Introducing the 4th guest post in this new fly HIA blog mini-series, a discussion on how social media has altered the way we travel. Today's guest blogger is Steven Frischling
is an airline and aerospace focused emerging media consultant, building and deploying strategies for airlines, aircraft manufacturers and the travel industry. He writes Flying With Fish a blog that has somehow managed to evolve into something far beyond what it was planned to be.
I sat down to write about travel and the importance of social media a few days ago. Once I finished the piece I realized I had over analyzed what I had written like is often done when pitching a corporation rather than having a conversation about the subject as a whole.
Others in this series by Harrisburg International Airport's series on social media has transforming how we travel have discussed the tools of social media. Tools, such as Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, Blogs, etc etc etc, are important, they are not what makes social media … connecting and engaging is what makes social media effective.
Since HIA is hosting this series, I am going to focus on airports.
Most people never view an airport as a business. An airport to most travelers is a building, with some runways, gates and it’s a place you go through, but it is not generally viewed as a business. Airports need passengers to survive, especially airports that compete with other airports for traffic.
Where I live, the closest airport to my house lost its last airline in 2004 when US Airways Express terminated the service. The airport I prefer to use, Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), has now been left with a single airline, US Airways Express, since Delta Air Lines pulled out in 2006. These airports are fighting for passengers and their survival against larger airports such as Hartford's Bradley Airport (BDL) and Providence's TF Green Airport (PVD) … and in turn TF Green fights for passengers with Bradley Airport and the much larger Boston Logan Airport (BOS).
To compete, airports must find out the needs of their passengers, not only those in the 'home area' but also those coming to their region. social media opens up a whole new door for airports to explore travelers, build relationships with those who use or may use their facility, and improve the overall travel experience. I have often wondered if my 'home airport' would have a larger passenger base if they actively sought out passengers, recruiting them away from Hartford, Providence and White Plains (HPN). Frequently when speaking with travelers in my area I am met with "New Haven still has an airport?"
So how does an airport using social media change the travel experience? From the outset it is proactive. It puts the airport into a conversational space where they are able to alert travelers to their presence and recruit passengers for them.
While smaller, regional airports such as Harrisburg, Akron-Canton (CAK), Charlottesville (CHO) and Dallas Love Field (DAL) are able to connect with regular travelers, turning locals into brand ambassadors… larger airports that often seen as the 'large faceless corporations' of the airport world are also doing an excellent job in engaging.
For me a major airport that is shaping the way social media should be used by major global hub airports is London's Heathrow Airport. Heathrow Airport is a massive airport with airlines from every inhabited continent and yet those involved with Heathrow's social media are able to connect, be helpful and at times even playful with their passengers … all while helping build the airports brand image in, a city with five international airports, along the way.
A recent experience that brought a smile to my face upon landing at Heathrow and receiving a message saying "Welcome to Heathrow! There are Crunchie bars waiting for your at WH Smith." While this may seem odd … a few hours earlier, while boarding a flight to London Heathrow I sent a message out on Twitter saying I was on a certain British Airways flight to Heathrow and I couldn't wait to pick up a Crunchie Bar … the folks at Heathrow timed their message to when they knew my plane was at the gate.
Airports are the gateway to a region and an airport's ability to create content and interact with passengers directing them to hotels, restaurants, attractions, allows for an interactive opening with the social media programs in place by tourism boards, local attractions and the chambers of commerce. This flow of conversation gives travelers’ access to instant local insights and suggestions … something that never happened during the planning and transit stages of travel before.
Social media has allowed airports to become full partners with the airlines and those who support travel to a region in being proactive and reactive to travelers needs. Social media has opened the floodgates for airports to become competitive in recruiting and retention or passengers from not only the local population, but also those who visit. Social media has finally allowed airports to explore new revenue streams and have a voice of their own, not the voices of others around them speaking for them.
For airports … social media has been a fundamental game changer for their benefit and the travelers who use them.
Happy Flying!
Have you had an airport engage you on Twitter? Which airports do you fly to/from aren't using social media, but you wish they did?
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