Update: airBaltic has kindly agreed to fly in the winners of this contest to London for FREE, from anywhere on their network! All you have to do is fulfill the conditions below, and follow airBaltic on Twitter.

Social media is increasingly becoming a tool of strategic competitive advantage for airlines. Delta Airlines now sells tickets on Facebook. Virgin America uses Twitter to launch new routes and save on marketing. And airBaltic [Disclosure: SimpliFlying Client] probably has a bigger presence online than in the real world. So how can other airlines learn from the likes of these successful airlines to build their own social media strategies? We have the answer.
Airline Business and Flight Global, in association with SimpliFlying, are delighted to be launching the first social media conference dedicated to aviation and all things airline related. The conference will take place on 1st October 2010 in Central London and you can now Register here. The conference will also be featuring the 1st ever SimpliFlying-Airline Business Awards for Excellence in Social Media – and you can start by nominating your airline for the SimpliFlying Heroes …

In the last few months, we have received a lot of interest from airports in our work, which had solely been focused on airlines till date. Additionally, I met with the talented folks at AirGate solutions in Toronto, who have a ton of experience in the airports sector.

One thing led to the other and SimpliFlying now has a Toronto office, and today, we would like to launch SimpliFlying Airports, a joint-venture between SimpliFlying and AirGate Solutions , which aligns the focus of both companies under the SimpliFlying Airports brand.

Airports to leverage latest social media technologies to drive revenues
The SimpliFlying brand is synonymous to the airline industry in thought leadership in airline branding and social media marketing strategies. The SimpliFlying blog is the top industry blog followed by senior airline executives. And we have been introducing social media strategies to airlines via  widely delivered consulting, workshops and industry speaking. Now, these benefits will be extended to airports too.

AirGate Solutions works with leading airports to look beyond traditional industry programs to use customer data to understand and act on the preferences of customers. Social media is an …

Back from the future
19 May’10 || Aircraft Interiors Expo Magazine
What would air travel be like tomorrow, if airlines start using the latest social media tools today? asks Simpliflying.com chief executive Shashank Nigam… read more
Jetstar and Tiger battle for Southeast Asian skies
19 May’10 || FinanceAsia
…“Differentiation in Asian markets is key, because prices are almost always the same (for the low-cost carriers) on most routes, unless they have a monopoly,” said Shashank Nigam, an airline marketing and branding strategist and chief executive of airline blog Simpliflying. “Ultimately, brand differentiation matters. And, if the ticket prices only differ by $10, then I’d have a preference for the brand I have fond memories of.” … read more
Interiors: Back from the future
19 May’10 || Flightglobal
What would air travel be like tomorrow, if airlines start using the latest social media tools today? asks Simpliflying.com chief executive Shashank Nigam… read more

If …

What will the new United Airlines be like?
11 May’10 || USA Today

… “There are two key areas of concern: product delivery and service delivery,” says marketing consultant Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying.com. “They are two different things: One has to do with the seats and cabins and how all the amenities are packaged. The other has to do with how the airline’s people greet and handle and serve passengers. Continental and United do those things very differently from one another today.”… read more
Continental-United combo becomes largest US airline in Asia
4 May’10 || Finance Asia

In the least surprising announcement to come out of the US commercial aviation industry this year, Houston-based Continental Airlines and Chicago-based United Airlines yesterday said they will merge, forming the largest airline in the world and the biggest US-based air carrier operating to Asia… read more
The battle for Southeast Asia skies
18 Apr’10 || Finance Asia

…“Differentiation in Asian markets is key, because prices are almost always the same for the [low-cost carriers] on most routes, unless they have a monopoly,” said Shashank Nigam, airline marketing and branding strategist and chief executive of airline blog Simpliflying. “Ultimately, brand differentiation matters. And, if the ticket prices only …

Dear SimpliFliers,

Do you consider yourself part of the rare species of humans who love planes? And Branding? And Social Media? Have you ever dreamed of becoming rich and famous? As CrankyFlier famously put it, “if you’re willing to settle for a very tiny (and I mean tiny) slice of fame and absolutely no fortune (trust me), I’ve got an offer for you.” How would you like to write a guest post for SimpliFlying?

Things have been getting pretty busy lately here at SimpliFlying, with a number of consulting projects as well as a slew of speaking engagements lined up around the world for the next few months. Which means there have been weeks when I haven’t been able to share my ideas at least thrice a week, something I’ve done consistently ever since this blog started in Feb 2008.

Now that I’ve been interacting with a number of you through comments, emails and on Twitter, I thought, why not open up SimpliFlying to occassional guest posts from you, the readers?

If you’re interested, here are the details. Note that not every post submitted will go live.

