Reader Mail : “Are airline bloggers competitive with each other?”

I get emails about airlines, airplanes and airports fairly often, but rarely if ever about airline blogging. Today’s reader mail comes from Ross Mitchell who writes, “Are airline bloggers competitive with each other, always trying to beat each other to be the top of the pile? I fly often, enjoy my time in airports and have considered taking up blogging about airlines.”

 

Well Ross … first off … blogging can be fun, it can be rewarding. Some people start and love it, others start and find it is not for them. Before you jump in to blogging about airlines I’d suggest reading a few of my favourite airline blogs, if you don’t already read them:

 

– AirlineReporter.com

– NYCAviation.com

– blog.Apex.aero

– CrankyFlier.com

– BangaloreAviation.com

 

I’d also suggest following a few people on Twitter (I can’t list everyone, it’d be 150+ long)

 

– @airlinereporter

– @APEXMary

– @NYCAviation

– @JonOstrower

– @CrankyFlier

– @AirlinerFlyer (who writes for NYCAviation, APEX and Airline Reporter)

– @GlobeTrotScott

 

 

Now, as for airline bloggers being competitive, let’s hear from some of the folks behind the blogs I just listed

 

Phil Derner, of NYCAviation.com, states “‘I’d say we all have each other’s back, as we are all in this for the same cause of promoting passion for aviation, each in our own way.” and  “Some of the best times I’ve had we covering stories and hanging out, having drinks with our “competitors”. We all tend to cover stories differently.”

 

David Parker Brown, of AirlineReporter.com, says, “I am constantly amazed how well this group gets along” and “[We] will invite other media to events that we have been invited to.”

 

Personally, there is a healthy level of competition. You can see it every day in our Tweets, our Facebook comments, in our blog content … but it is largely fueled by camaraderie. There is nothing cut throat about the dedicated airline and aviation bloggers I regularly converse with, who’s blogs I read and who I reference frequently.  Rather than cutting each other down, you can find us helping each other out. While we cover the same industry, and often overlap, we cover our own stories, have our own views, distinct voices and generally have our own niche’.

 

If you really want to write about airlines and airplanes follow the Twitter accounts I posted above, follow their conversations, see who they talk to, start your own conversations and start writing your content.

 

In short … we’re mostly a friendly bunch. If you’re knowledgeable, dedicated and easy going jump into the conversation and you’ll find a very welcoming group of people.

 

Happy Flying!

 

@flyingwithfish