- Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia were among the most discussed airlines in Asia, with Malaysia Airlines’ discussions driven by the 10th anniversary of Flight MH370 and AirAsia receiving mixed sentiments for its customer service and promotions.
- A controversial LinkedIn post by AirAsia’s co-founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes significantly impacted the airline’s online reputation, leading to a surge in negative social media discussions.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Criticisms over AirAsia’s customer service and the 10th anniversary of Malaysia Airlines’ Flight MH370 disappearance made both airlines among the most discussed carriers in Asia.
Global insights company Carma’s report on public perception report found that the enduring mystery of Flight MH370 continued to invoke discussions online and in mainstream media in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the aircraft’s disappearance in March this year.
Carma had analysed nine airlines from Asian countries to determine how they were portrayed on social and mainstream media, and found that Malaysia Airlines ranked third in social media conversations and eighth in editorial interest.
Based on the report’s findings, the study suggested that negative stories, particularly those that have a significant and direct influence on consumers, tend to overshadow more positive or neutral coverage.
However, the attractive and considerable actions of the Malaysia Airlines cabin crew led to positive sentiments on social media.
On the other hand, AirAsia was the second most mentioned airline on social media following Singapore Airlines.
The budget airline received a mix of positive and negative comments from users.
Poor customer service and flight disruptions were major criticisms from users who took to social media to recount their displeasure.
On the bright side, AirAsia received praises for its ticket offers, cabin crew, routes and destinations as well as leadership.
Based on the report, AirAsia’s online public sentiment saw a sharp shift after its co-founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes shared on Linkedin his shirtless photo receiving a massage during a management meeting in October 2023.
“Immediately, social conversation with negative sentiments doubled, while positive social conversation more than halved.
“The social posts shared by him had a polarising effect on the airline’s reputation and led to more negative comments and discussions in the aftermath,” reads the report.
The study analysed over 105,000 posts from social media platforms and 31,500 articles from global tier-one media outlets.
The data collected was from the peak holiday period of October 2023 to March 2024.
Other airlines in the study were Scoot, Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Thai Airways and Philippine Airlines.