Who knew that April of 2014 in social media would be filled with so much controversy and intrigue about airlines? The ongoing speculation over what happened to Malaysian Airlines MH370 has prompted the appearance of hundreds of fake accounts associated with the tragic event. In other news, Southwest stood out as a social media winner, US Airways accidentally posted a vulgar photo on Twitter (to say the least) – but surprised everyone by making the right decision about their community manager. Within the same week we also saw a teen’s tweet to American Airlines take a severe turn for the worse.

Will The Real MH370 Please Stand Up
Why would someone set up a fake social media account associated with the missing Malaysian Airlines plane? According to this article, there are three answers and two of them could mean negative consequences for your personal information. With over 600 accounts set up in the wake of the airline crash, it’s more important than ever to take the time to carefully ensure the accounts you’re following or the links you click are actually legitimate.
[Forbes]

Southwest Airlines Shines Again
While other airlines are frequently blundering their way through social media, Southwest Airlines consistently shows they know who their audience is and what they are doing. The best part: a passenger created a video of a shining Southwest moment that’s racked up more than 1 million views in less than a week. It just goes to show sometimes winning in social media is less about a show-y ad campaign and more about how relevant and compelling (in this case hilarious) your service or product can be.
[Adweek]

The Best Decision Made by US Airways This Week
If you haven’t see the accidental Twitter photo attachment that made headlines this week, we suggest you check it out at home and not where your boss might catch you looking. After the initial shock of what is probably the most inappropriate photo ever posted by a brand, most were left wondering how this could happen and who is responsible for the social media presence of US Airways. After such a horrific misstep, it was heartening to see the airline make the right call with their community manager and not let a sincere accident tarnish a reputation and career.
[Mashable]

A Teen’s Joke Turns Into Jail Time
American Airlines and the teen who tweeted a terrorist threat in their direction were both feeling the heat in social media this week. Although there’s no denying the teenager’s actions were immature and dumb (to put it lightly) the airline’s audience was not too happy with their heavy-handed response. Whether you agree with the actions American Airlines took or not, it’s clear they were put in a difficult position by a youth who probably thought her words would go unnoticed.
[National Post]