top 50 have over 10,000 users. JetBlue is the clear winner on Twitter with 1222780 followers.
JetBlue is followed by:
Many airlines have set up multiple Twitter accounts – one for each region that they operate to. This is why Air France, for example, appears a number of times in the Top 50.
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