SimpliFlying

Image by James Cridland via Flickr

When compared with other airlines in the region and around the world, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is by far one of the best in terms of product and service. The multitude of travel industry awards over the years is proof of this fact. But things can get contentious when SIA is compared against itself, over time and across products. Let me share a personal experience, and you be the judge.

Impeccable service, differing products

Since Singapore Airlines has converted their non-stop flight from Newark to Singapore to an all business-class configuration, I instead took their other flight from JFK to Singapore, via Frankfurt earlier this month. Upon boarding SQ26 from JFK, I wanted to charge my laptop, but realized that there were no power points in Economy on board the 747 aircraft, as was the case in my previous flights on the A340 aircraft. Moreover, the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system did not work for my whole row throughout the flight from JFK-SIN. Having only flown the Executive Economy from EWR-SIN on all my prior flights from New York to Singapore, this came as a surprise.

A week later, on my flight from Brisbane, Australia to Singapore, the IFE was not even on-demand, with no personal movie controls. Ironically, the Krisworld magazine page demonstrating the IFE functions showed the passenger how to pause and play the movies (see picture below). This caused much confusion among the passengers near me, as they kept requesting the stewardesses for help. Being SIA Girls, they helped as much as they could. The in-flight service was impeccable as usual.

The important question here is what, if any, efforts were made to set the right expectations among the passengers prior to the flight, to minimize confusion or even disappointment? Furthermore, how was the feedback gathered and acted upon?

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Which of the first few airlines operating the Airbus A380 have come up with the best advertisements? You be the judge. Personally, I’d rate Emirates’ and Singapore Airlines’ advertisements far above Qantas’.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 advertisement

Emirates Airbus A380 advertisement

Qantas Airbus A380 advertisement

Key Flight Facts

Airline: Jet Airways
Travel purpose: Moving to Singapore to begin college studies
Departure from: Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India
Arrival at: Changi International Airport, Singapore
Date of travel: 27 July 2008
Contributor: Shitij Nigam
Flight rating: 8/10

Image courtesy Flickr user Guido Haesevoets

Check-in

The check-in was process was swift and painless, and partially so because the airport was slightly empty (morning flights not exactly being the craze). The airport staff were also familiar with my Students Pass, something I’d been worried about previously, as to whether or not it would end-up causing unnecessary delays. The Jet Airways staff at the baggage check-in counter was nice enough to ask me about my college and course (and I was nice enough to explain. In detail.)

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Cathay Pacific Aiways has come up with a brilliant initiative to allow prospective customers to experience their new cabins online. Dubbed “try before you fly”, web surfers can choose between having a male or a female guide, and then choose between the First, Business or Economy class. The best part is that they can either choose to be “shown around” by the guide, or explore the photo-realistic interiors themselves.

Try before you fly

Once a surfer is in a particular cabin, he or she can test out the different conveniences in the cabin with the click of a mouse - and these include common activities like working on a laptop and going to sleep. When doing the latter, the seats recline fully and cabin lights are dimmed. One can also walk around the plane and explore different cabins. When that’s done, one can step into the flight simulator and choose to experience landing at one of the many international airports Cathay Pacific flies to - including New York JFK and Hong Kong. As if that’s not enough, surfers can even enter a competition to win business class tickets to Hong Kong to try out their real flight simulator. How sweet is that?
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Image by Steve Crane via Flickr

Simple and sincere expectation setting can go a long way in inspiring new customers to try a new airline. Kulula.com was the first low cost carrier in South Africa, starting operations in 2001. Since the beginning, it has captured the hearts and minds of South African travelers by bringing out the authenticity of the brand and then living up to their word. Kulula means “easily” in the Zulu language and its advertisements are known for their quirky, almost slapstick-type humor, which never show an aircraft or air hostess. They focus on local flavor and humor, showcasing real people, with whom their customers can relate to.

Advertisements featuring You

TV viewers and billboard gazers have been treated to images of South Africans from all walks of life dressed up like kulula.com “fans,” complete with capes and propeller beanies, ready to take to the skies. Most of these ads feature the kinds of people who are the absolute antithesis of the jet set: the mishmash of sorts one might see waiting for a bus or shopping at Walmart. Through these, most South Africans saw an honest representation of themselves, and logged on to book tickets that were substantially cheaper than those offered by the incumbent South African Airways.  Within a year, kulula.com had become the country’s biggest online retailer and still holds the position.

