Such is the flexibility offered by Amadeus technology with its Affinity Shopper platform, which Lufthansa and Croatia Airlines are currently piloting. Rather than searching the familiar pattern of flights and dates, customers search for experiences—essentially putting in any criteria into the search and having the best options that meet that criteria populate in a completely bookable form. That could mean searching for a warm, sunny beach with moderate humidity, or a place where you can watch live theatre and a sporting event in the same afternoon, or a countless number of other creative search inputs. “We really want to change the user experience when it comes to booking,” Lacroix says. “The idea was to rethink the way people search for flights. I know Lady Gaga is touring in Europe and I’m in Nice, so where can I go see Lady Gaga?”

While this type of search capability is certainly game changing for online shopping, technology alone doesn’t make the experience. As Susan Kidwell, Amadeus’ head of Global Strategic e-Commerce Consulting points out, the customer experience comes down to how an airline includes technology to enhance the entire customer life cycle—from inspiration, shopping and booking through pre-travel, travel and post-travel. “You have to incorporate this kind of technology into the customer’s experience and expectation,” Kidwell says. “You can’t just show them flight results—you need content that talks about the destination and social media tools that offer reviews and insights. You need to integrate social and mobile into that technology.”

The Quick Integration of Mobile

Mobile was another major theme at Amadeus’ 18th Airline e-Commerce Conference held in Cannes, France last week. One of the highlights of the event was a study released by Amadeus in conjunction with Norm Rose, President of Travel Tech Consulting, that discusses how mobile integration will transform the travel experience moving forward. “What we’re going to see is much more of an interactive environment, that will be both personalized or situationally relevant as well as location-sensitive,” Rose said. “The airlines are starting to realize that and selling some of the ancillary services they have online and getting them on mobile.”

Rose feels that the airlines seem to have the ancillary penalty fees, such as baggage, down to a science, but are missing a huge opportunity by not using the ability mobile technology enables them to offer customers things of value wherever or in whatever stage of the travel experience they happen to be. Airlines will soon, he predicts, be in a rush to integrate these value-added services like priority boarding, seat assignments and other experience-enhancing options into the mobile space.

What is Missing

They say that you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. And despite the technology that is currently available, airlines still seem to be struggling to embrace some of the tools that, according to Amadeus, are available now. Jerome Letissier, Director of Marketing and Portfolio Management for Amadeus’ Airline IT group, kicked off the conference with a very clear message to airlines that the first step to adapting to the new customer environment is to adopt what is currently available to them—some of which “can have a huge impact on customer satisfaction and revenue.” Letissier attributes the airlines’ collectively slow adoption practices to limited IT resources—being busy with bigger operational items like departure control systems—and the silo structure that makes it extremely difficult to implement initiatives that impact multiple areas, from marketing to e-commerce to sales to revenue management.

Eloi Prado de Assis, TAM Airlines’ Sales and Marketing Systems Manager, agreed to some extent, but added that there is also a consideration given to the customer, so that a technological change impacting one area does not create an unrealistic expectation for another part of the overall customer experience. “There is a certain set of processes that already exist in an airline, so it’s hard to make a change happen—you have to change an entire series of processes in order to accommodate the new technologies,” he said. “It’s not just putting up a new website. You also have to change your check-in, your call center, and every other part of the customer experience so that they experience the same change from the web through the end.”

The Speed Premium

Regardless of when exactly experiential search mechanisms and value-added mobile options become mainstream, the Amadeus conference certainly gave attendees a taste of what to expect on the horizon. With integration being the common theme to every technology discussed, speed is at a premium, and Lacroix even went so far as to give airlines hope that their search mechanisms can become faster than Google. “Whatever you do, you have to do it fast, and that’s why we are very much focused on building speed into our technology,” he said, stating a goal to shave the entire two- or three-minute search process down to seconds, and the actual results return time upon clicking down to milliseconds.

“The customer experience is what is going to allow airlines to differentiate themselves,” Kidwell added. “Airlines all want to differentiate themselves, and we need to provide the technology to be able to do that.”

