One late evening three months ago, a Philippine Airlines (PAL) passenger arrived in Manila. He looked forward to spending a few hours revisiting the famed metropolis by the bay, before leaving for Bangkok, his final destination. But he had one problem. The passenger, a Filipino based abroad, had no idea where he could temporarily leave his luggage within the terminal. So he took out his iPhone, logged into his Twitter account, and began sending direct messages to @flyPAL — the airline's official Twitter handle, which was established in September last year. (The other option, @philippineairlines, was too long for a Twitter name while another account, @philippineair was owned by another Twitter user and had remained inactive since November 2009.) In a series of tweets, the passenger described his quandary: He wanted to relive his adventures in Manila during his five-hour-or-so stopover, without the hassle of bringing his luggage along. The airline responded quickly. In just four exchanges consisting of more or less 140 characters, @flyPAL provided him accurate, step-by-step directions on where to go in Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Eventually, he was led to the baggage storage near the terminal's transfer desk at the arrivals hall. And in less than thirty minutes — probably faster than the time he spent getting off the plane and clearing immigration and customs — the passenger was able to store his luggage for a minimal fee. Impressed, the Bangkok-bound traveler expressed his gratitude to the airline, perhaps even patting himself on the back for flying with the Philippines' flag carrier. But for @flyPAL and the five people managing the account, it was just another day at work. It was a good thing that team members behind the account — two each from corporate communications and system management and one from planning — are used to attending to passengers' unique, if quirky, Twitter-based requests. "We get tweets asking about the seat pitch and legroom space in our planes. One Twitter user even asked whether a 777 has three-pronged power outlets," Benito E. Gliponeo III, PAL's manager for planning and development in corporate e-Business told GMANews.TV in an interview. "But these tweets come generally from business class passengers who are more technologically savvy." Questions directed at @flyPAL are included in replies as much as possible to ensure the accuracy of our answers, added Gliponeo, the only one from PAL's planning division that has access to its Twitter account. "If the answer would benefit everyone, we make the tweet public. If not, it is sent by direct message," he said, adding that he uses UberTwitter for Blackberry for tweeting. But not all tweets and direct messages raise concerns that require quick and specific replies, according to Gliponeo. Of @flyPAL's 50 mentions and direct messages on a regular day — a number that reaches 200 during storms — many tweets are still about booking, baggage, and ticket fares, Gliponeo said. "If the information they request are already known by our followers, we reply to them in private," Gliponeo said. And instead of providing passengers with instant information regarding these general matters, PAL's Twitter team encourages them to visit the airline's website, whose booking engine is also named Fly PAL. This is exactly the same strategy that the airline employs regarding email queries, which also average around 50 on a regular day. "Eighty percent of what passengers need from Philippine Airlines are on our website," he said. Despite the barrage of repeated queries, both on Twitter and email, Gliponeo and his team members have managed to keep their cool. If an external factor, say, faulty navigational equipment at the airport, doesn't affect company operations, @flyPAL doesn't bother to tweet about it. "It just magnifies the situation," he said, referring to the breakdown of the airport's navigational equipment in July, which @flyPAL didn't mention on Twitter at all. Gliponeo knows this from experience. Early this year, another PAL passenger lost his luggage while on a flight to Manila from the United States, an event which he tweeted about. "The passenger blamed PAL for lost luggage but it was the staff of the carrier who failed to place his luggage in his connecting flight in the first place," Gliponeo explained. Although the luggage was eventually retrieved, it was never mentioned by the passenger on Twitter, "leaving a bad impression about PAL," Gliponeo said. "The passenger's negative comment on Twitter was read by his followers, all of whom may not be followers of PAL." Gliponeo, a PAL employee for more than ten years, added: "Once you have a complaint, it's magnified even though you may have ten commendations." But this is just one of the many Twitter-related risks that companies such as PAL have to deal with, says Vince Altez, a senior analyst of XMG Global that specializes in trends and issues in information technology. "Since [Twitter] is free, it is also open to misuse and abuse — anyone can use someone else's brand and spread bad news and comments that easily," he said in an email message to GMANews.TV. These setbacks have not discouraged the airline nor its Twitter team, since both remain optimistic about increasing its Twitter followers. "More Twitter activity is expected and the volume of @flyPAL mentions will rise by double digits in the next six months," Gliponeo said, citing the aviation industry's recovery in Asia. Added to that, Filipino Twitter users are expected to reach two million by the yearend, Altez said. Despite rosy projections, PAL remains deadset on outsourcing its labor requirements. As a result, the airline may even do the same for its Twitter account, Gliponeo said. "Managing Twitter is far too less work for one person but an additional set of duties for another who has other tasks," he said. How the airline intends to do this remains to be seen, especially given its current labor disputes with a union of ground-based workers and an association of flight attendants. One thing remains certain though: if you're a PAL passenger stuck for hours in Manila, it doesn't hurt to talk to @flyPAL on Twitter.—JV, Read more Aviation News GMANews.TV
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