Social Networks and Airlines – Book your flights on Facebook?

After launching the possibility to book flights on Facebooks a few months ago, Delta Airlines has now enhanced their Facebook application. In parallel Malaysian Airlines became the second airline offering the possibility to book flights by using Facebook. The Malaysian Airlines debut makes even more use of the features of social networking.

The big question at the moment is of course what are the other global players going to do? Will they follow or wait and see what happens? “I think they are bold steps in the right direction,” says Shashank Nigam, CEO of Singapore-based Simplifying but “most airlines are watching and waiting.”

At the moment for me it is not quite clear where are the benefits of booking a flight or checking in for a flight by using Facebook are? All the functions are of course available on the airline’s website. Therefore, From my point of view Facebook will only play a smaller role in terms of booking and check-in in the future.

Nevertheless a valid point as Nigam says is definitely that “Facebook is where the airline’s customers are hanging out and it’s in the airline’s interest to make their services available to customers using platforms they’re spending the most time on.” “Those customers do not want to have to switch back and forth between Facebook and the airline website”, he says.

Source: http://www.aviationexperts.aero/