The fastest way people can get from point A to point B, if available, is to fly there. Most small or relatively new airlines (sometimes called low-cost carriers) use social media to their benefit such as JetBlue and Southwest, which are still expanding to new destinations. However, the major airlines that have a huge prominence in the industry and have established routes and destinations are what the industry (predominantly in the U.S.) calls “Legacy Carriers.” This term usually means that they have the same corporate structure since the inception of the airline and that it revolves around a hub and spoke network. In present time, The U.S. has 5 “Legacy Carriers” – Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Continental Airlines (Continental Airlines will merge with United Airlines, once its completed there will be only four) and U.S. Airways. One major airline in particular, when opted to fly with them, asks their customers through a napkin to find them on social media; that airlines is United.

When a major U.S. airline incorporates social media to their marketing campaign, it can mean one thing – that it’s an extremely beneficial asset. A lot can be deduced from the action of the flight attendant giving the customer a napkin that reads on both sides – “Be a Friend” and Stay in Touch,” which is referencing Facebook and Twitter through the “F” and “T” that is used to spell each word. What United is telling its customers through the napkin is that they acknowledge the power of social media and that it can prove beneficial for customer relations while trying to create awareness of promotions and the merger with Continental. In addition, United Airlines knows that in this day in age, the internet is a becoming the number one source of information especially with social media in the driver seat. With the integration of Facebook and Twitter into one of the biggest airlines in the world marketing campaign, it only gives more credibility to integrate social media into marketing efforts.

Not only are “Legacy Carriers” taking flight with social media but so are low-cost carriers. Social media and the airline industry have proven to have a symbiotic relationship with the likes of Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airlines incorporating social media to benefit each other in the progression of the companies. Examples of each can be seen in their respective marketing campaign. Since JetBlue is a new airline, in industry terms, they use social media to create brand awareness through Facebook, Twitter, search and banner ads. They follow a philosophy of “go where your customers are”, which has resulted in a service similar to foursquare. Southwest Airlines used social media as a platform for their customers to join the conversation by contributing insight on how to make the airline better; and, Southwest used social media channels such as blogging, Twitter and Facebook to reach out to the customers on day-to-day operations, positive reinforcement, crisis control, and breaking news. If social media is integrated into the marketing campaigns for “Legacy Carriers”, low-cost carriers or anyone, the efforts will definitely take off up to 35,000 feet and higher till “cruising altitude is reached.”