Travel firms respond to events, share news via Twitter
— -- Janis Krums of Sarasota, Fla., boarded a ferry on the Hudson River on Jan. 15 expecting a ride, not a rescue.
When US Airways Flight 1549 crash landed in the river off Midtown Manhattan, the ferry Krums was riding rushed to help. On the way, Krums took a photo on his iPhone and shared the photo on Twitter.
"There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy," Krums wrote when posting the photo online at TwitPic.com. Within the hour, Krums (or 'jkrums' on Twitter) was talking to MSNBC about the rescue and photo, which attracted nearly 40,000 views in the first four hours after the crash.
Krums' instant fame came less than a month after passenger Mike Wilson used Twitter — a free micro-blogging service that allows users to send and read short text updates — to tell of his adventure aboard Continental Flight 1404, which skidded off the runway in Denver on Dec. 20 and burst into flames.
Wilson (or '2drinksbehind' on Twitter) became a national news phenomenon after telling — via "tweets" in Twitter parlance — of his escape, then of his annoyance at being refused a cocktail after the ordeal.
Krums' and Wilson's tweets from the accidents and the instant celebrity they gained highlight a service that many road warriors increasingly are turning to as they travel. And the travel industry has taken notice.
Hotels, airlines, airports and other travel companies are joining the Twitter community, too, to pitch services, update travel conditions and respond directly to the individual needs of customers. They're finding the mobile nature of the technology is ideal for talking to travelers.
"We consider our Twitter account akin to an information booth," says Morgan Johnston, manager of corporate communication at JetBlue Airways. "Responding to situations after they've happened is a great idea; responding to situations while they're happening is even better."
JetBlue frequently responds to tweets by directing people to tools already available for their use, such as flight-status updates and weather alerts, Johnston says. Tablet Hotels also uses its Twitter account to keep an eye on what customers are saying and what it can do in response.
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