GLASGOW Airport’s social media strategy has proved crucial for travellers during the recent flight disruption caused by volcanic ash.
The airport’s Twitter following has increased by 44 per cent since the first airspace closures on April 15, as more holiday-makers and business people choose to get their information by ‘following’ the airport.
Social networking experts, NSDesign, worked with the airport to create the Twitter account as part of a bigger social networking project which has become invaluable to passengers, staff and other stakeholders.
NSDesign’s managing director, Gary Ennis, said:
“It has really been amazing to see the airport’s Twitter following steadily increase. One of the main aims of the new social media strategy was to enable the airport to communicate more effectively with travellers and Twitter has been crucial in getting the latest information out there during the disruption.
“The airport’s page gets around 20 to 30 new followers on a normal day, but that number increased markedly on those days when airspace was closed and passengers wanted the latest information.”
He added:
“Glasgow Airport’s use of Twitter is a brilliant example of using social media to communicate during a crisis, and we will be highlighting their recent activity during our regular workshops.”
Prior to the problems caused by the Eyjafjallajokull eruption the airport had 832 followers on its Twitter account which has increased to 1,300 in the past four weeks.
Derek Provan, Glasgow Airport’s customer services director, said:
“Our absolute top priority during the disruption was to ensure the right information was getting out there quickly and effectively, as the situation often changed every few hours.
“Twitter was invaluable as a communication tool, particularly when we noticed that other followers were constantly re-tweeting our updates, making sure they reached an even wider audience.
“Our use of Twitter to communicate during a crisis has given me a real glimpse of the potential of social media use for a dynamic business like ours, and it was satisfying to receive positive feedback from airport users who needed the latest information quickly.”
To follow Glasgow Airport’s Twitter account visit http://twitter.com/GLA_Airport
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