There is a mobile phone app called Snapchat which is very popular with millennials. The app is for image and multimedia messaging where you take photos and short videos with your phone and share them. The maximum duration for a photo to display or for a video is 10 seconds. Taking multiple videos in a row or many photos in a row forms a story when viewed in sequence.
The idea is that the images are ephemeral. When a person views a private message it displays for however long the timer has been set and then disappears. It’s not possible for the receiver to save them. Public photos and videos are viewable repeatedly for 24 hours before they disappear. You can take screenshots but it is considered gauche to do so and the sender is notified if one does.
Snapchat is now being used by some airlines as part of their marketing mix. The first airline to join was Aer Lingus which is unsurprising as the app is particularly popular in Ireland. Some other airlines have followed suit and they are all using it in interesting ways. Let’s have a look at three airlines and some of their Snapchat stories from 11 July 2016.
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus received accreditation as a 4 star airline from SKYTRAX today. They held a media event to celebrate the occasion and they were sending snaps as well.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways were at the Farnborough International Airshow today and they decided to take people on Snapchat on a tour of their chalet.
Qantas Airways
Last but certainly not least is Qantas who have a pilot snapping a trip from Sydney to Johannesburg. The first snap in the series is a video of the pilot presumably introducing himself but alas the sound was off!
The second snap shows an example of drawing on the image to point something out. It’s another example of how you can customise the pictures you are sending.
Airlines on Snapchat
I have shown you how the app works so now you will have to download it from your app store and add the airlines. The following airlines are on Snapchat. The airline name is followed by their ID on the app that you would use to add them.
- Aer Lingus – aerlingus
- Air New Zealand – airnewzealand
- American Airlines – americanair
- Delta Air Lines – delta
- Qantas Airways – qantas
- Qatar Airways – qatar-airways
- United Airlines – united
- Virgin America – virginamerica
- WOW air – wow-air
Please leave any additional airlines in the comments using the same format. This list is the definitive list on the Internet now and I will add to the above when new ones are revealed.
Overall Thoughts
Snapchat is a fun app that is engaging for the users. I daresay it’s also fun for the employees who are given the account for the day to create a story to send out to the world. The marketing possibilities appear to be endless. The above examples from Aer Lingus, Qatar and Qantas are a great indication of what airlines are typically sending. WOW air of Iceland went one step further held a competition to send four people travelling and snapping at their destinations. I thought that was a great idea! Video content was interspersed with the example stories above but you will need to get the app to see that.
I thoroughly recommend getting and using the app. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments and questions below.
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Interesting. I’ve never used it. Very popular with kids. Last week Lewis Hamilton created a storm by snap chatting during a press conference. He’s going through a rough patch and the press should have given him a break. I’m not very live on social media so snaps disappearing after 10 seconds means I won’t get the chance to see it, but a great way to reach out to those who do.
Yes, it’s quite popular with people who are in their twenties I’ve found. I wasn’t aware he caused a storm by snapping during a press conference. Well the snaps disappear in 10 seconds if they are direct snaps. The airline ones are part of a story and stories stay available for 24 hours. You can replay the 10 second snaps as many times as you like in 24 hours if they’re part of a story. It’s hard to explain – easier to show someone.
Awesome! I didn’t think airlines would be on here.
Do they post shots from the cockpit over cities?
From what I know, they’re not allowed record landings or take-offs?
They post all sorts of things! Today Qatar was posting from the press conference of their Boeing order. Usually it’s competitions or just day in the life of an airline stuff. It’s really random but I quite enjoy it! No views during take off or anything as yet. A lot of stuff is when they open new routes. They’re all worth adding to Snapchat as some of the content is great!
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