See the full interview with Jerome Letissier below, with links to the other SimpliFlying interviews from the conference following.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Denis Lacroix, Amadeus

Susan Kidwell, Amadeus

Norm Rose, Travel Tech Consulting and Dominic Carvalho, Amadeus

Gwen Robinson, CityJet

Andrew Miller, CAPA Consulting

Eloi Prado de Assis, TAM Airlines

Mike Slone, Vail Resorts

• The Always Connected Traveler – how mobile will transform the future of travel [Infographic]
• [Infographic] How mobile is re-shaping travel distribution (gasp!)
• [Presentation] How airports can track passengers, throughout the Evolving Traveler Life Cycle
• Now, Pegasus Airlines creates an irresistible safety video, featuring cute Turkish kids
• The future of airline marketing in 2011: key takeaways from IATA Commercial Strategy Symposium

Firstly, the two serving me were both at least fifty and looked visibly tired since it was the last flight of the day. And those of us sitting in the Emergency exit row were almost barked upon, “Are you qualified to be sitting in this row?” - should I have produced my college degree or something? I know they just want us to say “yes”, but the same idea could have been communicated in a much nicer manner!

While I didn’t have the energy to share some good customer service advise with them, Ron Kaufman did, on another flight. As some of you might recall, I’ve attended his workshop in Singapore and previously written an article on his teaching as well.

This is a guest article by Ron Kaufman. Ron is the world’s leading educator and motivator for upgrading customer service and uplifting service culture. He is author of the bestselling “UP Your Service!” books and founder of UP Your Service! College. To enjoy more customer service training and service culture articles, visit UpYourService.com.

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I was flying to the United States when an In-Flight Supervisor recognized me and came over to chat. We spoke about current challenges and how quickly the airline was growing.

She lamented that some older crew felt jaded and uninspired to deliver customer service excellence. They tend to do the minimum of work in flight, she said, shifting the burden to younger crew members. This behavior was setting a poor example and had a negative impact on the morale of new hires, damaging their drive to deliver customer service excellence.

She asked me, “What do you think we should do about them?”

Immediately I replied, “Tell them it’s time to quit. And if they don’t leave or shape up, fire them.”

She was shocked by my response. “But they have a very strong union,” she said. “And they have served so many years. Doesn’t the airline owe them something for that?”

Again I shared my strong views about customer service excellence:

“Find them a meaningful role on the ground that harnesses their skills and experience to real advantage. If that doesn’t work, or they won’t do the work required, then fire them.

“And if you can’t fire them because of union, then create a ‘Department of Dead Wood’ and park them inside until they retire. They’ll still cost the airline in payroll accounts, but at least they won’t cause so much damage.

“As for the airline ‘owing them something,’ hasn’t the airline been paying the crew, training and rewarding them all these years? Haven’t the airline and crew members grown up together?

“Everyone shares good feelings for achievements and successes in the past. But shouldn’t we share responsibility, too, for building a strong and successful future?”

The supervisor was not comfortable with my answer, I could tell, but it certainly got her thinking. What about you?

Key Learning Point To Customer Service Excellence

When someone on your team loses his or her enthusiasm or commitment to deliver customer service excellence, it’s time for them to either change or go. This is especially true when that person is very senior and is looked up to as a role model by newcomers to the organization.

When you’ve lost the fire to deliver customer service excellence, it’s time to retire.

Action Steps To Customer Service Excellence

Share this insight about customer service excellence with everyone on your service team. Make it part of your staff orientation program so that new team members know what to expect of the elders.

Share this with your senior staff, as well. They must understand what it takes today to keep an organization going – and growing.

• Should airlines allow in-flight “tipping” enhance the brand experience?
• How Singapore Airlines converts the biggest critics into its strongest brand advocates
• Brand Journeys: Delhi to Singapore on Jet Airways, the “best Indian airline flying international”
• Proactive Customer Service at Southwest Airlines – Interview with Fred Taylor
• Michael D’Esopo of Lippincott bares the truth about airline branding in interview

Turkish Airlines has taken this quite seriously – a partnership with Austrian gourmet entertainment company Do&Co has not only resulted in the ‘Best Economy Class Catering’ at the 2010 World Airline Awards and some delectable premium class meals, it has also given birth to the Flying Chef And we at SimpliFlying got an exclusive behind the scenes tour at Turkish Do&Co’s Istanbul facilities.

