Airlines Use Twitter To Fill Seats

JetBlue and United have joined the ranks of companies like Pizza Hut and Dell that have successfully promoted things on Twitter.  These airlines make extra-cheap tickets available through the site, thereby helping themselves fill planes and arguably doing consumers a favor.

United‘s chosen to call its offerings "twares," and would-be travelers need to click through to the main United site in order to see how much things cost.  JetBlue has labeled its deals "cheeps," and it posts every flight’s start and end points, along with the price, right on Twitter.

Both companies’ Twitter accounts are pretty popular, with about 15,500 and 21,000 followers, respectively.  It’s gotten to the point that flights often sell out in very little time.  Flyers win because the prices can be extremely low (JetBlue often offers tickets for just $9).

The interesting potential catch is that these bargain tickets tend to be one-way, and so airlines stand to gain more money when people book their return flights.

Still, even leaving that aside, JetBlue and United have figured out a way to use a fast-moving medium to sell time-sensitive deals.  Hat tip goes to Charisse Jones.