***This is an article written and published from scratch at 35,000 ft, in-flight on Virgin America flight 342 from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale. Made possible by Gogo Wifi. A first on SimpliFlying**

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!

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

Thanks to David Parker Brown, I was alerted to a security situation on American Airlines flight 24 (AA24), bound to New York from San Francisco as someone had called in a threat to the jetliner. Thankfully, within a few hours all passengers had de-planed and gone through security checks and no one was hurt.

Crises Management 2.0 – Live on Twitter!

While the situation was unfolding, there were at least two passengers (@cmckella & @jaysears) on board the airplane who were tweeting away regular updates of the situation from their perspective, which included photos of the cabin and cops around the aircraft. Soon enough, major newspapers and news channels were quoting these two for the most current information about what’s happening on-board the aircraft.

Though, it wasn’t long till American Airlines’s Twitter account (@aairwaves) jumped into the middle of the arena and took on the queries head-on. It seemed like they had read our infographic on crises handling through social media (see below), because AA did a good job at it.

Infographic – Five steps to successful crisis management for airlines, in the age of social media

Here is a graphical journey of AA24 on Twitter

Passengers Jay Sears and Campbell McKeller sent out tweets every couple of minutes from inside the plane, which were very detailed. It started with them sharing the situation with their friends, before the media caught wind of the situation and started tapping on them too.

How American Airlines’ @AAirwaves took control of the situation

1. They engaged directly with Jay and Campbell, who were on-board the airplane
2. They started to answer queries from the local media
3. They calmed nerves by ensuring transparency in the situation by clearly stating the cause of the incident (a phone call, not a hijacking attempt).
4. They became the go-to source of information for anyone interested in the incidence, as can be seen from the final screen shot of the “AA24″ search on Twitter, where a majority of the retweets are originating from @AAirwaves

In essence, American Airlines did a commendable job of keeping things straight during the crisis, and engaging with the key stake holders directly. They looked well prepared for a situation like this, and have set the bar high for other airlines to follow.

Great job, @AAirwaves! For this feat, their effort is also being featured on SimpliFlying’s Clever Airlines.

• [Infographic] Five steps to successful crisis management for airlines, in the age of social media
• How airlines used social media innovatively to battle the ashcloud crisis [from Mashable]
• [LIVE!] How airlines and EuroControl are conquering Icelandinc volcanic ash through social media #ashtag
• How can an airline brand survive a disaster? Lessons from the Air France 447 crash
• Exclusive Interview: How Eurocontrol battled the ashcloud crisis through social media

As the sun set over Farnborough 2010, it became clear that Boeing emerged a clear winner. Not just by beating all expectations in getting new orders, but also by shaking off the dust in terms of excellent social media work to engage the community. Farnborough was the epitome of work that Todd Blecher and his team has put in over the last year.

Todd is Boeing’s Communications Director and has spearheaded the organization’s ascent into a new level of statusphere, where better engagement through blogging, use of Twitter and ‘the personal touch’ are a major factor. And for this, Todd is the SimpliFlying Hero for July 2010.

Boeing’s social media engagement at Farnborough

Boeing’s social media efforts were stellar at the Farnborough 2010 – especially for an organization its size and complexity. As industry analyst Ludo Van observed,

Boeing’s onsite videos were very professional and to the point. They produced 32 reports for the show (most of them on site) while maintaining a very high level of quality and interesting content. With their new website and Farnborough microsite, I think Boeing has really taken the lead in online presence and is a great example to follow.

Boeing’s Farnborough microsite

Boeing engaged constantly with the people present at the show, and also fans who couldn’t make it there. But what was achieved at Farnborough was the culmination of a laborious process that began a few months prior.

How Boeing got started with social media – the road to Farnborough

In an interview with SimpliFlying, Todd shared how Boeing moved slowly into what had before been uncharted territories for the aircraft manufacturer.

“I would say that by the middle of 2009 we realized that we could use the tools in ways that would help us tell stories that weren’t otherwise being told.

Since we had blog experience, notably through our Commercial Airplanes VP of Marketing Randy Tinseth’s Randy’s Journal and our site for the U.S. Air Force tanker competition, and since we already had a lot of traffic to www.boeing.com even without that being a compelling destination, we decided to first focus on longer-form storytelling through a refreshed boeing.com.

