Here’s a quiz:

1. Which airline tested wi-fi for the first time last week?
2. Which airline will be testing bio-fuels next month?
3. Which airline is the first to have showers in its first class?
4. Which is the first airline that’s going to fly the Boeing 787?
5. Which airline was the first to fly the A380 aircraft?

Almost anyone who’s traveled on an airplane before would be able to answer the last one – Singapore Airlines. But hardly any would be able to answer the other questions. For the curious, American Airlines tested wireless internet last week, Japan Airlines will test bio-fuels, Emirates will have showers on its new A380 flight to New York city and ANA will be the first to fly the 787. Wondering why the huge disparity in awareness? Simply because Singapore Airlines engaged its customers and let the world know that it was doing something new.

Being the first brand to give customers a refreshing, new experience is something to beat the drum about. In turbulent times for the industry like these, airlines should …

A new Facebook group for those interested in Airline branding has just been established, to further the discussion on the cutting edge in this field. Please click here to join.

Vijay Mallya, often considered the Richard Branson of India, was recently interviewed by BBC on a range of issues concerning the Kingfisher brand. For those who’re not aware, he heads Kingfisher Airlines, as well as Kingfisher beer, under his UB Group. In this BBC interview, Mallya talks about starting new routes to London, airline bankruptcies and even how sponsoring the Indian Premier League was a huge success for Kingfisher, unlike what is generally thought. He starts by characterizing entrepreneurship as the ability to think creatively and do things differently. Enjoy watching the interview.

Source: BBC

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Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Now, even celebrity gossip blog Perezhilton is worried about the state of the airline industry. Constantly ranked among the top 20 blogs on the internet by Technorati, among hundreds of millions, it was surprising to see Perezhilton deviate from the regular celebrity scoop we find on that blog. When that happens, even the common man should pay attention.

The post, entitled “We must avert this disaster”, quoted a Yahoo News article that talks about various factors for concern about the American airline industry. Not surprisingly, one of the key causes is identified as poor customer service. Former American Airlines‘ Chariman, Robert Crandall, is quoted as saying, “Every major airline is losing huge amounts of money with service standards that are unacceptable, to be generous.” Interestingly, he believes that regulation is the solution to such woes. I don’t see how!

The recent spate of airline mergers – or merger talks – begs the question: Is it better for the industry if two airlines merge or one of them goes bankrupt. Verdict: It’s better if an airline goes bankrupt.

Here’re three reasons why bankruptcies are good for the industry overall.

Increases industry revenues. Many airlines are not making money because fares are too low, compared to costs. More bankruptcies mean less price competition for the remaining airlines. They can then raise fares with less fear of undercutting. This would help them cover costs, and increase profits for the industry overall. Cathay Pacific was able to optimize flight times between Hong Kong and Vancouver after Oasis HongKong went bust.By contrast, in mergers, the new combination of airlines takes long to rationalize routes, and when they do, they still charge low rates since fares never really increased the way they could have, due to sudden disappearance of competition from a route.
Dramatically lower costs. When airlines close for business, they lay off a large number of people. These people increase the labor supply in the market, and are hired by other airlines at lower wages. This reduces the overall wage component of the costs. When airlines go bust, they also get rid of their planes at very low prices. They are sold to other airlines, which can then put them on their under-serviced routes. Again, reducing the cost of the equipment. AirAsia is a great example of an airline, which inherited two planes with just a $0.50 down payment, and  was able to tap on the abundance of cheap labor, right after 9/11.

On June 10, a Sudan Airways flight caught fire on the runway at Khartoum airport, which resulted in the runway being closed due to the damage. Such incidences can wreak havoc for airport officials and passengers of other airlines. This is when an airline’s resilience is tested. Here is an account of a person who was stranded at the airport the day after the incident and had to bear through much inconvenience in order to finally fly out on the Qatar Airways operated flight to reach his final destination – Delhi, India.

Image courtesy BBC news
“I was in Sudan for a presentation and experience sharing with East African Telecentre Networks. I was scheduled to travel back to Delhi on Qatar Airways, via Doha. Traveling the day after the crash, I was issued boarding passes at the airport, even though the runway was only open for small planes as it was partially damaged.  All passengers were standing in front of the boarding gate from 2 PM till 9 PM without any information, food or water. Communication with the ground staff was difficult due to language problems, and they did not seem to have any information as well. As the night approached, the airline refused to put us in a hotel, since they claimed this wasn’t their fault. Luckily, our trip organizers made alternative arrangements for us for the night.

Two videos. 8 minutes each. Guaranteed goosebumps.

How about starting your Sunday rolling on the floor, laughing hard? Here are two videos right out of the classic comedy archives. George Carlin delivers a hilarious stand-up comedy act, shredding into bits the airline lingo that totally doesn’t make sense (you’ll realize after watching the videos).

The videos contain some profanities, and may not be suitable for watching at work (duh! that’s why you gotta watch it on a Sunday). Time to LOL (laugh out loud, for the unaware :p).

Flying on United Airlines for the first time, from Boston to Chicago, there wasn’t a lot to look forward to in terms of the brand experience. I had not heard great things about United’s service – from my friends who fly domestic, as well as across the Pacific. Hence, I had lowered my expectations. Sometimes, though, I love to be proven wrong, and this time I was.

A pleasant in-flight experience

As the door was locked, the announcement for turning off electronic devices for quirky enough to draw some chuckles from the passengers. The flight attendant said something like this, “Please turn of your cellphones, pagers (if you still carry them), Blackberrys (or blueberries, strawberries or any other fruity sounding electronic device you might be carrying).”

With all-business falling from the sky like flies, the discussion today explores whether all-business class travel on full-service airlines has any future.

In times of economic uncertainty, business travel decreases as organizations slash travel budgets. The International Air Transport Assn. is already reporting that business and first-class travel have experienced the biggest plunge in five years. Promising all-business class airlines like MaxJet, Eos and Silverjet have gone out of business in just a matter of months. Other airlines are cutting capacity too, as fuel costs rise. So what does this mean for the future of business travel? Is it going extinct, or is it here to stay? Let’s analyze this from two perspectives: business class-only airlines, and full service airlines with specific all-business routes.

All-business class airlines: Verdict – Going Extinct

The all-business model was always considered an experiment and at record high oil prices any new model struggles. Aviation analysts point to the premium-class graveyard where the tombstones are reminders of such short-lived U.S. airlines as Air One, Air Atlanta, McClain, Regent, MGM Grand and Legend. Most of these offered domestic US routes only, which re-affirms the point that there is little domestic market for all-business carriers.