Airlines in relationship with social media
With both domestic and international airlines directly engaging with passengers through the social media platform, how will this development affect the relationship that the air companies share with OTAs?
Social
media has made the customer powerful. Expressive opinions, quick responses and shared con- cerns, all spread like wild fire on a social network.
Lufthansa decided to launch a special Facebook page for India in 2010 in view of the fact that India is a strategic market and Indian customers have distinct preferences. It is the only country in the Lufthansa network with an independent Facebook page and is actively engaging over 1,00,000 fans. “Within the fast growth of social media, it is extremely important to decide the space you want to be in and why. We believe our social media platform is a powerful tool to listen to our customers and actively engage with them. Far beyond another channel to expand our reach or crowd source ideas, it helps us understand the preferences and concerns of our customers better, thereby enhancing our ability to serve their needs,” says Sangeeta Sharma, Manager, Marketing Communication, South Asia, Lufthansa.
Following their footsteps, Turkish Airlines is also planning to launch a local Facebook page for India this summer. “We are developing a local facebook page for India as we want to be present in social media,” says Adnan Aykac, General Manager, Northern and Eastern India, Turkish Airlines.
Indian carriers are not lagging behind in their social media presence. Air India decided that it would be aggressively targetting the social media industry by using Facebook and Twitter as its primary platforms. Jet Airways is the first Indian airline to add over five lakh fans on Facebook. Surat is the first destination that will see launch of flight from SpiceJet on passengers demand from Facebook.
While the airlines are all geared up to engage with their customers, OTAs are also making the most of social media. “Social media outreach is now a critical element of marketing-mix and customer relationship management strategies. We also monitor conversations to address traveller concerns and industry issues to positively influence outcomes,” says Mohit Gupta, Chief Business Officer, MakeMyTrip.com.
Addressing the concern of the impact on OTAs of the relationship airlines build with customers on social media, Sunny Sodhi, Vice President Air products,Yatra.com, says, “Airlines keep coming up with offers for customers directly but it has never impacted our business. We offer all the airlines in one search which is extremely convenient for the customer. This is evident from the fact that a sizeable portion of the airline inventory is distributed through the OTAs.”