The guiding principle came from our corporate advertising campaign, which features Boeing employees. The genuineness of our employees is powerful and so we try to feature them whenever possible.”

This idea about authenticity in communication accompanies those that Todd expressed in “Obi-Wan and Boeing”, a presentation about the organization’s use of social media (watch video). Todd and Boeing have truly captured the “personal touch”.

It does not come off as faux or forced; employees are featured on the newly renovated www.boeing.com, and their smiling, honest faces make even the 787 look like a gentle giant. This was furthered at the Farnborough airshow, where press kits had an ode to Boeing employees; pictures attached to job descriptions aided the media in identifying representatives.

Todd mentioned a key to Boeing’s successful integration into social media was a gradual effort:

“Maybe it was lucky timing or maybe we did a really good job presenting the plans but by September or October of 2009 we were beyond questioning whether to do something and well into planning the new www.boeing.com. It also helped, frankly, that we were starting cautiously and not proposing to spend a lot of money on the efforts”.

He also mentioned that because of such, less internal resistance was faced. Instead, open discussion became a key tool in allocating resources to the new communications work.

“I think one of the monumental benefits of social media is that it almost forces entities that want to be successful to communicate more clearly and present stories that are more interesting. I know I thought 140 characters in Twitter was impossible to deal with. Now, I relish the challenge.”

Todd and Boeing provide an insightful look at social media and how the root values of an organization must shake to accommodate revolutionary thinking.

The catalyst – Harry Winsor, the 8 year old kid, now a Boeing fan

Every strategy needs a catalyst to get all engines firing. In Boeing’s case, it came in the form of Harry Winsor. As featured on SimpliFlying Clever Airlines, Harry (an 8yr old), drew an airplane design on a paper and his mailed it to Boeing. When all they received back was a form letter that was obviously not meant for a child, Harry’s father wrote about the issue on his blog. One thing led to the other and this turned into a significant PR situation for Boeing.

That’s when Todd dived head-on into the situation and took control. Here’s what Harry’s father had to say about Todd’s efforts:

“….most impressive of all was Todd Blecher…who jumped into the conversation in such a positive way. He started by commenting on the post. He tweeted, even though Boeing has only had a Twitter account for two weeks. He even called Harry asking him if he’d like to come on a tour of Boeing. That call made Boeing a hero to an 8-year-old boy.

In his interview with SimpliFlying, Todd said, “I think through this we recognized the value of engaging on Twitter, which has influenced what we have done with that tool since then.”

And things have taken a turn for the better over the past few months. Todd shares an incident.

“In late April we posted a story about cold testing our new 787 airplane. In the past we probably would’ve talked in very technical ways about that. This time we allowed the people on the testing team to talk as real people about what they were doing. It was much more relatable and memorable.

It’s a great example of a mindset that’s changing the way Boeing communicates. We do remarkable things every day in this company. We need to talk about those in ways that are less mysterious so our audiences appreciate what the men and women of Boeing are doing” (Check out the video here)

Boeing has enjoyed an enormous response to improvements in social media. Just as any large organization should, however, Boeing understands that communication is an ever-changing field and thus we must always look to the distance.

What’s in store for Boeing’s social media strategy?

Now that Boeing has got such a strong lead in social media, expectations are high. When asked what we should expect in the future, Todd shared:

“I expect [focus on] YouTube and Facebook. We also need to develop a mobile strategy. Those all fit with what we’re trying to accomplish. After that, who knows? Things are happening so quickly that trying to predict what we’ll use down the road is really challenging. As long as we maintain a commitment to engage  with our audiences and be engaging in doing so, I think we’ll do pretty well”

SimpliFlying thinks so too, and we are looking forward to Todd and Boeing communication’s contribution to social media.

Congratulations Todd Blecher, your hard work in making Boeing communicate and engage the community in a more human way has made you a SimpliFlying Hero!

• Simpliflying Hero, June 2010: Richard Ziskind of Omni Air International
• Simpliflying Hero, May 2010: Aurelie Valtat from Eurocontrol
• Why does Qatar Airways have a chalet at Farnborough 2010?
• Is Alaska Airlines’ Social Media Execution heading South of Expected?
• What makes the Boeing 787 Dreamliner a brand differentiator? Video tour

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 award, to be considered.

