ABSTRACT
Social media is a form of organic conversation involving the distribution of content that is generated and controlled by individuals, circulating freely by physical, electronic or verbal means, and where comment and feedback by the community is encouraged. One common social media objective for an airline or airport operator is to pass on information about flight delays. Nevertheless, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines have managed to break the mould by carving an astonishingly powerful position in a potentially golden market. Christi Day is responsible for emerging media at Southwest and has a clear idea of why her airline is so successful with the new technology. Both American Airlines and Virgin America use Facebook as an alternative booking platform. In the case of Virgin America, customers can search flights, check flight status and post customer reviews. Another way in which airlines are connecting with their customers is through iPhone applications, to allow boarding pass retrieval, flight status and other alerts.
