The arrival of the second wave of COVID-19 also brought another phase of travel restrictions and canceled departures, causing a chaos of queries and unaddressed concerns, that airports and airlines have been managing through social media.
Airports and airlines have transformed social media platforms into customer relationship management hubs and a tool for mass communication, here we anatomize how the two most integral constituents of the travel industry are managing the COVID-19 chaos.
Communication Of Guidelines
Travel guidelines and requirements needed to be sufficed vary to an extent and are subjective to the destination and origin of travel. As a traveler compelled to minimize contact throughout their journey and wanting to avoid the hassle of going through contact centers, such issues add up to the travel anxiety but are also important.
To bridge this gap airports and airlines are using a number of formats such as static and motion creatives, short video, and more, to convey the required guidelines needed to be followed, with an intent to ensure engaging and effective communication.
Travel Guidelines - Indigo
Information Dissemination
A substantial chunk of the communications from most airports and airlines includes travel advisories issued by the Ministry Of Health, and Ministry of Civil Aviation, along with specific restrictions that are altered or issued in real-time.
Government Guidelines - BLR Airport
Regulations on arrival or departure for certain states or countries such as requiring a negative test result of RT-PCR, or prohibition on travels, are also shared frequently.
Travel Advisory - SpiceJet Airlines
Instructions on how customers can get their queries answered and cancel or make changes to their bookings to comply with the travel restrictions, along with warnings against fraudsters using the company's name to perform unauthorized transactions, are also included in the dissemination.
Precautionary steps taken in compliance with guidelines such as thermal screening of passengers, placements of testing stations at the airports, protective equipment provided by the airlines, and more of such concerns that may create an on-ground hassle and add to the boarding time are being addressed through information transmission on the platforms.
Important Updates - CSMIA
Customer Testimonials
Air travel during COVID-19 is an agitating task, but reassurance from fellow travelers strengthens one's certainty in efforts taken by the airports and airlines to maintain safety. Customer testimonials have been known to increase brand credibility but during COVID-19 their significance is elevated.
Grateful customers who appreciate a service often share positive feedback on social media, such commendations have been repurposed into social media creatives as a customer testimonial, used for promotional purposes, and to affirm the value of the service with potential consumers through the organic endorsement of the satisfied consumers.
Straight From The Heart - CSMIA
Straight From The Heart - CSMIA
Social CRM
Mentions on Twitter and the comments section on most social handles of the airports and airlines are filled with several queries and concerns. The traditional service outlets designed to address these issues have also been negatively impacted due to functional restrictions and containment measures, and with digital platforms being a convenient choice for the consumers, the volume of these queries has spiked.
Social media has been acting as a grievance redressal platform during these times, with several airports and airlines proactively addressing concerns, answering queries, and dealing with FAQs in real-time. Tracking these concerns lets the entity weed out common operational limitations. Such interactions being prioritized also enables a smoother service and a satisfied consumer.
Queries - CSMIA
FAQs - BLR Airport
Preservation Of Safety
Airports and airlines have to manage safety on two ends, one is their end and the other is ensuring the travelers follow all safety precautions and guidelines. While most of the companies are putting out standard social media communications, several are also tapping engaging formats such as Instagram Reels and topical trends to make the communication more snackable and expectantly efficient.
Safety Groove - GoAir
Safety First Squad - GoAir
Star Wars Day - GoAir
Communicating the assurance of safety from their ends such as regular sanitization or deep-cleaning of frequently touched or visited spots at the airport, precautions taken to maintain in-flight safety, and more of such hygiene practices were highlighted through static and video posts.
#FlyingFeelsSafeAgain - Vistara
Whether it was underlining safety assurance, answering inquiries, communicating guidelines, or announcing significant updates, airports and airlines managed to manage the on-ground and online COVID-19 chaos through social media.
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