Singapore – A new report from Emplifi suggests that the airline industry in Asia has seen a dip in social media engagement despite the fact the industry itself seeing a year of growth. More specifically, the airline industry mostly have seen negative social media sentiment in X, formerly known as Twitter.
Across the world, the stress of air travel often leads passengers to seek rapid solutions via social media and X has been a critical source of real-time customer support for airlines. Interestingly, negative sentiment in public comments towards global airline brands on the platform has remained consistent, hovering between 32% and 26% between the peak of the pandemic in 2020 all the way into 2023.
In Asia, while negative sentiment has remained around the 20% to 30% range for nearly three years, the more notable finding is that positive sentiment on public airline tweets has decreased for the first time since the pandemic.
While airlines have implemented social care strategies, there has been limited progress in the post-pandemic era. Following the turbulence of COVID-19, 2021 witnessed global airlines achieving their best response rate to user queries, averaging 23% across platforms (Facebook, and Twitter).
However, the percentage of questions answered on social media platforms has stagnated in 2023. On average, only 25% of public questions asked in the comments on a brand’s post receive responses, leaving a substantial 75% unanswered.
In terms of most-mentioned airline brands, Air India (185,638 mentions) took the lead for 2023, garnering the highest number of mentions on X thus far while other Asia based airlines followed close behind: Qantas Airline (43,853 mentions), AirAsia (29,603 mentions), and Singapore Airlines (24,714 mentions).
Zarnaz Arlia, chief marketing officer at Emplifi, said, “While brands recognize the importance of top-tier customer service, staying aligned with rapidly evolving expectations is a challenge. The airline industry, in particular, needs constant refinement of their social care strategy. Our analysis shows there’s room for improvement. By prioritizing customer care on social platforms, airlines not only meet customers where they are but also foster loyalty, encouraging advocacy and, in the end, driving profits.”
