In a world that is becoming more and more impersonal, where consumers have to jump through more hoops to get problems resolved, there is a refreshing counter-trend developing. It is happening in the travel industry as airlines embrace the use of Twitter to develop a deeper level of connection with passengers.
Twitter—for the very few who don’t know about it by now—is a micro-blogging website that allows users to send messages of up to 140 characters. Unlike Facebook and other services, these messages are available for anyone to view. All you have to do is “follow” a person or company and their messages show up in your Twitter stream. You can respond directly to their posts, create your own posts, or send personal messages.
If you do any travel at all, you should consider using Twitter to “follow” the airlines. Even if you never post on it, Twitter gives you a unique access to most major airlines. It can save you money and provide real-time information that you can’t get elsewhere.
At Ministry Travel, we closely follow the Twitter feeds of all the major U.S. and international carriers, especially those we regularly use for our clients. We have been impressed by the way these large companies have sought to be more personable through Twitter. It is not uncommon for them to have trivia contests or give a behind the scenes look at operations through the medium of Twitter.
An airlines’ Twitter feed is also the best way to find out about weather issues, new services, operational problems, and more. By tweeting the airline, some passengers have been able to get flights rebooked, resolve service issues, and deal with other airline matters—all while still seated on the plane, thanks to a Twitter application on their cell phones.
In our next post we will take a closer look at how the airlines use Twitter and how you can use it to save money, get travel help, and even win tickets to a Broadway show or an NBA basketball game.