A false Twitter post, sent out shortly after the Haiti earthquake, stating that American Airlines was offering free flights to the island, caused the company to be flooded with phone calls, emails and many, many Tweets. The problem was exacerbated when popular Tweeters, including film critic Roger Ebert, re-Tweeted the original message. This story ends well though, as this quote from a Dallas News article explains:
American acted quickly, directing tweets to major news outlets warning them that the free flights rumor was not true, Vary said. The airline also used its own Twitter feed, AAirwaves, to combat the buzz.
Not long after Ebert’s post, reporters for The New York Times began cautioning their Twitter followers about the free flight rumor. A day later, CNN posted a Web story about the mistaken tweet.
American’s crisis management was greatly enhanced by the company’s having the foresight to create social media channels before an issue arose. By having these in place, they were able to quickly and effectively clarify the situation without any serious reputation damage taking place.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/