Twitter has a huge aviation community — from airlines and airports, to cabin crew and aviation enthusiasts. Whether you like to fly planes or just watch planes fly, there are lots of aviation geeks on Twitter with whom you can converse about your passions. Many of these interesting tweeps are tapping into Twitter's real-time network to offer up travel tips, airline recommendations (or warnings), and an inside look at life in the cockpit (or cabin).
This list has 28 great aviation geeks to follow on Twitter, however please feel free to suggest others in the comments (or if you tweet about things that fly, leave your own Twitter info). This list is presented in no particular order.
13 Aviation Journalists/Bloggers on Twitter
Aviation journalists are a rare breed, and a group of people that some might think lead exotic lives they wing around the globe covering the field of flight. The following list of bloggers and journalists all cover the travel and aviation industries with aplomb and tweet passionately about flying.
1. @BenetWilson - One of the aviation journalism "legends" of our time, Benet Wilson has an amazing amount of knowledge about the industry and it is always a pleasure to tweet with her. Everyone who's anyone in aviation has probably been interviewed by Benet at some point in his or her career. Benet currently writes on business aviation for Aviation Week.
2. @flyingwithfish - Steve Frischling is an ace photographer turned travel guru. His advice on how to pack light or travel safe is invaluable. I personally love the travel iPhone App reviews he does at his blog, Flying with Fish. His tweets are a perfect blend of photo tips, travel tips and views on airlines.
3. @danwebbage - Dan Webb is a wunderkind, who's quite an aviation freak. Still a college student, he does an outstanding job blogging passionately about the industry over at the Things in the Sky blog. He's also the co-host of the Airplane Geeks Podcast, and his Twitter stream is always full of his unique personal insights.
4. @roncallari - Ron Callari has a ton of experience working in the travel industry. He blogs at InventorSpot and works with travel and hospitality companies around the world. He has over 5,000 followers on Twitter.
5. @aschonland - Addison Schonland hosts the very popular IAG Podcast. He's one of the most forward-thinking Gen X persons I've known, and is always brimming with great ideas about the next big thing in aviation. His tweets are very inspiring.
6. @BLRAviation - No one knows Indian aviation better than Devesh Aggarwal. Once a million-miler with Singapore Airlines, he's now based out of Bangalore and runs the Bangalore Aviation blog. The insights and statistics on Indian aviation that he shares on Twitter are a revelation. He also knows the best kebab places in Bangalore (and has taken me to some of them, too!).
7. @RunwayGirl - Mary Kirby adds the oomph factor to aviation geeks on Twitter! No one knows in-flight entertainment and equipment better than her, and she gives us the ins and outs of what's in the plane, from wifi to the IFE. Check out her very cool Twitpics on the future of a "sleeper cabin" in the Economy class. She writes for Flight International at RunwayGirl.
8. @crankyflier - The self-acclaimed "airline dork," Brett Snyder is probably one of the most famous aviation bloggers, having worked in a travel agency when ee was a teenager and been totally "into" airlines ever since. His insights on his CrankyFlier blog and on Twitter are daring, straight-forward, and always make you stop and think. He has very intriguing perspectives on the industry.
9. @flightblogger - How can this list be complete without mentioning probably the only Boeing outsider who often knows more than the insiders? Jon Ostrower is the FlightBlogger and tweets about the latest Boeing updates. Even Boeing employees read his blog and tweets to keep up to date with the latest developments in the company.
10. @rickseaney - Rick Seaney is the CEO of FareCompare.com who's often quoted by the mainstream media about the latest in aviation. He's a world class aviation expert who not only tweets about fare drops and deals to grab, but also some very unique happenings in aviation, like how Air New Zealand aims to turn Economy Class seats into beds. No wonder he's the media's go-to guy for all things air travel — he's got the answers. And he loves to share his knowledge, in real-time, on Twitter.
11. @MiddleSeat - Scott McCartney writes The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Seat" column and is the author of the new book "The Wall Street Journal Guide to Power Travel: How to Arrive with Your Dignity, Sanity, and Wallet Intact." He's got very refreshing perspectives on the latest happenings in aviation, and if you can't keep up with his column, do read his tweets.
12. @TodayintheSky - USA Today's Ben Mutzabaugh has created a reputation for intriguing analysis on the latest aviation happenings. And now, you can get acquainted with this talented journalist on Twitter too. He shares not just his own articles, but also those from around the web about aviation. Quite insightful.
13. @elliotdotorg - Elliot, who's already famous for answering travel questions on Elliot.org as well as MSNBC Travel, is now helping travelers on Twitter too. And he writes very helpful articles on travel, as well. One of my favorites is how social media can help your vacation travel.
10 Airline Crew Tweeps
People often do not talk about the individuals that actually make an airline work. Not the corporate executives, but the group that work closely with passengers day in day out — the airline crew. Twitter's aviation community counts among its numbers a bunch of airline crew tweeps that you can follow. Listen to their adventures, joys, and grievances in being at the forefront of such an industry, perhaps tweeted from a jumpseat.