Culinary branding at its best

When you enter Turkish Do&Co’s facilities, you can be forgiven if you think you’re in the Ritz-Carlton. Right at the entrance, you’re greeted with a huge banner announcing the Best Economy Class food award, and the facilities are nothing like an office. In fact, from what I hear, there’s a screen showing Fashion TV in the ladies’ restroom!

Getting back to the food – when I asked the GM why the focus on food, he told me that at Turkish Airlines, it’s the key differentiation in the in-flight product. It’s something that creates a lasting impression on the passenger, and is a competitive advantage as not all airlines pay much attention to it.

And having experienced food on board Turkish Airlines on both Economy and Business Class, I thought this was culinary branding at its best.

The Flying Chefs

One of the more impressive initiatives introduced by Turkish Airlines in July 2010 is a Flying Chef on-board all of their long haul flights for First and Business Class passengers. One might think that it’s a small galley in the aircraft and the role for the chef might be limited, but in reality, it seems to make a significant impact on the passengers’ dining experience.

I had the chance to meet with a graduating class of Flying Chefs. Most of them were in their early twenties, with anywhere from two to four years of experience in top Turkish restaurants. In-flight, they will not only ensure that every meal is served right, but also be involved in overseeing the cooking process. Rice, not too hard, not too soggy. Kebab well done. I guess you know what I mean. Innovative initiative, and I’m looking forward to my first flight with a Flying Chef next week.

Large scale personalized cooking

I was also lucky to be given an extensive tour of the catering facilities, where over 90,000 individual meals are prepared each day. The significant point to note is that much of this cooking is done by hand – Turkish Airlines Do&Co intentionally keep the use of machines to a minimum, to ensure the authentic food quality.

I’m sure you’ll be as impressed by the scale and skill of the people who work there, from the photos and videos below, as I was.

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Isn’t it impressive? We’ve previously covered airlines with the best food – what’s been your experience with Turkish Airlines? Let’s here it in the Comments or over on Twitter!

• Is Premium Economy here to stay? A brand review of All Nippon Airlines
• Are you creating an immersive brand experience for your airline?
• Lufthansa Airbus A380 from Frankfurt to JFK inaugural flight: The Best aircraft, Best Airline, to the Best City?
• Is business-class travel going extinct? Part 2 of 2
• [PICS] Turkish Airlines International CIP Lounge in Istanbul – possibly the best Star Alliance lounge there is!

The new Business Class seats

Being one of the first to get an actual demo of the seats, I am eagerly looking forward to trying these on the actual flight itself. At first glance, they seem to offer the same amount of space, but there are some hidden surprises. Once you get into the seats you realize that they do provide more comfort simply because of the additional few inches in the new design.  We have the some of the first really up-close pics of the new seats. Check them out in the gallery!

Some of the best features of the new seat are the additional storage space (which we can never get enough of!), a side cabinet and shoe locker that can be used to store valuables and of course, the extra spacious seat and bed. The bed, as claimed by Cathay Pacific can be “used to sleep in any position”. Jokes apart, it did look quite good while on the ground. Electrical docks of most sorts are available to keep the gadget geeks happily charged (pun intended). The larger workspace of course means that most of us will probably not have too many excuses for procrastinating on our work! New bedding and service-ware too for those who care about them.

Business Class artwork

As an add-on delight, the Business Class cabin will have unique artwork created by artist Maria Lobo. Some of the designs can be seen in the photographs below. Do have a look and tell us what you think of them. A couple designs are quite striking and do seem to have the potential to transform the normally toned-down look of the cabin into something rather vibrant and appealing. What do you think?

