American Airlines Flies With Facebook Widget

MediaPost Publications, March 26, 2008 — HOPING TO COZY UP TO consumers, American Airlines has launched a new marketing tool disguised as a Facebook widget. The Dallas-based carrier is looking to learn more about consumer preferences and buying habits.

The widget, dubbed Travel Bag, offers features that let Facebook friends share personal tips and experiences through tools like Favorites, Travelogue, and Trip-O-Vent. American Airlines hopes that by learning more about consumers, it will be able to provide relevant information about services and destinations, rather than deliver a bunch of postal junk mail or email spam.

Maybe a Lavender Web Site Wasn’t How to Attract Women

New York Times, April 17, 2007 — JULIE PFEFFER, who has traveled on business to more than 55 countries, was among many female business travelers not impressed with the announcement by American Airlines last week that it had started a Web site just for its female travelers, www.AA.com/women. “There are so many things that are infuriating about this lip-service nonsense that I can’t begin to list them all,” said Ms. Pfeffer, an executive with the emerging markets division of Artisan Partners, an investment management company.

Advertisers Find A Captive Audience: Travelers on Planes†

Wall Street Journal, December 20, 2005 — Talk about an ideal audience for an advertiser: The target customers are strapped in — literally. They're paying attention. They're actually grateful for your presence. And they're a good demographic.