How to Get Airlines to Respond to Your Complaints

The next time your flight is delayed or you're unhappy with the way an airline is treating you, register your complaint on Twitter. Some passengers have had great success in getting their gripes heard and addressed by using this social networking site.

For example, a Horizon Air passenger used Twitter to complain about a mixed connection that was going to leave him stranded in the airport for ten hours. A Horizon Air representative saw his post and responded to him. It wasn't long before he was on a flight home (see the full story at Airfarewatchblog).

You probably can type a complaint in 140 characters or less (the Twitter limit) faster than you can get through to an airline's customer service representative. And with more than 180 airlines tweeting (see AirlinesonTwitter.com), chances are good that an airline representative will see your complaint.

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However, some airlines are better than others at responding to customer complaints, according to Airfarewatchdog.com. Among the best is JetBlue, which not only responds well to customers' questions but also tweets about sales and conditions affecting air travel. See how Airfarewatchdog.com grades six airlines for their use of Twitter.

Another way to benefit from Twitter: You can find out about deals by following travel sites such as FareCompare.com on flights from the airport nearest you, see travel tips and deal alerts from Kayak.com.