The distinguished speakers list includes Raúl Rodríguez, general manager for Europe, Pluna and CEO, Freespirit; renowned social media expert Paula Berg (of Southwest Airlines fame), SAS eCommerce manager ancillary services Christian Kamhaug, airBaltic Chief Commercial Officer Tero Taskila, Google UK industry manager, Travel, Nathan Bucholz, and many more. Moreover, the industry-favorite, Mary Kirby of the Runway Girl fame will be the Chairperson for the conference.

Once again, I’d like to personally invite you to join us in what will be an exceptional day of sharing and learning in London. You can register for the conference here.

How to win a two tickets to the conference?

As always, we have a treat for our loyal readers. We’re giving away two tickets to the conference and here’s how you can win them:

1. Follow us on Twitter (@simpliflying) or subscribe to our RSS feed.
2. Tell us on Twitter or in comments below, what’s the one question you’d like answered at the conference. Do make sure to use the hashtag #SMairlines, or mention @simpliflying, so that we can keep a track of the entries
3. The winner will be selected by a lucky draw on September 10, 2010
4. The more questions you post/tweet, the more chances you have to win!

Good luck with the contest. Winners will fly in free to London from any of airBaltic’s destinations. And I look forward to meeting some of you in London on 1st October.

• SimpliFlying hosts roundtable discussion for airlines in social media, at Inbound Marketing Summit 2009
• 3 speaking engagements on Airlines and social media in October
• Five and a half secrets for airlines to drive revenue from social media: Keynote presentation from LCC Summit in Al-Ain
• Presentation on airlines and social media from FTMA & Freddies 2009, now available
• It’s our first birthday, and we want you to join us in Athens, Greece at the IATA Commercial Strategy Symposium

This is a guest post by Jonathan Haysom, who is a respected marketer and business development strategist. Currently working for Australia’s number 1 telco and number 1 company by brand value, he is responsible for maintaining and growing a multi-billion dollar product portfolio focused on next generation products. He has recently received awards for innovation in marketing and accolades for his social media campaigns and brand strategies.

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Virgin Blue, after fighting hard as a “renegade” brand for a slice of the Australian carrier market is tipped to undergo a marketing face lift and re-invent itself as a full service brand. Some of the purported changes include the introduction of a new business class product, integrating the other brand properties (Polynesian Blue and V Australia) as well as the introduction of wide body aircraft on trunk routes between capitals.

(Image credit: ABC News)

Virgin Blue going upscale?

It is apparent from the changes the new CEO, Ex Qantas Senior exec John Borghetti is primarily going after the lucrative corporate segment of the market, one which Virgin Blue has traditionally struggled to break into due to Qantas’ having a strong and loyal customer base.

The biggest hurdle here will be to ramp up the company’s loyalty programs to make them attractive to corporate clients. The easiest way Virgin could do this besides upgrading it lounge system is to integrate with a global airline alliance, such as SkyTeam or Star Alliance, to boost its loyalty offering and expand code share operations.

It’s not going to be easy to attract new the new corporate business without impacting the most loyal customers who were attracted to the “renegade” brand. The shift away from competing head to head with other low cost carriers such as Tiger and Jet Star will surely allow it to focus more on its new customer acquisition path and deliver a more differentiated product. However it’s a delicate balance between attracting a new segment and not turning away the loyal customer base who share an affinity with the current culture and image.

Virgin Australia Airlines?

The other issue facing Virgin’s re-birth is the long-standing agreement between Virgin Atlantic Airways and significant shareholder Singapore Airlines prohibiting it from using the Virgin moniker for international flights.

I’d hasten to say the use of Virgin Australia Airlines, which was registered several years before the 2008 launch of V Australia will be the primary candidate to encompass all 3 brands.

Mr Borghetti has also recently swept the brands senior leadership team under the one reporting structure, not only implementing a few commercial side changes but also positioning Martin Daley as Product and Guest Services lead across the single carrier brand. Martin was one of the early Virgin Blue culture “creators” and will be integral to ensuring a consistent and on brand culture across all brand properties.

