Whether you are in the travel or aviation industry or not, it is possible by now you have heard the wildly circulating news about American Airlines. With over 20 thousand mentions of American Airlines in social media so far today and at the time of this posting, people are talking up a storm online about the bankruptcy protection filing of the giant airline. This is a time where social media crisis management is critical.

When breaking news of this caliber hits, it is more important than ever to be prepared to act via a strong social media strategy. When I woke up to the news myself, I was curious as to how American Airlines would be prepared for the storm of tweets, blogs and news articles their team would be faced with. The big question for not just American Airlines, but for any airline today is: Do you have a crisis management strategy in place?

With tweets flying higher than the airline itself right now, people were talking about stocks falling, increasing costs to travel and worrying about existing flights or promos for upcoming flights they hoped to book. Social media engagement opportunities abound.

American Airlines is working diligently to keep up the pace in the crisis. Their customer service efforts and crisis communications approach is working hard to alleviate concerns and achieve positive sentiment surrounding their brand.

What is an airline to do in this case?

A quick look at the American Airlines Twitter feed shows a helpful voice trying to diligently engage and answer the questions of confused passengers and upset customers. Along with implementing a crisis strategy playbook, remaining transparent, honest and friendly will be the best tools AA can keep close in their social media crisis kit.

For more ideas on how airlines can successfully utilize social media for everything from customer service to crisis management, check out our unique Airline webpage – complete with case studies and resources.

The details of the business of American Airlines and the reasons why they are filing for bankruptcy can be found on many news site such as Huffington Post and CNN.

 Do you have a crisis communications strategy? Is it ready to go at the push of a button? Share your thoughts here.

Jenn Seeley is a Community Engagement Specialist who uses social media for recommendations on sights to see while traveling with Radian6. Tell her why you love social media for travel insight by tweeting @Jenn_Seeley.