I delivered an Expert Keynote address yesterday to a room full of senior airline executives on how they can us social media to enhance their brands. This was at the at the LCC World Americas Summit in Miami, FL.

The presentation details why social media is important to LCCs and how they can use it immediately for customer service, sales and more. I’m sharing the slides here and would love to have your feedback on this!

Once in a while, I get a chance to meet a person who totally knows what he’s talking about, and the world knows what he’s talking about too. Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan on Twitter) is such a man.

In this exclusive interview, Chris Brogan, the social media mogul (yeah, not just any guru, but a mogul) is put in the hotseat of an airline CEO. He shares with us what he’d do to run the airline, how he’d implement Web 2.0 strategies at the airline to build the brand and how he’d make them work for the airline and for the customer.

As the CEO of an airline, Chris Brogan would…

Optimize customer service - by providing virtual concierge service

In the past, operational optimization has been the name of the game. But Chris has a different take on the running of an airline – focus on providing customer service.

“Now, there’s a need to understand that customer service is an opportunity house, not a cost center. Use social media to reach people where they are, to give them what they’re asking for, to forge a new relationship that goes beyond my gates, my dates and my planes.”

Tap on social media for short term and long term…

Though relationship building can be a long-drawn affair, it’s the “status updates” on various social networks that Chris sees as an opportunity. When someone Tweets that he “feels like going to Thailand for a holiday” or updates a Facebook or LinkedIn status about an upcoming business trip to New York, that’s an opportunity for an airline to reach out and engage this person. And engagement here means more than just selling.

Start by listening, acting fast, then engaging…

Chris believes that if he was an airline CEO, he’d start listening to what his potential customers are saying and where they’re saying it. He’ll then act fast to engage them, and experiment different ways to provide value to them. And that’s the benefit of using social media – its flexibility of use.

Chris Brogan dishes out very practical and implementable advice on how airlines can build stronger brands, provide customer service and drive sales using social media. Watch the full un-cut video below, for this very intriguing, yet entertaining interview on airline branding and social media. My favorite part of the interview is at 8:31 mins, where Chris tells us what he’d do tomorrow, to get started.

Let’s discuss if what Chris is talking about is do-able or not for an airline today. And if it is indeed practical, then why aren’t airlines doing it? Let’s discuss in the comments or over on Twitter (@simpliflying)

Last week, I had the opportunity get a personal tour inside a life-size mock-up of the Boeing 787, at Boeing’s Customer Experience Center near their Seattle Commercial Airplanes HQ. A detailed article and video interview will follow soon, but I just wanted to share the first photos from inside the beautiful plane! Enjoy!

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Note: This is a cross-post from Steven Frischling’s Flying with Fish blog. Steven Frischling, aka: Fish, is a self employed photographer, and founder of The Travel Strategist, who has flown approximately 1,000,000 miles since he began to track his mileage 2005.
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Throughout the past year airlines have suffered massive financial losses due to record high fuel prices, a weakening global economy and declining demand for airline seats.

In an attempt to increase their financial stability many airlines in the United States, and around the world, turned to the ancillary revenue generated by charging passengers for their baggage.   As angered …

British Airways announced yesterday that they will be launching all-business class flights from London to New York City in September. It will operate A318s fitted with 32 lie-flat seats on the route.

Why it makes some business sense?
Given that the likes of Silverjet and MaxJet have gone bust plying this route offers a couple of insights. Firstly, there’s inherent demand (we all know that) and that’s why these airlines could actually fly for some time. Secondly, it was largely British Airways and Virgin Atlantic that drove these airlines out of business. That means BA has less competition to deal with …

Note: This is a cross-post from Steven Frischling’s Flying with Fish blog. Steven Frischling, aka: Fish, is a self employed photographer, and founder of The Travel Strategist, who has flown approximately 1,000,000 miles since he began to track his mileage 2005.
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Businesses are engaging in ’social media’ at a breakneck pace, but how many are using these tools effectively?

Recently, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines sat down together at the annual Media Relations Summit in New York City to co-host the “New Tools for Communicating Directly with Customers†session. The …

Last week, I attended a very refreshing workshop on customer service in Singapore. Ron Kaufman, one of the best-known customer service coaches in the region, led it. I found his ideas on how front-line staff should deal with customers immediately applicable to the airline world.

Inspired from Ron’s workshop, I’ve taken three of the best lessons from him and suggested here how airlines can use these to drive brand loyalty.
Do something unbelievable
In Ron’s words, delivering unbelievable customer service comes above delivering an expected or desirable customer service. Seth Godin would …