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Airlines Harness Social Media to Connect with Customers and Create Valuable Revenue Streams

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Airlines are recognizing the benefits of leveraging social media to form closer relationships with existing and potential customers, spread brand awareness, and collect valuable customer data. By engaging with customers through social media, airlines can provide personalized interactions, address customer queries, and share information about new products and services. Some airlines, such as Air New Zealand and WestJet, have successfully harnessed social media to create unique and quirky campaigns that have garnered significant followings and generated revenue.

Key Takeaways:

  • Air New Zealand's "Air NZ Fairy" campaign has garnered almost 73,000 followers on Twitter and 92,000 followers on Facebook, and has collected personal customer data through the wish-making process.
  • WestJet has built up a Twitter following of almost half a million people and has monetized its use of social media to create a valuable extra revenue stream, generating millions of dollars in sales each year.
  • KLM has used social media to surprise passengers at the airport with personalized gifts targeted to their hobbies and interests, and has recently branched into the online gaming industry to gather more information on passengers.
  • Using social media to get to know customers better can be a positive thing for airlines, as it allows for personalized interactions and a more engaging brand experience.
  • Airlines can leverage social media to engage with customers in real-time, address customer queries, and share information about new products and services.

Statistics:

  • Almost 73,000 followers on Twitter and 92,000 followers on Facebook for Air New Zealand's "Air NZ Fairy" campaign.
  • WestJet has a Twitter following of almost half a million people.
  • KLM has used social media to surprise passengers at the airport with personalized gifts targeted to their hobbies and interests.
  • WestJet generates millions of dollars in sales each year through social media.
  • Air New Zealand has granted at least one wish from its Fairy campaign per week for thousands of wishes each year.

Sources:

  • "What I love about airlines using social media is that, prior to social media, if you had a poor experience with an airline your options were to write a letter, which would go into the abyss. Today, you can have a real-time conversation that is visible to the public," says Devin Liddell, principal brand strategist at design consultancy Teague.
  • Air New Zealand has garnered almost 73,000 followers on Twitter and 92,000 followers on Facebook through its "Air NZ Fairy" campaign, and has collected personal customer data through the wish-making process.
  • WestJet manager of public relations Robert Palmer says that "You most definitely can make money on social media," and that WestJet generates millions of dollars in sales each year through social media.
  • KLM social media manager Karlijn Vogel says that "Social offers are an excellent opportunity to surprise passengers or fans, based on all the info that people place on social [media] themselves."

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