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Image via Wikipedia

In service businesses like airlines, first impressions count. On my hour-long American Airlines flight last evening from Toronto to Boston, I was welcomed on-board by a cheerful flight attendant, Heather. She was genuinely pleasant (and not over-doing it) and extremely courteous, even though she was the only flight attendant on board the small Embraer jet. She played along when people were not paying close attention to the safety demonstration, and cracked jokes while serving beverages. A very pleasant experience - but that’s just one tenth of the job done for the airline when it comes to creating first impressions.

Creating lasting first impressions - a hundred million times

Air Canada’s Robert Milton mentions in his book that on average each passenger comes in contact with the airline ten times, every time he flies. This may be through the call center, website, at the check-in counter and of course, on-board the plane. So if an airline flies 10 million passengers per year, there would be a total of 100 million interactions on average! So how can airlines create a lasting first impression, every customer interaction? Here are three ways.

1. Exceed expectations. Before a customer interacts with an airline, he has certain expectations formed through advertisements, word-of-mouth or previous experiences. Airlines should aim to exceed them. Reduce the waiting time at the call center. Have pleasant check-in counter staff. Cater to the fliers’ needs on-board. This is not to say that each and every airline must spend millions in sprucing up service levels, but rather exceed the expectations they have set themselves. For example, budget airlines like AirAsia promise on-time performance and not in-flight luxuries. They then ensure these metrics are adhered to. Airlines like Thai Airways and Qatar Airways promise a pampered service for their business class passengers, and then deliver it. Prioritize, then execute and keep the word. Read the rest of this entry »

   

   Tags: AirAsia, American Airlines, Robert Milton, Virgin America
   

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 take the opportunity to let the world know about every new initiative they are taking. Let alone the need for a Singapore Airlines’ style big bang, something more than a simple press-release is likely to be lapped up by thirsty customers. What if American Airlines had created a contest, where winners would be able to use the wi-fi service free? How about Japan Airlines doing a marketing stint with Al Gore, highlighting the importance of using bio-fuels? May be Emirates can give its top frequent fliers a chance to experience those showers, even before the first flight.

Not only will such activities create loyal customers, but the buzz created will be more than enough to offset some of the flak airlines have been receiving lately due to the additional charges being imposed. Being the first to provide additional value to customers is not very common in the airline industry, and when it happens, airlines should capitalize on such an opportunity.

Did you know that a number of United Airlines’ planes have added iPhone and iPod support? Again, the answer is probably a resounding “No”.

Time to wake up! And beat the drum about it.

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The conclusion reached in the previous article on this topic was that all-business airlines are indeed going extinct, and they have to innovatively collaborate with full-service carriers for long term survival. The discussion today moves on to whether all-business class travel on full-service airlines has any future.

Full Service airlines with specific all-business routes: Verdict – Here for now

Legacy airlines are becoming more enamored with all-business-class service. Four European airlines — Lufthansa, Swiss, KLM and Air France— are offering some all-business-class flights to the USA. The flights are operated by PrivatAir, based in Geneva. Lufthansa runs an all-business flight to Pune, India and Dubai, UAE as well. ANA runs one between Tokyo and Mumbai, India. Singapore Airlines began it’s much awaited Newark-Singapore all-business service last month. Lastly, British Airways subsidiary OpenSkies plans to start New York-Paris flights with a Boeing 757 jet configured with more than 60% of the seats for business-class fliers, on June 19.

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Here comes a perfect example of setting the Brand Xpectations right and creating buzz. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News opened their papers Friday to see ads for a new airline called Derrie-Air, which purportedly charges passengers by the pound!

But the best part is that this is fake airline, and the advertisement effort is being undertaken just to understand consumer response better! Though, given the current airline situation in the US, concept is not totally one that can be ruled out.

Originally Published on Tuesday May 27, 2008, by Steve Benson

There have also been hilarious responses to the airlines finding new ways to make money. Here’s what appeared in The Onion:

What new revenue streams are the other airlines implementing?