UPDATE: The Airline Biz blog from the Dallas Morning News includes an item about AAConversation, including quotes from Billy Sanez, the American Airlines spokesperson who evidently is the “Billy S.” who has penned the two posts that so far populate the blog. Sanez also answers questions about the use of Blogger.com.

In the past, I’ve argued against the creation of a blog in a crisis. Having a dark blog at the ready, I have maintained for some time, is a lousy idea. In a crisis, companies are suspect. A risk-averse public eyes the organization at the center of a crisis with skepticism. Logical arguments often seem defensive in the face of the emotion a crisis can produce.

It’s much better to already have a blog, with a community of readers with whom you have built trust, that you can bring to bear when that inevitable crisis strikes. Southwest Airlines, for example, has been able to communicate with travelers through its blog during crises ranging from missed inspections to fashion issues largely because Southwest had already established the blog when no crises were imminent.

I am, however, prepared to eat my words if American Airlines’ crisis blog works.

A non-participant in the social media space, American Airlines has been hammered over the last week as thousands of flights have been canceled stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers. Rational arguments about needed inspections pale in comparison to news footage of frustrated and angry passengers spending nights in airports instead of getting to their destinations, which can include weddings, funerals, and the like. The opinion of industry analysts that the FAA is more to blame than American for unnecessarily aggressive inspection demands doesn’t seem to have quelled the anger of passengers marooned in airport terminals as canceled flights mounted.

In the face of public outrage, American has gutted it up and opened AAConversation, a plain-vanilla Blogger.com blog, with the express intent of listening. As the blog states, “We…would like to hear from you.  Please feel free to post a comment.  We will continuously monitoring the site and will post regular updates.”

The first of two posts (so far) includes a video offering step-by-step instructions on how to contact the company online; the video was uploaded to YouTube, along with another—not on the blog—of CEO Gerard Arpey addressing the cancellations. The post also includes links to other resources to help travelers.

The second post announces the airlines’ return to a regular flight schedule.

Few have commented so far, probably because American hasn’t announced the blog’s existence. One of three comments as of this posting applauds the blogging effort while another questions a return to normal: “Returning service to normal is relative when you take into account how horrible AA service is ‘normally.’” The fact that the critical comment appears at all, though, suggests American is sincere in its desire to listen.

It’s encouraging that American seems to be willing to take its hits. It will be interesting to see the company’s response to the comments—who responds and how, whether changes will be implemented based on traveler input, and how active the blog becomes now that the immediate issue has passed.

I’ll watch and cross my fingers that the American Airlines crisis blog represents a sincere effort to engage the traveling public, and if it opens a dialogue that leads to action, I’ll happily revise my assessment of crisis blogs. Stay tuned.