A pre-Halloween snowstorm forces planes to divert from New York airports to Hartford, Conn., where some passengers are stuck on the tarmac for up to seven hours. Sound familiar?
This unfortunate turn of events on Oct. 29 came four years after similar passenger hardship focused the public eye - and the government - on the plight of people "held captive" on airplanes outside airport gates. JetBlue CEO and founder David Neeleman scored universal kudos back then for taking to YouTube with an abject apology. The company's oft-cited reputation for clear communication via the social media has endured and certainly aided JetBlue considerably through this most recent crisis.
To learn more about JetBlue's social media strategy and the thinking behind it, I interviewed Morgan Johnston, JetBlue's manager of corporate communications and its social media strategist. Here's the Skype video:
JetBlue engages its customers constantly via its @JetBlue Twitter handle and others means. Johnston says that while those who complain publicly through social channels don't get special treatment, the trust and relationship the company builds through these channels develops a valuable cadre of JetBlue evangelists.
company evangelists, crisis communication, JetBlue, Morgan Johnston, Neeleman, social media strategy