Heathrow's 67 million customers have a new voice to call on as they travel through the airport with the launch of a new Twitter feed.
The airport, which has joined Twitter under the name of @HeathrowAirport, is using the micro-blogging service to provide up-to-the-minute news and information to support passengers as they move through Heathrow's five terminals.
Heathrow's followers can expect responses to questions, as well as 'tweets' relating to Heathrow’s latest flight information, travel services, retail offers, local weather, rail and traffic reports, news and even up-to-the-minute celebrity sightings from the world's busiest international airport.
The airport service also provides regular updates to followers during times of operational difficulties, such as the recent air traffic control problem that delayed a number flights to North America.
Since its launch, the airport's team of 'tweeters' have engaged with passengers on everything from lost property and flight delays to where to get a piece of cake in Terminal 5! They have also heard directly from Simon Pegg along with Paris Hilton who enjoyed a meal at Terminal 5’s Gordon Ramsay restaurant Plane Food along with some serious retail therapy.
Colin Matthews, Heathrow's Chief Executive, says: “There are few better ways to quickly reach millions of our customers than by adding our voice to Twitter. This service is changing the rules of communication and is a valuable addition to our efforts to better listen to and respond to our customers, with the simple aim of making every passenger journey better than the last one.”
Ahead of its recent launch and to ensure content is as informative as it is engaging for customers, the @HeathrowAirport team undertook a four-week trial period during the summer within a closed online group of followers.
Malcolm Robertson of Heathrow's communications team, which is managing the service, says: “The format and content of our Twitter activity is not set in stone, and we expect to be guided by our passengers. We are very much enjoying this new level of engagement with our customers and encourage people not simply to follow us, but to talk to us."
