Believe in the power of social media, says Al Ghaith

WE LIVE in a global village today, and one of the trends that has come about as a result is an era of increasing interconnectedness, says flydubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith.

He said this is evident when one looks at the number of people with more than one social media account. The rise of social media has presented many businesses in the region with a chance to get closer to their customers and get an in-depth and personal look at their thoughts and preferences. Flydubai has no exception, says Al Ghaith.

“Technology has been very important to us on our journey, and this is why we ensured that we were present across all the major social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram,” he said.

Tourism experts note that almost every traveller today has a smartphone, which they actively use to document their journey from the moment they reach the airport to the moment they return home. Many will also be sure to tag the airline in their social media posts, giving airlines a clear view of their experiences in real time.

Flydubai today boasts more than 968,000 likes on Facebook, with 966,000 users following the page. The airline has close to 62,000 followers on Instagram, and more than 100,000 followers in LinkedIn.

“We make sure that we reply to any query on our social media pages in less than 24 hours, and that any issue that a customer is having is resolved almost immediately,” Al Ghaith said.

Social media is also an effective tool when it comes to observing what different traveller demographics like. “Customers list different destinations as their favourite at different points in their lives,” he said.

Asked what some of his favourite destinations were, Al Ghaith picked Beirut.

“That city will always be special to me because it was flydubai’s very first destination. I also like Baku, which is fast becoming a very popular choice for visitors from around the world.”