jetBlue has used the microblog angle to solve someone's problem at least once -- does anyone remember who tweeted or twitted or whatever the hell it's called that she could not get a wheelchair for her grandmother or something? The B6 Twitpersonthing noticed it and had a wheelchair to her in a few minutes. Not saying it can't be done. (It's blantantly obvious that I am not on Twitter...I don't have the discipline nor do I wish to tell teh planet what I'm doing.)

Personal tweets would be a waste, but there is potential for organization-based concepts to be shared that way. I just wonder what the business case is, other than "everyone else is doing it so it must be cool" or how CO would plan to actually do better with it than with their moderately disfunctional WeCare and TripAlert systems.

They could start by assigning the task to a few employees who genuinely care about customer service rather than assigning the responsibilities to a mass of disgruntled employees and a broken IT system. :)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/jetbl...hlight=twitter

It isn't all good news:http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/jetbl...hlight=twitter
And some of it is just plane strange(to me):http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/jetbl...attle-out.html

And there are a few CO employees who are passionate about new technology and things like Twitter who I'm sure would be glad to do the work.

You think the problem is that the reps don't care, rather than something higher up the chain? :eek:

The business case could be found in fixing problems faster. If someone Twits that they are having a problem with something at the airport, the people monitoring it can then be alerted of it faster and possibly fix problems in near-real time. It would be a loyalty builder because you might end up making converts out of non-CO diehards.

I'm sure it's a mix, but that's another thread... :)

Yeah, that. ^

Any new technology carries with it the risk of it blowing up in someone's face.

But only if problems actually get fixed. It is a bit of a chicken-and-egg discussion, but I think that CO has to commit to actually taking better care of their customers, particularly in IRROPS situations, before the platform they choose to use matters at all.

Deep down, I think this may be the reason that CO has not created an official Twitter account (or anything like it). I have a feeling that they know quite well that their support structure is lacking and don't want to make it blatantly obvious by having a tool for people to report problems to and not replying to them.

Close the thread; we have a winner. @:-)

Their support structure is lacking, so in turn we are blessed with Alex.

The airlines currently on Twitter have already stated they do not intend to use it as a means to handle complaints. They want their customers to use the systems they have in place. However, they have been able to immediately help some people because they were monitoring Twitter.

Travel is one of the best reasons to tweet. There are a lot of people who don't care about miles, a lot who just want a cheap flight and still many who like last minute deals. I think it is safe to assume Twitter accounts really aren't geared towards middle aged business men. It is just another vehicle to find new customers who don't purchase their flights like y'all do.

No tweeting planned:

You Asked: Do you know about Twitter?
Alex: I have not been trained on this subject yet. Use the feedback link and tell me more about the type of information you are looking for.

You Asked: Should Continental start tweeting?
Alex: I'm not positive that I understand what you are asking. If you would like to reach us, please use the Contact Us link below.

You Asked: I tawt I taw a puddy tat?
Alex: I don't have any tattoos.

I'm prtty sure I'm not a middle-aged businessman. :p

Actually, most of FlyerTalk isn't from what I've seen. But that's a whole different can of worms.

I think it is great if CO wants to use Twitter to find new customers or to provide support that's fine, but I'd love to see some evidence that such can be done in a cost-effective manner and in a way that operates consistently with the rest of their overall strategy. And I'm trying to see how CO could actually accomplish that.