Bertrand Duperrin's Library tagged jetblue → View Popular, Search in Google

Dec

2010

Stranded Travelers Find Relief in Twitter

"Some travelers stranded by the great snowstorm of 2010 discovered a new lifeline for help. When all else fails, Twitter might be the best way to book a seat home. "

www.nytimes.com/...30airlines.html

- Preview

airlines socialmedia twitter crisis crisiscommunication crisismanagement deltaairlines jetblue facebook

Since Monday, nine Delta Air Lines agents with special Twitter training have been rotating shifts to help travelers wired enough to know how to “dm,” or send a direct message. Many other airlines are doing the same as a way to help travelers cut through the confusion of a storm that has grounded thousands of flights this week.
People who could not send a Twitter message if their life depended on it found themselves with that familiar feeling that often comes with air travel — being left out of yet another inside track to get the best information.
8 more annotation(s)...
- she remembered that a friend had rebooked her flight almost immediately by sending a Twitter message to the airline.
- “This is still the domain of elite activist customers,” Mr. Rainie said.
- Delta officials readily admit that they cannot solve everyone’s problems through Twitter or Facebook.
- Sometimes, just connecting with someone at an airline can calm angry passengers.
- He also said that stranded families were using their gadgets in a team approach to getting answers.
  “Mom would be on Twitter, Dad on Facebook, Junior would be searching sites and whoever hit pay dirt first is the way the family would figure out what to do next,” he said.
- “With Twitter, you have people who were reaching out looking for something, for a community of people stuck in the same situation,” Mr. Devinney said.
- And many of the people monitoring Twitter sites for airlines are not ticket agents nor do they have a secret stash of seats.
- A casual Facebook user, Ms. Moffat said, it never occurred to her that traditional methods of communicating might not be good enough anymore.
  “My question is, in order to book an airline reservation am I going to have to be friends with a company?” she said. “What about a phone call?”
  Still, she realizes that might be a very old-school option. “It’s like trying to talk to my kids on e-mail,” she said.