Travel missing among fastest growing Facebook pages

by Tom Johansmeyer on

What happened to the hotels, resorts and destinations? These naturals for social media didn’t make the cut on All Facebook’s list of the fastest growing Facebook pages. Media and celebrities dominated the list, which consists of Facebook pages not on All Facebook’s leaderboard, but even there, there isn’t a travel-related site until #37, the destination- and company-agnostic “I need a vacation!!!”

Of course, there is no shortage of travel content available on Facebook, from Gadling‘s page to resorts such as Turtle Island on Fiji. And, social media marketing is starting to creep into thetourism and travel business. There have been some successes, such as JetBlue and Southwest, but the gains haven’t been as profound as in other industries, particularly media. Hotels are lagging. A quick poke around shows that the W Hotels page, for example, has a bit more than 10,000 “likers.”

The travel business is taking steps toward a more robust social media presence, but there’s still plenty of ground to cover. For now, it looks like it’s up to traveler to fill in the gaps! How do you use social media on the road … or to book your trips? Leave a comment below to let us know.

Mixed Messages, Part II: The role of the flight attendant

by Tom Johansmeyer on
It’s almost embarrassing to admit that the short, comical (and obviously very powerful) JetBlue video that I noticed on a recent flight left me with so much food for thought. Maybe it’s the fact that a stick figure chased a little red dot into the overhead compartment … I’m not sure. What does matter is that it had an effect. In addition to noticing the opportunity for increased service with no expense, it also occurred to me that the flight attendant is being positioned as a service employee … rather than the final arbiter of the rules or safety czar.
This made me think: how secondary is the service role to the primary safety responsibility of these airline employees? We’ve all seen plenty of commercials with smiling flight attendants eager to please their passengers. Yet, we have yet to see an airline invest its marketing dollars in a 30-second spot chronicling the exploits of the heroic flight attendant.

But, wouldn’t that be a great idea?

Think of how it would play out … a la David Hasselhoff with a torpedo buoy, red shorts and a mission to save a life. We’d see her (or him) burst forth from the galley, flotation device in hand and a determined look on her face (wow, this really is starting to sound like a Baywatch knockoff). “Safety First,” I’d label the ad campaign, with the only service highlighted being the gallant saving of a life.

What more could you ask for? I don’t know about you, but C.J. running up the aisle to guide the passengers sitting in the exit row is a pretty compelling reason to choose an airline.

Or, we could all face the fact that the service aspect of the gig isn’t really as secondary as it seems.

Mixed Messages: How airlines miss the service opportunity

by Tom Johansmeyer on

As I write this, I’m several thousand feet above the Atlantic Ocean on a JetBlue flight to St. Martin. I looked up from my screen for a moment, just to get a change of scenery from the seemingly endless line of characters that’s been manifesting before my eyes. On the small screen housed in the seatback before me, I saw a brief ad for JetBlue, positioning its service as a reason to keep flying this airline.

It was a clever little animated video. A passenger chases a flight attendant call button as my cat pursues the little red dot I shine on the floor, without regard to the futility of the task. Of course, this in-flight advertisement ends with the passenger on JetBlue flight, receiving high-touch service from the flight attendant.

Later in the flight, the flight attendants walked the aisle with premium snacks for sale. Ostensibly, this would seem like a contradiction – positioning a brand as service-intensive while nickel and diming passengers for grub on an international flight. The reality, however, is a bit more nuanced. The two don’t need to be mutually exclusive. In fact, airlines could probably get away with charging for more if they delivered a higher level of service … which bears no incremental cost.
A smile and prompt answer to the call button don’t cost the airline anything extra, and an efficient check-in desk or gate operation can offset luggage fees, premium snack charges and just about anything else.

Service shouldn’t be confused with amenities. We’re losing the latter at an incredible pace … while learning that the definition is much broader than most of us probably realized. But, this doesn’t have to come at the expense of the former.

What I encountered on this JetBlue flight is that the service was commensurate with the positive portion of the animated video, suggesting an airline that has figured out how to make the most of its brand without having to submit its margins to the gobbling effects of meals and headsets.

Airlines have a unique chance to deliver more service without having to make any financial sacrifices or charge higher prices. All it takes is a smile.
[photo by mrkathika via Flickr]

JetBlue pilot removed from Boston plane after gun threat incident

by Scott Carmichael on

A JetBlue co-pilot has been removed from his Boston crew lounge when he sent an email to his ex-girlfriend mentioning his plans to harm himself.

The pilot is a member of the TSA Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which allows pilots to carry guns on their plane – the program was developed after the attacks on 9/11. Upon being confronted by authorities, the pilot handed over the gun and was taken to a local hospital for mental evaluation.

Local authorities were quick to point out that the man never threatened passengers and was only considered a threat to himself.

Twitter Giveaway: On the Ground with JetBlue in Manhattan

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I was at the right place at the right time. JetBlue occupied the corner of E. 11th Street and University in Manhattan‘s East Village, giving away free tickets to anyone clad in blue and bearing something plane-related. The crowd rounded the corner, and loud cheers erupted as each victor claimed a voucher for travel. “Any city to any city does have a nice ring to it.” The crowd dispersed a little after 2 PM, and plenty of would-be travelers left happy. Among them were fellow writers David Farley (@davidfarley) and Charu Suri (@Butterflydiary) — great to meet you guys!

If you’ve ever needed a reason to follow JetBlue on Twitter, this is it.