Does social media matter for an airline? Yes, it most certainly does. And one carrier, surprising to me, leads the way in terms of social media followers.

The Airline With The Most Social Media Followers – Qatar Airways

I may be too old for TikTok, but I see the tremendous upside and potential of social media in the airline industry. Yes, as another outlet to engage and offer customer service, but also as a medium to increase the brand recognition and quality.

Unique offers, snarky engagement (like the social media team at Ryanair), and even just pithy 5-10 second videos can attract a whole new generation to the carrier and build brand loyalty.

Some carriers are far better at social media than others. I find American Airlines and United Airlines have a greater Twitter team while a recent interaction with EL AL Israel Airlines was at the opposite end of the spectrum: unfriendly agents not empowered to do anything at all.

While Ryanair usually makes headlines, it is not Ryanair but Qatar Airways that is the airline with the most social media followers (47 million).

And is it any coincidence that Qatar Airways was named the world’s best carrier in 2024 (unless they just paid off Skytrax, which I suppose is possible…)?

I’d choose Qatar Airways myself and while Emirates sells bling and luxury but still has a substantial chunk of its fleet with a middle seat in business class and seats that do not recline into beds, Qatar Airways comes through. But Qatar Airways has also done a great job of letting people know what it delivers via active engagement on social media.

Salam Al Shawa, Qatar Airways Senior Vice President of Marketing, explained:

“The fact that we have grown by four million followers during the pandemic speaks for the credibility and resilience of our airline. The importance of social media to Qatar Airways as a way to directly reach our passengers cannot be overstated as we keep aiming to create quality content while actively engaging with our followers in a way they can relate.”

5 Airlines With The Most Social Media Followers

The airlines with the most social media followers (combined across all outlets) include:

1. Qatar Airways
2. AirAsia
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Qantas Airways
5. Ryanair

The focus of these channels? “Behind the scenes” look at airplanes and destinations.

My point: the airlines who neglect social media are missing out. Humbly, the same with the blogs…

CONCLUSION

Qatar Airways was just named world’s best airline, edging out Singapore Airlines, and also has the most social media followers in the world. In this evovling world, the importance of social media in expanding the brand cannot be minimzied.

Finally, I like what Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said in a recent interview with Skift:

“We hired a group of kids under the age of 25 and sent them forth and said ‘Look, write whatever you want on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,’ I don’t understand TikTok, don’t follow it, never gone on it. To me, it is mindless rubbish but millions of people around the world follow Ryanair’s account.”

Rubbish indeed, but still valuable.

image: Qatar Airways

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!