Best prices Special offers for members of the PWE book club The cheapest delivery
Dr Sonia Huderek-Glapska
ORCID: 0000-0002-1470-5541

Assistant Professor at the Department of Microeconomics, Poznań University of Economics. Author of many scientific papers and research on air transport economics. Editor of the monograph "Managing airport development".

 
DOI: 10.33226/1231-7853.2020.6.2
JEL: D00, D12, D22, D50, D60, L20, L93, L20, L93, M31

The air transport market in Poland is developing very dynamically and is characterized by great potential. The interdependence between air transport and the political and economic situation forces the airlines to observe the environment and react to changes occurring in it. Marketing activities are one of the forms of the company's influence on the market, and social media are currently becoming one of the most important marketing channels. The presence of airlines in social media is not only a tool for shaping trends in the environment, but also helps to maintain relations with existing customers and acquire the new ones. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the marketing activities of airlines in social media. The paper analyses the use of tools in social media by airlines, including the observation of crisis situation management. The research subject is LOT Polish Airlines (PLL LOT), and their marketing activities in social media such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter are monitored. The data collected were compared with the activity of other European air carriers. Moreover, the social media activities of LOT Polish Airlines were analyzed on the basis of two negative events concerning working conditions in the company, one of whichconcerned a crisis situation caused by  an employee strike. The research was conducted in the period October 2018–February 2020, in selected months. As a result of the research, improvements were proposed and directions for further research were indicated.

Keywords: social media; LOT Polish Airlines; marketing; crisis management