The Blog DoggerAmerican Airlines starts blog amid crisis

The embattled airline started blogging to help solve its PR mess. Was it a good idea?

Welcome, American Airlines, to the blogosphere. Please stop what you’re doing, put down your reading materials and pay attention to this short safety briefing.

That’s right; on Apr. 11 American Airlines, the world’s largest airlines, launched Conversations—its first official blog. Now what was happening in the aviation industry on Apr. 11?

Oh yes, American Airlines cancelled thousands of flights so it could perform safety inspections. The cancellations stranded thousands of passengers and crew members leaving them—dare I say—a bit angry at American.

As a result, the Pilot’s Union took out a full-page newspaper ad asking, ”Why is American Airlines failing its customers?” As stranded passengers told news agencies, “I don’t plan on flying American ever again.”

It was the makings of a PR nightmare. So American took to the blogosphere.