Finally, rationalisation of loss making routes across brands should also be on the cards as part of the marketing change out with yield being a primary focus of V Australia. A focus on greater diligence on revenue generation across the house of brands will be imperative once it becomes a branded house to ensure one branch of its network does not impact another’s profitability.

With most of the changes to come in before the end of the year, do you believe they can shake the low cost carrier moniker, bring the brands together and attract one of the most loyal market segments away from Qantas? Sounds like a big task, so let’s wish them all the best. And watch this space.

• Why a Qantas and British Airways merger is good (and why Qantas + Cathay Pacific will be even better!)
• The “Jetstar-isation” of Qantas is not over yet. Is the LCC taking over the legacy parent brand?
• Talking airline business with Virgin Atlantic VP, Paul Charles
• CEO reveals what makes SpiceJet a leading airline in India in a frank interview
• Why LiveTV is a great idea from JetBlue Airways, to help them fly through a recession and keep the brand alive

SimpliFlying has earned its reputation over the years by offering thought provoking insights into the world of airline branding. And nothing has been as instrumental affecting airline brands as social media.

As airlines become more active in this sphere, we attempt to answer a crucial question: Has social media truly benefited any airline? If so, how? To answer this question, we put together a series of case studies. In this set of six case studies, top executives from airlines such as Qantas, Volaris, airBaltic, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, and of course, Southwest, talk about how their social media strategies are pushing their airlines into the next era.

Recently, Facebook announced that its user base now exceeds 500m. Twitter, on the other hand is still lagging in numbers, but the growth rate of users easily outstrips that of Facebook. As our case studies will show, both of these platforms offer their unique advantages in terms of customer engagement and information sharing. However, more importantly, each requires its own unique strategy.

The heady growth of social media has brought its own advantages and ills. While platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and wikis offer unprecedented levels of engagement and information sharing with customers, there are perils as well. For instance, a clear line has to be drawn between what is “too little” and “too much”. This is not always an easy task. Our case studies will show why and much more!

We’re sure you’ll find these case studies inspiring and useful. Please click here to download the PDF containing all of the six case studies.

Special thanks to Shubhodeep Pal, Li Guen and Matt Brennan – all of whom have put in a lot of effort in helping bring these to shape. All feedback welcome at feedback@simpliflying.com

• Airlines, stop putting lipstick on a pig!
• Keynote presentation from Sydney: How airlines can have conversations with customers on social media
• Keynote from IATA Commercial Symposium 2009 – Driving revenue for airlines from real-time customer insights on social media
• SimpliFlying and Airline Business launch social media conference for airlines and airports [Plus: how you can win two passes]
• Five and a half secrets for airlines to drive revenue from social media: Keynote presentation from LCC Summit in Al-Ain

It’s not just airlines that are in a blood-bath when it comes to competing for customers. Real-world travel agents themselves often find themselves amidst cut-throat competition with one another. Especially in times when airlines are cutting commission rates to zero percent. Moreover, there are online travel agencies taking away business.

These travel agents can now seek inspiration from Kmart, the discount retailer. Kmart is launching a new program where online reviews of video games will be displayed on store shelves,  an initiative aimed at building ties between the chain’s online and in-store gaming fans.

Travel agents can start printing airline reviews from sites like air-valid.com, ezeer.com or SkyTrax, to share with those who walk in for reservations. This would provide a value-add to the customer as he feels assured of his purchase and knows what his fellow travelers are saying about an airline. The travel agent also benefits as this becomes a competitive advantage, and a service through which a commission seems more justified.

What do you think? Let’s discuss on Twitter (@simpliFlying) and in comments

• Cultural sensitivity is the key to building sustainable airline brands
• Will online communities by airlines help their brands take-off?
• Three ways the Cathay Pacific brand can come alive by infusing social media into the People site
• How can airlines optimize social media content for maximum conversion? [keynote presentation]
• Three reasons why JetBlue’s new Terminal 5 at JFK can do wonders for the brand

I’ve spent the past week at the Farnborough airshow, where there are a ton of aviation suppliers decked out in their chalets. My interest was piqued when I saw the only airline chalet at the show – Qatar Airways’. Yes, it does well for brand awareness. But Qatar Airways already has a Boeing 777-300 on static display at the show. Hence, I got thinking why would Qatar Airways invest in a chalet at Farnborough? Here are some possible reasons I came up with.