14. @Heather_Poole - Heather Poole is by far one of the most popular airline crew members on Twitter. She has worked for a major US carrier for fourteen years, spending most of that time flying back and forth between New York and Los Angeles. She gives a very candid view on what it's like to fly on her blog and why she says "it's like [working] inside a germ infested petri dish." Heather also has a huge following for her #laviators initiatives, in which people take photos inside an airplane lavatory and post it online. She has over 6,500 followers on Twitter and writes in the Gossip Galley column for Gadling.com.
15. @flygirl737700 - Laura Groves is a major airline pilot and probably the only one with an M.A. in Byzantine art. She is also a published writer, amateur sailor, kayaker, and a self confessed part-time tree-hugger. She provides a good perspective on things from a pilot's point of view. Currently Laura has more than 3,500 followers on Twitter.
16. @theflyingpinto - The Flying Pinto has been a flight attendant for a major U.S. Airline for over 20 years. She uses Twitter to offer her best advice on making your travels through the "friendly" skies more friendly and she shares her experiences with you and offers you a glimpse behind the galley curtain. She's also a regular contributor to Escapes Magazine.
17. @Sodwee - Airboy, also known as Sodwee, is a 23 year old male flight attendant currently working for Emirates since March 2008. Although his professional experience in the airline industry is not as extensive as some others, he has a really popular blog and podcast where he not only writes about his adventures on Emirates, but also the latest happenings on the region's other carriers.
18. @TraytablesTrvls - This 20-something Australian flight attendant for an international airline also authors a travel blog, "In case of emergency..." Planning to trot the globe over the coming year and to learn more about the people of the world as well as himself, he shares his travel experiences from the jump-seat with a lot of passion.
19. @flyheatherfly - Heather M is a flight attendant based in Germany and shuttles frequently between Europe and the USA. Though she laughs at the notion of the "glamorous life" of cabin crew members, Heather is a genuine travel enthusiast whose hobby is probably collecting stamps in her passport. She still has a relatively small following on Twitter (which is bound to grow), but she is a seasoned and avid documenter of her travels.
20. @skysteward - Gailen David is "The Sky Steward" and has flown for a major US airline for over twenty years. In addition to flying as a member of the crew, Gailen also flies regularly for business as a passenger and has even earned AAdvantage Platinum status with American Airlines, so he sees things from both sides. His book, "Jetiquette: The Customer Experience and You," was written for flight attendants and others who deal with the public.
21. @StarVillanueva - Star Villanueva is an international cabin crew member from the Philippines, and she is currently flying for one of the major airlines in the Middle East. In addition to tweeting, she keeps a very interesting blog too. Her blog is very educational for those living the crew life; on it she write about things like beauty secrets and steps she takes to maintain her health and fitness while flying on a busy schedule. She is still is quite new to Twitter, but shares unique and personal insights from the mind of a cabin crew member.
22. @BethanyinFL - Bethany is a flight attendant who's lived all over the world, and has recently moved back from England to Florida. Married to a Brit, she shares her candid travel adventures and is often found engaging with those who reply to her tweets.
23. @FlyAArmy - Shelby career started with the Army, and now she's a flight attendant. Her interesting tweets come from airports, runways, taxiways and sometimes from even inside the plane (because she never seems to tune off!).
5 More Behind-the-Scenes Aviation Tweeps
There are a few more people who share 140-character gems on Twitter about airlines and the business of flying, who for one reason or another did not fit into the above categories. If you love to fly, or love learning about planes and aviation, these are great folks to follow.
24. @tonyfernandes - Often referred to as the Richard Branson of Asia, Tony is the CEO of AirAsia, one of the most successful low cost carriers in Asia. On his Twitter feed, Tony shares everything from where he's hanging out to new job openings at AirAsia. He's even used social media to hire an entire department for his airline!
25. @azranosmanrani - Azran is Tony's partner in crime, and leads AirAsia X - the low-cost, long-haul airline flying to Australia, UK, China and now the Middle East from Malaysia. A former McKinsey consultant, he wants to run 10 marathons before he turns 40. He shares some very candid personal insights about his efforts in making AirAsia X successful.
26. @paulaberg - Paula is the brains behind Southwest Airlines' social media forays. I've met her in person, and can tell you that her real-life enthusiasm totally comes through in her tweets, which can be about anything from the latest Southwest promotion to her thoughts about PR.
27. @christiday - Christi is Paula's right-hand lady, looking after Southwest's Twitter account (@SouthwestAir). I honestly don't know when Christi sleeps, because she always seems to be replying to tweets from the airline's account, and her personal one, as well. Great insider's point of view on the airline industry and social media.
28. @mhjohnston - Morgan Johnston is a former videographer turned social media maven. He heads up the social media initiatives at JetBlue Airways and packs quite a punch in his tweets. Morgan is a thought-leader in the social media world, an important figure in the world of aviation, and he tweets for the official @JetBlue account.