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The Top 10 Social Airlines of 2014

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In 2013 it was reported that airlines were the most social industry on the internet and there was no slowing down in 2014. Many airlines are fully engaged in social media, promoting contests and specials, cracking jokes and providing useful flight information. Predominantly on Facebook and Twitter, airlines are getting personal with their passengers.  The idea of social media as essential customer service has really taken off this year with best response times to customer queries happening in, sometimes less than, minutes. We took a look at what it takes to be top of class in 2014.

Simpliflying released their Best in Social Media a few months ago and Skift has their picks in. To determine our favorites we looked at the frequency of posts, engagement with passengers (unscheduled activity) and a healthy variety of content. 24/7 coverage was noted and bonus points awarded for posts that made us LOL (visit hashtag #AirNZHobbitNose for a quick giggle.)

Continuously Royal Dutch Airlines KLM surfaced with innovative campaigns, an ability to listen and understand passenger’s needs combined with a willingness to take risks to surprise and delight travelers! Their #happytohelp campaign saw a broad range of customers issues solved in real time through quick responses, creative measures and available resources.

Honorable mention goes to JetBlue. Their friendly and timely engagement demonstrates the value they place on happy customers. Kudos awarded for going over and above to respond to comments that don’t require responses in an effort to get to know travelers.

In no particular order, below is our list of ten of the best for 2014. Quirky videos, great hashtags and awesome giveaways are all elements of a successful social media campaign but the quality that flows through the list below is the connection to the passenger. Engagement is the ingredient many brands are missing and it’s what sets the leaders apart. The standards are set high for 2015 as airlines continue to wow passengers and staff through innovative social campaigns.

KLM

Delta Air Lines

Air New Zealand

Southwest Airlines

American Airlines

http://instagram.com/p/tYcLh2Ix1G/?modal=true

JetBlue

British Airways

United 

Cebu Pacific Air

Virgin America

http://instagram.com/p/nEO3yTitWP/?modal=true