All You Can Jet: Social Media’s Role
There’s no questioning the role of social media in our everyday lives — everyone I know uses Facebook, even my grandfather — but an experience I had this afternoon proves just how valuable social media can be, even when it comes to air travel. I’m flying to Costa Rica tomorrow, where I’m crashing on a friend’s couch, but having lived there for some time himself, I’m sure he has no interest in spending $65 on a zip line tour during the rainy season. When the tour company contacted me this afternoon to inform me that I was the only person confirmed for the tour and that they would need to cancel unless at least one other person signed up, I immediately turned to JetBlue’s AYCJ (All You Can Jet) Facebook group to search for other travelers in the same situation. Within 30 minutes I was in touch with three strangers on my flight — whom I look forward to meeting in person at JFK tomorrow — and several minutes later, the tour was back on. I’m also relieved that I won’t be the only tourist rushing through customs and immigration before the bus leaves from a casino near the airport an hour after we land!
In addition to the obvious use of JetBlue’s Facebook group that I mentioned above, the airline is also using the page to schedule events, post tips, and interact with passengers. Travelers are also using another service — Meetup — to schedule their own events around the country.
*Disclaimer: Astute observers will notice that the image above doesn’t look quite right. Yes, it’s been “Photoshopped” so my conversation appears at the top of the page, two hours after it was posted. Please feel free to send complaints via email 
It’s interesting how social media has flattened the world and through networks like FB and twitter, and blogs such as this, we are all connected regardless of physical location. Yet without travel, and without the connection you’ll soon have with those new friends, it’s not very “real”. Tomorrow that changes with social media as the starting point. #AYCJ is bridging online activity with the offline reality, and I plan to take advantage of every moment. I’ll continue to follow your travels, and perhaps our paths will cross. Feel free to drop my travel blog as well: http://in30days.net
– Rich