Perfect storm: JetBlue versus Southwest on Twitter – real incident

Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about how airlines can use Web 2.0 tools to connect with their customers. This is a re-post of an article first published on the NewMediaChatter website, where the author re-counted his experience with JetBlue and Southwest Airlines’ Twitter “agents” – and both of these airlines are at the forefront of using this technology. It’s a very interesting story, and offers many lessons to not just airlines, but also other companies looking to tap on this medium. Let’s discuss what you think JetBlue did wrong or Southwest did right.

Special thanks to David Peck, for the permission to re-post this article on SimpliFlying.

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Jet Blue, Swing and a Miss.. Southwest Airlines Hits A Twitter Homerun

I am back from SXSW. I had a blast. It was one of the best events I have ever been to. So many familiar faces, so many new faces. Im already looking forward to next year. So, let me tell you about my flight back  from Austin last night.

I arrived at the airport 90 minutes early to bard my Jet Blue flight to San Francisco.  I checked my bag, made it through security without setting off the buzzer. Which is always a good thing.  I waited patiently  for my flight to board, had some food from Salt Lick..waited…got a coke.. waited… waited… The flight was suppose to board at 6:30, leave at 6:56 and nothing.  At around 7:00ish I posted this to twitter:

I quickly got this tweet back from @JetBlue:

Oh and then @JetBlue got this:

Oh and this too:

Okay so you get the idea. I posted a frustrated tweet and got a quick response from Jet Blue via twitter.  Pretty cool, huh?

Well here is where the problem begins and I want to make something clear. My post  is not with the flight being late. Nor the “fix engine light” they were getting. I want them to take alllllllllll the time they need to make sure the plane is working. Check it five times for all I care. I just want to get home in one piece. My post is the lack of communication, service  and the fact that I am disappointed by @JetBlue.  If your going to place your brand on a site like Twitter, you need to be ready to react in a timely manner.  So back to the story with pretty twitter pictures.

So then I went to add @JetBlue. I couldn’t… I was blocked by them for some reason. I was a blocked user. So I posted these tweets:

Seems for some reason I couldn’t follow them to send a DM as they asked. Now this might be where the story ends, then I posted this:

Anyone want to bet what happened next? Right! I got this:

That is right! @southwestair who was at SXSW, at around 9:00ish at night, with very little mobile internet service,  was trying to help me! So after some Direct Messaging chatting and such it came to this:

So how awesome was Southwest Airlines? Offering to help, giving me flight options, even offering help the next day if I was stuck!  I was not even flying their airline! Oh and what about @JetBlue?

They did get back to me 5 minutes before we boarded with this Direct Message:

So my point here? Twitter is about real time customer service if your a brand. It is not about posting links all the time, cool videos or such. It is about dealing with your customer and creating positive brand awareness at that moment.   If you are a company, you see an unhappy customer out there,  you need to move quick  and communicate! @JetBlue could of said “got your tweet, will follow up soon” something to let me know they were working on it. Something..just let me know you have not forgot about me. Cause if you do not  your competition will do this:

Or worst..  people will talk about your brand on Twitter like this:

You Get the idea. Oh, here is a video I made while this was all going on..I did not even get into the TV issue, how the Jet Blue folks do not know about their Customer Service on Twitter, (it would of been cool  if they knew a little something about it) oh and check out the end where a passenger mentions  the headset issue. Oh and yes.. this was my first trip on Jet Blue.

So I did make it home about 3 hours later then planned..in one piece.  Oh and get this, two ladies say to me in the airport “Are you Dave Peck? We have been following you on Twitter.” Pretty cool huh? Things like that still blow my mind!

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Some comments (read the rest on the original article)