GeekSugar

When All Else Fails - Twitter It!

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:30:47 -0700

Happen to be on JetBlue Flight 647 Sunday night, service from JFK to SFO? Two of our Coutorture staffers were - for five and a half hours. No, not airborne; they were stuck on the tarmac. So what did the ladies do after hunger pains ensued and they realized the plane (which by that time had run out of fuel and filled both waste tanks) wasn't going anywhere? They decided to do what any other tech-savvy gal would do: they turned to the social networking service Twitter and started twittering up a storm to JetBlue, who actually responded with jokes, support, and tips for getting on another flight.

To see what Julie had to say about the ordeal and to check out a video that they took at the scene of all the twittering action, just read more.

Here are some of Julie's thoughts about her Twitter-JetBlue experience:

"Sticking your toe in the Twitter pool can get you in trouble. But we LOVED that the JetBlue Twitter was more responsive than pretty much anyone else at the airport. We couldn’t get an on the ground customer service rep but thanks to our mobile messaging we managed to get through to someone. Twitter is really a pretty great innovation."

And yes, they managed to catch another flight the next morning with Virgin America, finally making it to their final destination, San Francisco. So maybe Twitter didn't help them escape from jail, but it did provide them with some info straight from the source.

Do You Use Social Media to Contact Companies?

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:44:18 -0800

I just finished reading an article about a US couple who, because of visa problems, nearly missed their Russian honeymoon. They thought they'd done their research; online travel agency Expedia assured the couple that they didn't need visas to travel to St. Petersburg. It turned out, though, they did. After sharing their experience and anger in real time via Twitter and their blog, Expedia reached out to the couple, reimbursing the cost of their trip, the additional expenses they incurred, and offering a huge credit toward their next trip.

More companies are using social media to respond immediately to problems and interact closely with customers. In fact, some of Sugar staffers used the service to get in touch with JetBlue during a severely delayed flight.

While I agree it's a great way to interact with a company, I can't decide if this will increase their responses or just create a new forum for more people to complain. What do you think?

Oh, Good. Another In-Flight Fire Hazard to Worry About

GeekSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:45:02 -0700

In-flight fires caused by gadgets are back in the news after a recent piece in the New York Times warned of yet another risk: fires caused by the rechargable lithium batteries in handheld credit-card machines used by flight attendants to ring up purchases. The Federal Aviation Administration considers the batteries hazardous, and requires special training for flight attendants on airlines who carry spare batteries (some airlines, like Delta and JetBlue, don't carry spare batteries at all).

No fires from the readers have been reported, but according to the same article, in the last two years, a portable DVD has caught fire on a plane, a flashlight placed in a storage compartment exploded, turning into a projectile, and eight people were injured when a battery fell against a metal seat frame and exploded.

The best way to keep devices from overheating, or worse, catching fire? Keep them out of overhead compartments, and turn them off completely before storing them for flight. Do you take special precautions when flying with gadgets?

Do You Use In-Flight Airline Entertainment?

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:34:50 -0700

You already know that I'm a big fan of Virgin America's in-flight entertainment system, and have been known to tune in to JetBlue's DirectTV programming a time or two. But for a lot of you, an airline's in-flight goodies may not be a reason to book a seat.

On a recent flight to LA, I noticed how few people actually use their seat-back TV sets to watch the tube, a movie, or play games, instead choosing to sleep or use their own gadgets to keep them busy.

I found a very handy chart on one of my favorite travel sites the other day that lists how airlines stack up against one another when it comes to entertaining their passengers. I was pretty happy with the results: most airlines are now offering some sort of in-flight WiFi, as well as music and movies via personal viewing sets on the seat backs. So what gives? Are you totally into your favorite airline's in-flight entertainment, or do you completely tune out when flying?

Tech News Roundup - The Big Camera Bag Question

GeekSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:00:05 -0700

Jean Aw from Notcot wants to know: What camera bag do you use for your dSLR? - Notcot
If only JetBlue would do the same. Shenzhen Airlines announces in-flight cellphone, internet service - Engadget
New Bose SoundDock is bigger and rocks harder than the last. Now we all want one. - Gizmodo
No one wants to put their light laptop in a heavy case. Wrappers brings you super light Laptop sleeves - Shiny Shiny
The ladies love lavender. Archos 405 gets purple like Barney - Crave
Another geeky celeb to crush on. Singer Emily King Loves Her MySpace, Macs and 'Tetris' - Switched