AOPA Reverses Decision, Stays on X

Member response prompted the association to keep its account active, even after engagement fell more than 80%.

AOPA Reverses Decision, Stays on X
[Credit: Bangla press | Shutterstock]
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Key Takeaways:

  • The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) reversed its decision to leave the social media platform X, just one day after announcing its departure.
  • AOPA initially planned to exit X due to an over 80% drop in engagement on the platform over three years, while other channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok saw significant audience growth.
  • The reversal came after strong feedback from members indicated they still wanted AOPA to maintain an active presence on X.
  • AOPA will now keep its X account active, increasing content with a focus on policy and advocacy work.
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The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has reversed its decision to leave X, one day after that the organization planned to stop using the social media platform. AOPA told AVweb Tuesday that feedback received since the announcement convinced it to keep the account active.

Engagement Drops

“This was a decision purely based on numbers,” Jay Wiles, AOPA director of public and media relations, said. “Over the past three years, engagement with AOPA’s posts on X has fallen by more than 80%, and by this summer most of what we shared there was getting little to no engagement. During that same time, our audiences on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok grew by tens of thousands of followers each.”

The organization said it tried several approaches to improve its performance on X before deciding to concentrate on other platforms. The organization had previously described a broader digital outreach strategy that included posting content almost daily across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and X.

Member Response Changes Plan

“However, the response over the last 24 hours told us something the numbers didn’t—our members still want AOPA on X,” Wiles said. “As a result, we’re keeping the account active and will ramp content back up, with a focus on the policy and advocacy work that protects our freedom to fly.”

AOPA’s original announcement said it would no longer monitor its inbox, feed or mentions on X and directed followers toward its other social media channels.

Matt Ryan

Matt is AVweb's lead editor. His eyes have been turned to the sky for as long as he can remember. Now a fixed-wing pilot, instructor and aviation writer, Matt also leads and teaches a high school aviation program in the Dallas area. Beyond his lifelong obsession with aviation, Matt loves to travel and has lived in Greece, Czechia and Germany for studies and for work.
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