New Staff uniforms

The staff uniforms have also undergone a refresh. Well-known Hong Kong designer Eddie Lau was roped in to design the new-look uniforms. Colours and designs have both undergone a makeover. As a “face” for the brand, uniforms are indeed important, but most of the people I talked to seemed to be impressed and underwhelmed in equal measure by the new designs. However, it will be interesting to see whether Cathay can implement the roll-out of these new uniforms in conjunction with the roll-out of the new seats such that the brand image itself is renewed positively. From a standalone viewpoint, the new uniforms would normally not affect the brand image much; however, this might just be the perfect opportunity for Cathay to prove visibly its commitment to continuous service and product innovation. In other words, show its passengers that it’s constantly evolving to suit the expectations and needs of the modern traveller. These uniforms are expected to be implemented from early next year.

Lounge refresh

Cathay’s flagship lounge, The Wing is being renovated and upgraded as well. The revamped lounge will have more seats, updated furnishing some of which are custom-made for Cathay Pacific, a new “Coffee Loft” concept and a new Champagne Bar for First Class passengers. It will go into operation in stages from early next year and it’s another well-timed branding initiative as long as it’s tied to all the others.

Ultimately, the whole package does seem to pack quite a punch and enhances Cathay’s brand personality.

Live Twitter Feed from Hong Kong

• SPECIAL FEATURE: An exclusive look at Cathay Pacific’s new Business Class seats
• Experience Cathay Pacific without stepping on the plane
• Cathay Pacific wants you to create a dessert on Facebook, and serve it in-flight to you!
• Is Cathay Pacific Business Class the best way to get from New York to Hong Kong?
• Cathay Pacific’s “Blending Borders” Campaign: Engaging Customers from Hong Kong to Chicago

Your in-flight content solution

CloudStream is a tool that creates a “digital carry-on” for travelers to pack with their chosen content (i.e. articles they’ve been meaning to read) as well as content they’ve discovered from our curated set of feeds. It is essentially the first digital media platform that takes advantage of travelers’ time in air.

The tool allows you to browse through a number of content categories, which include travel, health, sports or technology and choose from a variety of mediums, like blogs or podcasts. Once you’ve complied and downloaded your content, you can save it to your pen drive, or even share it with friends.

Keep Discovering, and share content with friends

What I personally like about CloudStream is the ability to discover new content, in the “Featured Carry-on” section, where SimpliFlying is showcased as well. This is where Lufthansa’s team selects leading online content sources. I believe this would keep an element of surprise going, and keep people coming back.

I also like that while the service is created by Lufthansa for its customers, anyone can use it on any airline, as long as they have access to wifi anytime before their flight. This reflects well on Lufthansa’s social media strategy to add value first, then seek favors. Just like it did with MySkyStatus.

Lufthansa treads its own path on social media

One of the key reasons Lufthansa won the SimpliFlying Award for the Best Social Media Engagement campaign, for MySkyStatus, was because it was truly value adding. There was no direct selling of tickets and no hard-sell of joining any contests.

Under the leadership of Dr Torsten Wingenter, Lufthansa has been busy lately, creating a slew of social media initiatives, which simply add value to travelers. Evidence is clearly visible from initiatives in the last few months, including the Stephen Fry-endorsed Virtual Pilot game and the Munich Oktoberfest Foursquare promotion, where over 2300 badges were unlocked.

I believe this is a distinctive social media strategy, which is creating a unique brand positioning for Lufthansa when it comes to interacting with travelers using tools they are already familiar with. I will be keenly observing what’s next for Lufthansa, and we’ll be sure to talk about it here too.

For now, it will be interesting to see how people using wifi on Virgin America and other airlines adapt to the CloudStream service. I’ll be sure to give it a shot on my next flight. Would you?

• [Slides] Social Media Strategy for Lufthansa – how a legacy airline built a strong customer engagement model
• For bringing us MySkyStatus and Cloudstream, the SimpliFlying Hero for July 2011 is Lufthansa’s Alison Russo
• Lufthansa A380 First Flight to New York JFK: LIVE coverage from brand new Business Class
• Lufthansa shares love with their 100,000 Facebook fans by giving miles
• What makes Lufthansa a successful airline brand in India?

