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During an airline or airport crisis, multiple personas often emerge on social media. News gets mixed with rumours that fly thick and fast. It is imperative that airlines get involved and be there to provide guidance.
Persona 1: The Accidental Spokesperson
In the Asiana crash incident on July 2013, a lady who happened to witness the crash and tweeted about it became an accidental spokesperson. She went on to be quoted immediately by numerous media outlets. Unfortunately not all her information was accurate, for example the flight did not arrive from Taipei.
Persona 2: The Angry Passenger
On the 6th of January 2014, a Singapore Airlines A380 was diverted to Baku due to a pressurization problem that caused an emergency descent and a lengthy wait at the airport for the passengers.
Persona 3: The Helpful Advocate
Sometimes, fans of airlines step in to help the brands by answering some of the queries or fight off negative user comments.
Is your airline or airport prepared for crisis management on social media?
Aside from the above three exemplified, there are several other types of personas that have emerged on social media in past crises. While social media is full of quick information, it can often be inaccurate. If the airline is not there to listen, fact check and correct the wrong information, then it has the potential to spread far and wide. This often impacts the brand negatively.
In the case of a separate hijack incident concerning ET702, although Ethiopian Airlines seemed to have “checked the boxes” for being on social media, it was apparent there was no strategy around crises management or customer service. In fact, for most of the duration of the hijack incident, the airline’s Twitter account talked about a bed of roses.
With our airline clients, we help them recognise the five key properties of an aviation crisis and set up the necessary measures.
Click to download our brochure below and see what we can do for your airline and airport around crisis management.
