Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

Beginning last week some Facebook and Twitter users noticed their streams become populated with travel updates from friends flying all around the world. Notices let followers know that they had landed, and luckily not in the Hudson River. This social media “auto-pilot” of sorts is the doing of Lufthansa’s new web app MySkyStatus, a smart move by the brand to socially seed their name. By visiting the website, entering flight information of any airline, and connecting to a Twitter or Facebook account, MySkyStatus will automatically update friends and followers on your whereabouts. Profero NY, the agency responsible, wanted to create a more complete air travel experience by providing this useful service, and in their own words "socialize travel."

It makes perfect sense that airplanes would tweet, as they are, in a sense, the embodiment of mobility. There is an entire culture surrounding air travel and brands have been working hard to build around its quirks. Most airlines are already using Twitter, @JetBlue has over a million followers. It seems as if every day another airline announces in-flight Wi-Fi, which now comes with advertising. With planes connected to the grid, frequent flyers can now interact socially in yet another unique environment, one that is enclosed 30,000 feet above Earth.

What is possible in this period of time where users are fastened in? Using the power of data, apps could be created giving flyers the ability to follow detailed airplane and flight status, a modern update to listening in on the pilot radio. With location awareness, entertainment could be provided related to what the plane is currently passing over. Layovers are another element in themselves that agencies can play with. As companies like Profero collect the data made possible through apps, more intricate insights will be made visible. We're sure to see developments in social and travel hybrid applications as their similar DNA lie in natural human behavior.