These days it is safe to assume that at least a couple of passengers per flight would be tweeting or updating their social status (like American Airlines learnt) when they are in the plane. Regardless of whether they have wi-fi available. And often, they are rating the airline experience itself.

Why existing airline ratings don’t work?

For a long time, the airline industry has lacked a good alternative to what TripAdvisor does for hotels. Yes, there are the Skytrax ratings and other annual magazine airline rankings – but I personally feel they’re irrelevant – for three key reasons:

1. They are annual – that means they are never current enough to be relevant when I fly
2. They are for the whole airline – the brand experience on an Air France flight from Nice to Paris can be vastly different on one from Paris to Boston – so how does it matter that an airline has a generic 3 star rating or 5 star?
3. Airlines sometimes need to pay to be ranked – so doesn’t that make the whole system flawed?

The future of airline ratings = Ezeer?

Sharing of airline passenger experience in real-time can be a valuable asset not just for travelers, but also airlines and travel agents (online, or offline).

A new version of Ezeer.com launched today, which integrates what they call “now” reviews, which are essentially airline reviews submitted in real-time, while people are traveling! So they can be rating food with specific hashtags on a flight, or using the Ezeer iPhone app.

As a traveler, you can view individual airline’s ratings, as well as compare different airlines using charts. Though, my favorite feature is that they’ve started threading Twitter conversations between travelers and airlines together, and given them sentiment ratings – whether they are positive or negative. And at one glance, you can get a feel of whether the airline is responsive on social media or not – allowing you to choose how to engage with the airline.

In fact, the website is full of rich nuggets of information which I’d encourage you to explore. Quite fascinating, really, as a frequent traveler.

The big potential – airlines and airports themselves

While parallels to TripAdvisor will always be drawn, I feel the big potential for Ezeer lies in focusing on the airlines and airports themselves. Imagine if an airline’s social media team can get feedback on how responsive they are compared to their competitors. Or how good an airport is resolving customer service issues online, and are they improving over time?

I feel large organizations would be willing to pay for such real-time data, as long as some analysis is added on top. It’s something that makes their job easier and makes them more productive. Dashboards showing a brand rating over time, for specific routes would be a goldmine to explore – if Ezeer can come up with those as well.

What do you think? Does Ezeer have to potential to become the TripAdvisor of the airline industry? Would you use it as a traveler? Let’s hear it in the comments and over on Twitter (@simpliflying)

• Why Skytrax is dead [Plus: 7 insights into the future of airline brand ratings]
• Airlines on Second Life – 5 ways to dramatically increase brand value
• Travel agents can differentiate by displaying online reviews
• Ryanair’s New Fee To ‘Check In’ & The Real Cost Of Some Low Cost Carriers
• Airline brands need to emerge from the “jurassic era” – Joe Crump

In a recent conversation with a South American airline executive, we were talking about the state of commercial airlines in the US. And the consensus we reached was that the travel experience  within the US is just bearable at best, often frustrating and most noteworthy innovations are actually taking place in other regions around the world.

Then I took my first Virgin America flight. And I stand corrected – innovation is indeed taking place in the US too. And in addition to just flying their own airlines regularly, I’d highly encourage every senior airline executive in the world to come give Virgin America a shot on their next trip to the US. And here’s why.

Red, White and Purple – ah..so..Virgin

Virgin America probably has the best in-flight product on a narrowbody aircraft (trust me…I’ve flown a lot of them). And the brand personality truly stands out!

The ambience: The number of innovations inside the cabin are astounding. The first thing that strikes you is the cabin ambience – purple lights and swanky music. This may be common on some interrnational airlines like Emirates, but is a rarity in the US domestically.

The IFE: The advanced IFE allows you to order food on-demand, watch movies on demand and chat with other passengers on the flight – and for things you need to pay for, you just swipe your credit card right in the IFE screen! It’s all very user friendly.

The seat: When I relaxed into my seat, it felt very comfortable. After checking Seatguru.com, I realized that they have one of the widest seat in a narrowbody aircraft… in the world… both in First Class and Main Cabin (Economy), and the seat pitch is generous too.