1. To get all manufacturers coming to Qatar Airways’ chalet, than the QR executives going to the manufacturers
2. Increase brand awareness among suppliers
3. Invite the media to the chalet to share stories about the airline
4. Mr Al Bakar wanted one

For all the above reasons, I keep coming up with respective counter arguments..

1. Any suppliers trying to sell planes or services to QR would already have done their homework and go to Mr al Bakar anyway, hence negating the need for driving brand awareness among suppliers
2. The media is just as happy at press conferences as well as on-board the plane on static display,

So then why would Qatar Airways, or any other airline have a chalet at an Airshow? And how is the ROI from such an investment determined? I’m puzzled, and would love some answers. Let’s discuss on Twitter (@simpliFlying) and in comments.

• SimpliFlying creates history: absolutely unofficial, real-time coverage of the Singapore Airshow 2010
• Social Media creates waves at the Singapore Airshow 2010
• SimpliFlying recognized as one of the Top 3 aviation blogs at FlightGlobal Webbies
• SimpliFlying Hero July 2010: Todd Blecher, for helping move Boeing towards social media excellence
• Is Qatar Airways really the five star experience in the sky? A brand analysis

The Simpliflying Hero for the month of June 2010 is….(drum roll)…Richard Ziskind. Richard is being recognized for his outstanding work at Omni Air International, with the introduction of social media to the organization.

He began his career with Omni Air in 2006, directly into his current position of Senior Director Marketing. Richard says,  “[my] position enables me to create new airline models and strategically implement innovative marketing and airline design for scheduled and non scheduled operations”. A large part of this implementation has been social media, which Richard says is an integral part of business change – keeping flexibility in communication and enhancing the marketing processes.

“Prior to social media, our broad stroke marketing campaigns did not offer the opportunity for us to communicate with our customers”, said Ziskind in his interview with Simpliflying. He says that Omni Air International has benefited greatly from their introduction of social media, lead by his enthusiasm and support.

Claim to Faim – introducing social media at an atypical airline

Richard and Omni Air use social media strategically, given that it doesn’t follow the business model of a typical airline. They begin by analyzing the current market, and building campaigns around target audiences. The organization enhances their social media outlets regularly to keep up with ever-changing trends in the social media world. This is an important part of introducing social media to any organization.

Though the technology and mediums are new, it is essential that companies enhance their usages regularly and through different outlets. The Omni Air International Flight Crew boasts a 2 year old Facebook page with 327 past and present employees who connect and reminisce about their time with the company.

Richard described it best, Omni Air International’s use of social media, in his interview with Simpliflying:

“Social Media has enabled our company to add color and depth to a business canvas that was mostly flat and dull.  We are able to effectively communicate with potential customers and current customers.  In past situations we developed relationships with business segments that would not have been made without the use of the social media platform. Social media has created greater reach for our company”

Richard Ziskind and Omni Air International have really captured the end goal of social media use. It is clear that they will continue to harness social media’s vast uses and will be an organization to watch in coming months.

Congratulations Richard Ziskind for your exceptional work in bringing social media to Omni Air International. You are a Simpliflying Hero! You may download your personalized certificate here.

Know someone who’s worthy of being a SimpliFlying Hero?

Simpliflying Heroes are individuals recognized for outstanding social media use in the aerospace world. Do you know of somebody who uses social media effectively in their organization to achieve specific business results? Or do you think you fit the bill?

Then go ahead and fill up the SimpliFlying Heroes nomination form. By filling out the nomination form, you bring them a step closer to being recognized by Simpliflying for their efforts.

• Simpliflying Hero, May 2010: Aurelie Valtat from Eurocontrol
• SimpliFlying Hero July 2010: Todd Blecher, for helping move Boeing towards social media excellence
• Richard Branson’s interview about Virgin America goes viral. But why?
• Can Jet Airways survive the recession (and what does the Kingfisher alliance mean)?
• How can legacy airlines, airports or hotels make an entry into social media? Start from within

When it comes to airline branding, it’s the little things that happen at the various touch points that make the brand stand out, ultimately driving customer loyalty.

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?
• How AirAsia is rocking it in India, and how airlines in India can leverage their entry
• SimpliFlying, in the news…and more!