Media Mentions

Airlines’ New Online Marketing Strategies

December 2011 || ExecutiveTravel

The founder of Pan Am World Airways once characterized the jet airplane as having “shrunken the earth.” Little could Juan Trippe have imagined in the ’60s just how small the earth could become with help from the World Wide Web. Rather than eliminate the need for travel, however, the Internet seems to have enhanced it as airlines stoke the public’s appetite to go places and social networks turn airline passengers into cheerleaders for airlines and destinations. And executives’ increased global travel is particularly serviceable by the Internet… Read more!

The Future of Loyalty Programs is Social

7 December 2011 || Loyalty360

Move over traditional loyalty programs: Social Loyalty has arrived with a bang! In late October 2011, Estonian Air, a fledgling airline from one of the more exotic parts of Europe, launched the first social loyalty program for its customers. The new and rather groundbreaking initiative is run via a Facebook app called AirScore and awards customers points for virtual, but socially important, actions such as tweeting a deal, or writing a review. These virtual points are redeemable for real-world rewards like lounge access or discounts on future flights… Read more!

SpiceJet Q400 Campaign On Social Media

19 November 2011 || Lighthouse Insights

Product launches these days are no more restricted to the offline world with a bunch of celebrities. Indian brands are not scared now to embark upon the social path. A few months ago, if social media was the official launch pad for brand new Maruti Swift and Mahindra Xylo then recently we saw the same in a slightly different industry i.e. Indian aircraft industry. SpiceJet for the first time in India planned to launch SpiceJet’s regional sectors along with introducing SpiceJet’s Q400 aircraft… Read more!

Airlines Driving Results From Social Media: Shashank Nigam Speaks At #SocialIndia

15 November 2011 || Lighthouse Insights

Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying had some meat in his talk that pulled us back after our coffee break on day one. He made sure that a tangible value is derived from his talks or let’s say from the innumerable facts that he provided by airlines industry at #SocialIndia… Read more!

5 Key Social Media Take Aways From EyeforTravel Amsterdam

14 October 2011 || EyeForTravel: Online Travel Insights

I’ve just returned from EyeforTravel’s Online Marketing & Social Media in Travel Summit in Amsterdam.   Here’s a quick summary of my key 5 social media take-aways… Read more!

Shashank Nigam’s Guest Lecture

13 October 2011 || inholland hogeschool

Shashank Nigam, founder of the website SimpliFlying.com , gave a guest lecture on Wednesday Diem Ense HTRO students of the minor Business Travel and Incentives. Nigam, itself only three years ago, graduate, told the students about how he came to his IT studies where he is Director of an international aviation consulting firm for marketing and social media… Read more!

Estonian Air wins social media campaign award

11 October 2011 || DFNIonline.com

Estonian Air has won the second Annual SimpliFlying Awards for Excellence in Social Media after being nominated the best airline in the world in terms of driving revenue via social media… Read more!

Estonian Air makes history in loyalty marketing

7 October 2011 || Estonian Air Website

In late October 2011, Estonian Air will launch a new social loyalty programme for its customers and fans, aiming to reward customers for not only flying the airline but also for being strong advocates online. This way Estonian Air creates history in loyalty marketing, being the first airline in the world launching social loyalty programme… Read more!

Visionary: Estonia may become a major lennundussõlmpunktiks

7 October 2011 || Uudised

Aviation consultant and visionary CEO SimplyFlying Shashank Nigam said that Estonia has a good chance to become a major international lennundussõlmpunktiks… Read more!

WestJet teams up with Emirates

1 October 2011 || Chronicle Herald

Celebrity Paris Hilton liked flying to Dubai with Emirates airline so much she tweeted about it to her friends and brought the company about $1.5 million in free publicity. Enjoying the celebrity lifestyle with a trip from Nova Scotia to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates became less complicated this week after a partnership…Read more!

Airlines Zoom on Twitter in September, Says Unmetric

29 September 2011 || SFGate

Airlines are one of the most active sectors on social media. “Airlines have started driving key business goals through social media – be it Delta handling customer service through @deltaassist or jetBlue clearing distress inventory through flash-sales on @jetBlueCheeps. The growth in the number of fans and activity is because airlines now dedicate significant resources to making social media work for the business,” says Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying, a leading airline brand strategy firm… Read more!

Airlines Fly High on Facebook in September, says Unmetric

28 September 2011 || SFGate

Airlines are one of the most active sectors on social media. “Facebook is by far the most important customer engagement tool airlines have at their disposal today. Through competitions and other activities, they are able to immerse the customer in the brand like never before,” says Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying, a leading airline brand strategy firm… Read more!