The Service: On the flight, I was served by Aladdin, his brother Mazen and Cheryl (see photos below). One has been flying for almost 20 years, another is a former lawyer! Mazen actually made the effort to pronounce my name right – which was impressive. Again – the personal touches made an impression.

At the airport: Even on the ground, there is a diffence. Only two airlines use the International Terminal for domestic flights from San Francisco – Virgin America, and JetBlue. Is it a surprise that they’re two of America’s favorite airlines? The good thing is that you can choose to relax in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (another world beater), which is at the same terminal.

In-flight connectivity = future of IFE

The biggest revelation has been the in-flight wifi made available thanks to Gogo in-flight. Now, I know that there are a number of airlines trying it out, but only Virgin America and AirTran have implemented it fleet-wide. And that I feel is a competitive advantage, until the others catch up.

I have shared my views in the past that the future of in-flight entertainment, especially for budget airlines, might mean providing a power outlet and a wifi connection. These are both enablers. They empower passengers to use their own devices the way they want to.

And after flying Virgin America today, I feel the future of IFE is indeed in-flight connectivity. For the first time, I did not feel “jailed” in a tube. I even Skyped my mom and showed her the view from my window!

Delivering on the brand eXpectations…

Now,  you’ve probably already heard a number of the things I’ve shared here about Virgin America. After all, it’s been over two years since the airline launched all of what I’ve just experiencedfor the first time today. But that also meant I had sky-high expectations of the airline.

The good news is that they not only met the brand eXpectations (remember, the whitepaper?), but exceeded them at times too. And that in itself is an achievement.

The Verdict

If you’re in the airline industry – you need to fly Virgin America (and soon) to get a glimse of what the future looks like. If you are living outside the US, make sure you fly Virgin America on a domestic route if possible – it will be a totally different experience.

And if you are living in the US, then come fly probably the best airline flying domestically in the US.

P.S: Special thanks to Bowen Payson from Virgin America for meeting me for coffee early in the morning at the airport!

• What makes Virgin America an outstanding airline brand? The delivery.
• Richard Branson’s interview about Virgin America goes viral. But why?
• Virgin America takes in-flight experience to a new level
• Virgin America’s online community – bull’s eye, or a flop?
• Top five branding insights from Virgin America

I flew from Mumbai to Delhi yesterday on Indigo Airlines, a leading domestic budget carrier in India, known for its tongue-in-cheek branding.

I have a habit of being engrossed in a book or a newspaper during the take-off and landing sequence on every flight I take. On the flight yesterday, once the safety demonstration was done, the stewardess walked down the aisle checking our seat-belts. As she passed me, she realized I was reading and reached out to turn on the reading light for me.

Let me write that again. Without even me asking her for anything, or even making eye contact with her (remember, I was engrossed in reading), she turned on my reading light, gave me a smile and walked away.

It was an aha-moment for me. Having taken over 20 flights in the last couple of weeks (including flying First Class), this was the only thing that stood out. Thanks to such a simple gesture, which made me feel special, I can say with confidence that I’ll be inclined to fly Indigo when I’m in India. Of course, they greet me by my name too, when serving food – as I wrote last year.

Driving customer loyalty isn’t that difficult after all, isn’t it? Just do the small things right. Great job, Indigo!

• Building a strong Indigo Airlines brand, and outlook for 2009
• Announcement: February will be “Indian Aviation Month”
• What makes Indigo Airlines one of the best budget carriers in India?
• Indigo Airlines goes international chic with latest brand campaign – the model of a modern global airline
• How AirAsia is rocking it in India, and how airlines in India can leverage their entry

So then, what should an ideal frequent flyer program look like to make it truly work for the airline brand? Taking inspiration from the best loyalty programs in the world, as well as my own observations from the two conferences in Miami I spoke at last week, here are some thoughts.

What would make me a loyal traveler with an airline?

