Southwest Airlines Makes Highest Grade in Online Reputation Management Survey -- Ryanair and United Airlines Get Failing Grade in Survey for Airline Industry

Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) May 20, 2009

RepRelations, (http://www.reprelations.com)] the leading independent online reputation management firm, today announced the results of their "State of Online Reputation for Airlines." The first of several industry-specific surveys focused on the how effectively companies are engaging in online reputation management practices, this study scored 10 of the largest airlines in the world. The study generated several insights into how major airlines are currently 'faring,' as well as several tips on how these companies could easily improve their online reputations.

The RepRelations ORM survey, available at http://www.reprelations.com/research.htm revealed that most of the larger airlines have scored a "C' rating or below. Only Southwest Airlines scored an 'A-' (90th percentile), while British Airways and American Airlines both tied, scoring a 'B-' (80th percentile). On the other end of the spectrum, Ryanair scored the lowest with an 'F'-' (50th percentile) and United Airlines and Delta both scored a 'D' (65th percentile) in the study.

"The airline industry was our first choice to feature in our Online Reputation Management Surveys because these brands are susceptible to serious incidents and need an online reputation strategy," said David Goldman, VP marketing and sales at RepRelations. "Based on our study's findings, most of the airlines appear to lack any sort of online reputation strategy, with the exception of one or two."

The Online Reputation Management Survey was focused on the following criteria:

1.    Number of negative results in the Google Top 10
2.    'Strength' of the positive results vs. the negative ones
3.    Number of websites in the Top 10 owned by the airline
4.    Presence and placement of YouTube or other videos in search results
5.    Do airline-owned web properties have optimal titles
6.    Does airline have a social networking factors (blogs, Twitter,etc) in Top 10

Key Findings

•     YouTube Results - US-Based Airlines Lacking

None of the US-based airlines included in this report have positive YouTube results in their Google Top 10, while Singapore Airlines, Qantus and British Airways do.

•     Who Owns Their Google Top 10

Continental, British Airways, and American Airlines get top rankings - each owning 7 of the Top 10 results. Ryanair and Lufthansa own only 2 and 3, respectively.

Based on the study, the airline industry as a whole appears not to have embraced online reputation management, including proper use of YouTube and social media. Most airlines we researched appear to have an incomplete strategy at best. There is a significant opportunity for airlines to contract with an online reputation management firm to begin to take control of how the company is presented by Google, Yahoo, and MSN. The cost of ignoring online reputation management, while difficult to measure in dollars, is significantly greater than putting a strategy in place.

About RepRelations
RepRelations is a California-based online reputation management company. RepRelations helps companies take control of their online reputation, enabling clients to tell their story rather than allowing negative sites to outweigh the company's own. RepRelations also helps companies to utilize YouTube, Twitter and other social networking tools to improve their online image.

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