All guest posts must be original pieces written for SimpliFlying
Posts can be about anything related to …

Dear SimpliFliers,

It’s been over two years since SimpliFlying started. And through your support and loyal readership of tens of thousands per month, we’ve achieved much success. The biggest of those achievements includes us getting the Global Brand Leadership Award late last year, for our work in airline branding. We were also counted among the Top 2 blogs on aviation, by FlightGlobal Webbies for 2009, and among the Top 5 most influential on Twitter for airlines.

All this, while keeping the blog as active as ever, with SimpliFlying articles being syndicated on PhoCusWright, FlightMemory, LinkedIn, BusinessWeek and a number of other sites.

Thanks to these successes, there has been a surge in consulting and speaking engagements as well. Though, there’s only so much a small team can take. Hence, after consulting with the SimpliFlying Board, we have decided to bring together a team of domain experts in aviation, branding and social media, to join SimpliFlying Associates.
Who are part of SimpliFlying Associates?

Please join me in welcoming these distinguished individuals into the SimpliFlying …

In times of crises these days in the airline industry, the website is no longer the place to go to – it gets updated far too slowly and the information is generic. Call centers too, are flooded with requests, and you don’t want to be placed on a long hold when you’re anxious about your next flight!

Real-time social media to the rescue!
The place to look for answers and support are no longer the Web 1.0 websites of airlines, or call centers – rather it’s real-time tools like Twitter. Most European airlines that have a social media presence have been updating their followers about their respective flight delays etc. Some are doing a better job at others.

While Lufthansa’s German Twitter feed is announcing cancellation of all flights till noon on Saturday (and probably beyond), Virgin Atlantic is posting updates on their Facebook fanpage. On another hand, airBaltic [Disclosure: SimpliFlying client] is tactfully handling customer service issues through Twitter.

…

* Twebinar : tu/aeb/inar = Twitter + Webinar.
What’s a Twebinar? Not just your usual sit-back-and-listen format! In SimpliFlying’s Twebinars, you will not have to wait until the end of the session to ask questions. You can join the discussion LIVE on Twitter using a hashtag (#SMairlines), where you can ask questions and get answers in real-time – from the speaker and all the participants, while the presentation is going on.

Now that you know what’s a Twebinar, I need to tell you what’s the fuss about!
Driving revenue from social media for airlines is critical
I first spoke about this topic during a keynote in Abu Dhabi. The presentation and the ideas were so well liked, that I was invited to speak again in Singapore on the same topic. And this was followed by an article on Mashable on the same lines. Given its popularity, SimpliFlying has partnered with Canadian web events company, WebSolutions, to bring you a series of innovative Twebinars over the next three months on driving revenue and engagement from social media, specifically for airlines.

Twebinar details

5.5 ways airlines can drive revenue through social media branding …

****For the unaware, this was an April Fool’s joke. Hope you enjoyed it!***

Dear SimpliFliers,

How’s everyone doing? All set for the Easter weekend? I’m looking forward to a long weekend too, after a ton of travel and work.

As many of you following my Twitter feed (@simpliflying) must be aware, I spent the last few days in Uruguay. I was impressed by the southern-most capital in the world – Montevideo – and its rustic charms. Though, it was Punta del Este that stole my heart, with its smell-the-roses-pace of life. The people were great too. Although I hardly speak a sentence of Spanish, I had some great conversations with locals young and old. And I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I even became the Foursquare Mayor of a location there!

On Tuesday morning, I ended up buying a nice condominium overlooking the beach, and more importantly, the flight path of landing planes, mostly Pluna’s. They had a pre-April Fool’s Day discount going and I couldn’t help pull out my AMEX to make the down payment. I can move in anytime in the next two months.

I’m really looking forward to heading down to Uruguay. Now, if only someone would teach me some Spanish.

So all you folks, …

SXSW Interactive Festival Begins
12 Mar’10 || FOX 7
Southwest Festival began on Friday with tech savvy professionals, including  Shashank Nigam and Michelle Banter, at numerous panels and discussions. One of the co-founders of Twitter, Dom Degola, was one of the featured speakers… read more

Asia, Mid East to help aviation industry soar
11 Mar’10 || Today
… “Air Asia is booming ahead, their latest joint venture was in Vietnam. Tiger Aiways just went IPO, they have new money, new planes coming in, they’re going to expand in the region. South-east Asia, certainly look out for it. India, a lot of domestic airlines will soon be able to fly international, which means a lot of budget airline growth in the region,” said Mr Shashank Nigam, founder and chief executive officer of Simpliflying… read more
Low Cost Airlines World 2010 Asia Pacific Conference
27 Feb’10 || Air Transport News
… Additionally, Mr. Shashank Nigam, Founder & CEO of SimpliFlying presented ways that airlines can drive revenue through social media branding, f.ex by using real-time mediums like Twitter, like JetBlue Cheeps and United Twares, by …