1. Simplicity – How often do you know exactly what you can redeem from the points earned from your next flight? What if it was as simple as for every $1 spent, you will be able to redeem $0.01 off your next ticket or a partner purchase? I think keeping the earning-burning process as simple as possible would attract many more customers for the airline’s loyalty programs, than currently possible. I think Westjet’s new loyalty program s doing a good job at this.
2. Comparability – Most travelers these days are part of multiple loyalty programs. When I choose to be “loyal” to an airline, I would love it if at the time of booking, I’m shown how many miles I’d earn on that specific flight, as compared to the competing airlines (which I can choose), and what can I redeem those for? This would boost retention, because more customers would “stick” to your loyalty program, than others’. I’m yet to see an airline that does this well.
   



3. Extensibility of benefits to beyond the airport and the plane – Currently, benefits are concentrated in priority security lines at airports, airline lounges and optional upgrades in-flight. How about cultivating new touch-points in the travel life cycle where the elite travelers are pampered online and offline before even traveling. How about allowing them to earn points if they “check-in” on Foursquare at the airline office, or building a travel app like Lufthansa’s MySkyStatus that offer true value to the customer? Airlines like Qantas (screenshot above) and Etihad are venturing in this space.

So, what’s your favorite FFP and why? What would your ideal FFP would look like? One that can be offered by LCCs as well?  Let’s discuss in the comments or over on Twitter (@simpliflying)

• [Infographic] The future of loyalty programs will be powered by social media
• Top 10 branding insights from the best airline loyalty programs at the Freddies 2008
• Five lessons from the most innovative loyalty programs in the world – Inspired from Loyalty 2010
• Is social loyalty the next phase of development for frequent flyer programs?
• Randy Petersen of Flyertalk on social media and frequent flyers – Part 2 of 2

Probably because it’s the largest jet being built by Bombardier, which is well known for regional aircrafts like the Q400, there are lots of innovations both inside and outside the cabin. I was privileged to be led on a cabin tour of the aircraft mock-up at Bombardier HQ in Montreal, followed by an in-depth tour of the aircraft’s aeronautical capabilities, by Sam Cherry – a Director at Bombardier who knows the product inside-out. And for the first time one the web, SimpliFlying has videos of what would exclusively be shown to airlines when they’re making a purchase decision.

The following video is of the CSeries cabin tour, which highlights the key game-changing features in passenger comfort being introduced in the aircraft. A second video, which goes in depth about the aircraft’s operational details, is also available for serious aviation buffs.

Here are three key factors that I feel make the Bombardier cabin a game-changer when it comes to the passenger experience, and will help airlines build a competitive advantage.

The middle-seat syndrome would be history

Remember the Kevin Smith incident? Where he was booted off a Southwest Airlines plane for not being able to fit in the seat? Well, such instances might be history when the CSeries aircraft enters service. Due to its unique 5-abreast seating [2:30], two things happen.

1. There are fewer middle seats. Only 20% of the seats are middle-seats, as you’ll see in the video
2. The middle seats are actually wider [19"] and more comfortable than the rest of the seats

This brings me to a couple of interesting realizations. Since even good airlines run at around 80% load factor, that means most of the time, everyone in the plane will have an aisle or a window seat. Moreover, since the middle seat is wider, it might lead to some low cost carriers (Spirit?) to charge for the “privilege” of being seated in the wider middle-seat [4:00].

Better out-flight entertainment thanks to larger and more windows

The CSeries has 30% more windows than the normal narrow-body jet, which are 20% larger as well, bringing in a lot of light into the cabin and making it feel more spacious [5:18]. Moreover, the windows are intentionally positioned at the head level [4:50], giving a great view of the outside. The inside-out design [6:07] also makes the space at the shoulder level much greater [5:38]

Save on bag fees with larger baggage bins

We all know that most airlines now charge for checking-in bags. But the CSeries comes with overhead bins in the cabin so large that not only they can take more of our smaller standard cabin bags, but larger bags up to 23″. This will eliminate the need for many passengers to check-in bags, and save on fees as well [6:41].

I personally can’t wait to fly the CSeries and embrace the future of flying. What about you?

P.S: Special thanks to Bert Cruickshank and Genevieve Laverdure from Bombardier Commercial for arranging this exclusive visit for SimpliFlying.

• In-depth tour of Bombardier CSeries’ technical capabilities – specially for the aviation geek
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