CEB second most tweeted airline

23 September 2011 || mb.com.ph

The Twitter account of the Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific is the 2nd most tweeted airline in the world according to the latest monthly study from the Eezeer Data Lab, a Twitter analytic products company… Read more!

How Airlines Have Taken Flight With Social Media

16 September 2011 || Mashable

Thousands of flights each and every day transport millions of passengers all over the world. As we all know, traveling can make one irritable, and delays or lost baggage prompt many consumers to complain. Before social media, these complaints might dissipate in the ether or be left on hold for 30 minutes. Fortunately, the airline industry has taken note of the social web as a customer service tool, fielding complaints, inquiries and yes, even compliments, on Twitter and Facebook. Never has the airline industry been so responsive, helpful, compassionate and human… Read more!

AirAsia Bakal Menang SimpliFlying Awards in Social Media Excellence

12 September 2011 || Aviation Blog Malaysia

SimplyFlying Awards for Social Media Excellence adalah sebuah upacara penyerahan anugerah kepada syarikat penerbangan dan lapangan terbang yang telah berusaha keras untuk memberikan lebih nilai kepada pelanggan mereka melalui strategi perhubungan pelanggan yang lebih efektif… Read more!

Airline cultivates glory days of flying

7 September 2011 || The Seattle Times

Judging from the popularity of the Broadway show “Boeing Boeing” and plans for a television series based on the world of Pam Am stewardesses, the public seems to long for the days when airlines prided themselves on their flight attendants and the pampering they provided… Read more!

Emirates Airline bets on glamour to provide high end services

6 September 2011 || The Economic Times

Judging from the popularity of the Broadway show “Boeing Boeing” and plans for a television series based on the world of Pam Am stewardesses, the public seems to long for the days when airlines prided themselves on their flight attendants and the pampering they provided… Read more!

Luksus w przestworzach

6 September 2011 || parkiet.com

Popularność broadwayowskiego przedstawienia „Boeing Boeing” i plany serialu o stewardesach linii lotniczych Pan Am, to dowód na to że publiczność tęskni za czasami, kiedy linie lotnicze rozpieszczały pasażerów wysokiej jakości obsługą… Read more!

Singapore Airlines Finally Discovers Facebook and Twitter

6 September 2011 || AdAge Global

Singapore Airlines is making its belated social-media debut this week, sending tweets for the first time and taking over an unofficial Facebook page that was run for years by an enthusiastic fan who picked up more than 100,000 fans… Read more!

Estonian Air nominated among the best in social media in the world

5 September 2011 || TravelDailyNews

The Estonian national carrier Estonian Air has been nominated as one of the finalists among the best in social media in the World by Simpliflying. The decision to nominate Estonian Air in the category “Best use of social media to drive revenue” has been done by the SimpliFlying team and Hotel Marketing Strategies blog… Read more!

Glamour in the Skies

5 September 2011 || New York Times

Judging from the popularity of the Broadway show “Boeing Boeing” and plans for a television series based on the world of Pam Am stewardesses, the public seems to long for the days when airlines prided themselves on their flight attendants and the pampering they provided… Read more!

Cockpit sex scandal delays Cathay Pacific ad campaign

16 August 2011 || USA Today Travel

Cathay Pacific has postponed the second phase of a high-profile international advertising campaign, a move that follows a cockpit sex scandal that threatened to undermine the message of the campaign…Read more!

Cockpit Oral Sex Photo Scandal Threatens to Delay Cathay’s Global Ad Campaign

15 August 2011 || AdAge Global

Raunchy cockpit photos involving a flight attendant in uniform and a pilot are expected to delay the launch of the next part of Cathay Pacific’s global ad campaign by the Asian airline’s longtime ad agency, McCann Erickson… Read more!

Havayolu Şirketlerinin Hazırladığı 10 Viral Video

July 27 2011 || Havayolu 101

İnternet bağlantı hızı ve web sitelerinin veri depolama imkânlarında son 5-6 yıl içerisinde elde edilen hızlı artışa paralel olarak, reklam-pazarlama çalışmalarında video görüntülerinin önemi ve oranı da gün geçtikçe artıyor… Read more!

Now Tear Off

22 July 2011 || Vedomosti

Flight Attendants Flying High and on TV Too

22 July 2011 || seattlepi

Social Flying Takes Off

4 July 2011 || brand-e.biz

10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics

1 July 2011 || Mashable

What’s happening in the world of social media? That’s not a simple question to answer, as this space is quickly becoming one of the busiest, most interesting aspects of our digital lives.

However, if we had to choose the best way to present the wealth of recent information on social media — how companies are using it to improve their business, how individuals are interacting with its many facets and how it’s affecting our lives — the simplest way would probably be to showcase the best social media infographics from the last few months, and that’s exactly what we did… Read more!

