SINGAPORE – Inflexibility of team structure is the biggest challenge faced by Middle Eastern airlines regarding social media, according to the Airline Social Media Outlook 2016 report by leading airline consultancy SimpliFlying.
Based on surveys conducted with 166 executives from 78 airlines worldwide, this challenge is faced by 75% of the Middle Eastern airlines. This is 20% higher than any other region.
Another notable difference among Middle Eastern airlines is their business priorities for social media. While most airlines in other regions focus on driving customer service, driving loyalty seems to be top priority for 87.5% of airlines in Middle East.
To help managers at Middle Eastern airlines choose the most optimal team structure for conducting social media, SimpliFlying has developed a list of advantages and disadvantages to be considered for each team structure namely Distributed Team, Dedicated Team or External Team/ Agency.
The report further highlights how differences in cultures and user social media usage patterns can have major impact on the goals and challenges of airlines in different regions.
