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British Airways Staff Also Slamming Passengers On Facebook
November 4, 2008 at 12:01 PM | 3 Comments
Never one to let Virgin Atlantic have all the fun, now British Airways is investigating employees after they posted criticisms of passengers on a now-depopulated Facebook group called "London Gatwick Ground Staff."
The Telegraph reports that a big complaint was passengers who put boarding passes in their mouths before handing them over to gate personnel--definitely something worth griping about. Customers were also called "smelly and annoying." (Fliers from the US got a special shout-out for their "stupid American accents.")
BA promises it "will be talking to the individuals concerned," but the airline hasn't gone so far as to say it will fire staff who made the comments. Still, as an airline that created its own social media site and maintains a Twitter account, you'd think they'd already have a policy in place regarding employee behavior online. We're thinking something like, "Do whatever you want when you're off the clock--as long as it isn't completely embarrassing."
Related Stories:
· BA Staff Attack Passengers on Facebook [Telegraph]
· 13 Virgin Atlantic Employees Who Slammed Airline on Facebook Sacked [Jaunted]
[Photo: Travel Weekly UK]
Virgin Atlantic
13 Virgin Atlantic Employees Who Slammed Airline on Facebook Sacked, Dumped In Ocean by Sir Branson
November 1, 2008 at 1:50 PM | 1 Comment
Fancy a spot of freedom of speech with your tea and crumpets? Jolly good, just watch it when you talk about your employer. A group of 13 cabin crew staff got sacked (I love that word) by Virgin Atlantic after company officials discovered that they had posted nasty things about customers to a semi-private discussion group on Facebook. The fancy-pants airline founded by Sir Richard Branson began an investigation on October 23 after passengers and other staff members came across the postings, which hilariously referred to certain customers as "chavs" and claim that some of the company's 747s were infested with cockroaches.
It's a shame to get kicked to the curb just for bitching about your job to your co-workers, since everybody who has ever had a job has done exactly that, but this crew should have known better. Facebook might lull people into a false sense of privacy, since groups are only open to members, but those sophisticated enough to work for an airline should know by now that anything you put into pixels could easily make it into the public domain.
Somehow absent from the coverage of this event is whether their charges are true. Are Virgin Atlantic flights filled with chavs and cockroaches? Please report sightings of one or the other in the comments.
[Photo: The Vancouver Sun]
Related Stories:
· Virgin Atlantic Cabin Crew Sacked Over Web Slur [Reuters]
· Virgin Atlantic Only Comfortable With Certain Online Hatchet Jobs [Jaunted]
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic Only Comfortable with Certain Online Hatchet Jobs
October 24, 2008 at 10:08 AM | 0 Comments
Big bossman Richard Branson can snipe British Airways and even set up a special website protesting his rival's proposed tie-up with American Airlines. But his employees, apparently, don't enjoy the same freedom to criticize people online: After setting up a group on Facebook to "bitch about the aircraft" they fly, Virgin Atlantic employees are under investigation for calling passengers "chavs" and complaining that VA's 747s were infested with cockroaches.
Says the carrier:
The airline has started an immediate disciplinary investigation. Virgin Atlantic does not tolerate any criticism of its passengers or industry-leading safety standards and is taking this matter very seriously.
Safety is the airline's top priority and we operate our fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' and safety authorities' recommendations and regulations.
The posts have apparently been taken down, but we're trying to find some screen shots of them somewhere online. Tip us off if you know more; anonymity guaranteed.
Related Stories:
· VA Investigates Facebook Claims [Telegraph]
· VA Probes "Malicious" Staff Comments [Brand Republic]
· Virgin Atlantic coverage [Jaunted]
Earthquakes
FB Status Travel: "Chris McGinnis Is in Awe of the Earthquake"
July 30, 2008 at 11:15 AM | 2 Comments
Travel industry personality Chris McGinnis, who's worked everywhere from CNN Headline News to Expedia, had a particularly travel-y LA earthquake experience yesterday:
I was in the security screening area at LAX and my bag was in the x-ray machine. All of a sudden every machine and magnetometer started beeping and blinking red wildly and the overhead monitors were shaking and the TSA folks were yelling "STOP, STOP, ALL STOP."
We all sorta looked at each other as the quake rolled by. I was ready to jump under the metal table it if got any worse. The Japanese lady with her two kids in front of me with Hello Kitty bags looked at me like "So what's the big deal here?"
About two minutes went by, and the machines came back on and my bag popped out and I packed up, put my shoes on and carried on. Everyone was shaking their heads and saying things like "Welcome to California, folks."
Where did McGinnis publish his first-hand account? Facebook, obviously.
Related Stories:
· My LAX Earthquake Experience [Facebook]
· Where Was the LA Earthquake? [Jaunted]
American Airlines
Airline Blogging: AA Announces Facebook App
April 22, 2008 at 11:02 AM | 0 Comments
After taking a resounding thumping from just about everyone, the American Airlines blog is back with its fourth post ever. While it'd be hard to do worse than the corporate doublespeak of post three, the most recent update is, if not inspiring, mildly useful in communicating information.
If you're gonna do the social media-as-PR thing, it's apparently blog first, Facebook application second:
We have recently added a Facebook feature and wanted to hear what you thought about the "American Airlines Travel Bag" application. Our goal is to generate tool that would help customers share their favorite hangouts, restaurants and spots when they travel.
There's a link to the AA website with more info on the application, which proves the airline is starting to get this whole "series of tubes" thing. Maybe soon they'll even dress up the new blog with, you know, something other than the boilerplate Blogger template!
Related Stories:
· AA Facebook App [AA Conversation]
· New American Airlines Blog Could Use Some Work [Jaunted]
· American Airlines coverage [Jaunted]
Technology
Zagat Guides On Your Phone, On Your Facebook
November 16, 2007 at 12:45 PM | 0 Comments
We went by the office of the Zagat guides yesterday for a little chat with Tim and Nina--more on that next week--and they reminded us about their new mobile service, which debuted this summer. Just point your web-enabled phone or BlackBerry to Zagat.mobi and get more restaurant reviews than you'll know what to do with.
Once you've got the page up, you can search by neighborhood, cuisine or new openings. We like the "SMS to Friend" feature, which we imagine would make meeting up with pals much easier. And since the service is ad-supported, it's free.
Zagat is also cracking Facebook with a new application for nightlife spots and restaurants that have pages on the social network. Once they're approved by the survey, businesses can drop the widget on their Facebook page and see it constantly updated with the latest, imminently quotable reviews.
Related Stories:
· If It's Not NOLA, Zagat May Not Like It [Jaunted]
· Facebook coverage [Jaunted]
· Technology coverage [Jaunted]
Facebook Adds Travel Tracking Utility
July 10, 2007 at 12:28 PM | 0 Comments
The red-headed step sister to MySpace, Facebook, has extended its members' ability to share every facet of their lives -- thoughts, background, geographic location -- with total strangers. The stalker guide, er, social networking site has added "Where I've Been," a Google Maps-esque utility.
Members who download the detailed, interactive world map can share where in the world they've visited. It includes a zoom tool and all the U.S. states and there is no need to create an account on any third party site. Users can differentiate, according to color, where they've lived, where they've visited, and where they want to visit. We poor writers are going to be filling up our maps with a lot of the latter category.
Related Stories:
· MySpace Stories [Jaunted]
