One thing the travel industry learned following disruption to European air traffic in 2010 as a result of the volcanic eruption in Iceland was the power of social media.
Social media sceptics soon realised that given the scale of the crisis (large swathes of airspace closed for up to a week at the height of the disruption) they could use social media channels to answer questions from consumers and drip-feed information about the status of flights and services.
Services such as Twitter and Facebook came into their own, not as replacements for traditional customer service, but to supplement and provide additional channels for communication, especially as many airline and airport call centres were simply overloaded for much of the period.
Twelve months on and, with an eruption from fellow Icelandic volcano Grimsvotn starting to have some impact on flights, many of the lessons learned from 2010 are being implemented quickly.
For consumers and travel companies there are a number of resources on social media channels for accurate and up-to-date information:
- Pan-European air traffic control organisation EuroControl is the go-to profile on Twitter (@eurocontrol), publishing regular updates around airspace closure and subsequent affect on flights.
- Although airlines now have the final decision (a change from 2010) as to whether they will fly during disruption (subject to approval by national air traffic bodies), airports are using social media to provide a broader view on services. Ones to watch are the major UK airports London Heathrow [@heathrowairport] and Gatwick [@gatwick_airport], both of which are updating regularly, as well as Amsterdam Schiphol [@schiphol] and Paris [@AeroportsParis].
- Interestingly, Twitter appears to be the channel of choice at this early stage, although the Facebook-loving KLM is answering questions from customers. No mention on the British Airways page.
- For those keen to see in real-time what is going on in the air, look no further than the fantastic FlightRadar air traffic and Google Map mashup (including handy ash cloud position).