The Future of Social Customer Relationship Management

29 July 2011 || Mashable

Currently there’s a lot of buzz around social customer relationship management (CRM). Social media platforms and technologies like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare are transforming how companies market their products and engage audiences. But when you’re also concerned about delivering results to your clients, you’ll do well to study the evolution from traditional CRM to sCRM…Read more!

How Airlines Use Social Media: Lessons for Everyone

28 June 2011 || Pam Dyer

In an effort to build customer engagement, an increasing number of airlines are creating an active social media presence — Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, and check-in locations for location-based apps. SimpliFlying, “a unique blog offering insights, hindsights, and foresights into the world of airline and airport branding”, has created an infographic that shows how the airline industry has allocated resources to social media… Read more!

How the Airline Industry is Using Social Media To Fuel Growth

24 June 2011 || Social Times

Various airlines are dedicating resources to social media. For those interested to play visible role in this domain, there are few key lessons to be learned. SimpliFlying, created a very clear infographic that shows how the airline industry has allocated resources to social media… Read more!

Infographic: Airlines Make the Case for Integrated Social Media

22 June 2011 || The Atlantic

Today’s infographic is pretty specific in that it only looks at how various airlines are allocating sometimes-limited resources to social media. But there are a few key takeaways for anybody looking to play a bigger role in this space, a larger lesson to be learned… Read more!

The airline CEO’s guide to social networking and the new customer relations paradigm

21 June 2011 || Airline Leader

The evolving world of social media creates some basic and irreversible changes.

Customer service threats and opportunities cannot be ignored; neither can mini-crisis management possibilities. The marketing and branding potential is vast but still undefined; equally, the new media are going to upset the distribution equilibrium… Read more!

The SimpliFlying Story: From an Airline Blog To Digital Consultancy

15 June 2011 || Penn Olson

The airline and airplane business have always fascinated Shashank Nigam, the founder of SimpliFlying. Back in 2008 Shashank was working with a technology start-up in Boston but couldn’t find any intersection between his two interests: technology and airlines. He decided to start a blog to pen down his own observations about airline branding. That was how SimpliFlying started… Read more!

The Case Against Having a Social Media Department

10 June 2011 || Mashable

If you’re a marketer looking to make more inroads into social media — and who isn’t? — you might want to take a look at the infographic below.

SimpliFlying examined the social media practices of big players in the airline industry and found that integrated is better than dedicated. What’s the difference? An integrated staff means multiple people working together without a “social media department.” Dedicated means there is such a department…Read more!

=>Media mentions of our infographic on how airlines dedicate resources to social media

[Infographic] Airlines and Social Media Today, At a Glance

7 June 2011 || socialnewsdaily

Simpliflying did a study about the use of social media by airlines- and they’ve compiled the results into a handy infographic. The infographic is just an overview, but fascinating. It will be interesting to see the more detailed information when it’s released… Read more!

How do airlines allocate resources to social media?

8 June 2011 || Tnooz

There is now plenty of evidence as to how airlines perform in social media but less is known as to how they manage the channel as part of their wider marketing and PR strategy… Read more!

The Case Against Having a Social Media Department [INFOGRAPHIC]

11 June 2011 || Mashable

If you’re a marketer looking to make more inroads into social media — and who isn’t? — you might want to take a look at the infographic below. SimpliFlying examined the social media practices of big players in the airline industry and found that integrated is better than dedicated. What’s the difference? An integrated staff means multiple people working together without a “social media department.” Dedicated means there is such a department… Read more!

Airlines & Their Use of Social Media

13 June 2011 || webintravel

Here’s a quick and convenient way to understand how airlines manage and use social media as a marketing platform from Simpliflying… Read more!

How Airlines across the world are dedicating resources to Social Media

14 June 2011 || nowboarding

Nice infographic from SimplyFlying about how 25 airlines around the world are managing their social media presence. What plans do they have for managing their teams in the future, how large or small are these teams, etc… Read more!

Cómo las aerolíneas dedican recursos al Social Media

14 June 2011 || Socialdente

Desde SimpliFlying os traemos una infografía y un vídeo con interesantes datos acerca de cómo la aerolíneas de todo el mundo dedican recursos al Social Media… Read more!

How Airlines Used Twitter in April: A New King of Tweeting is Crowned

10 May 2011 || All Twitter

Last month, eezeer released their first monthly infographic depicting how airlines use Twitter. And now we’ve got our hands on the second month to compare – and there’s been some shakeups in the rankings. No longer is Delta the most prolific tweeting airline: that crown has been taken by TAM Brazilian. Find out how the other airlines fared in the infographic below… Read more!

Alumni Pay It Forward

April 2011 || Singapore Management University

The number of SMU Alumni who show their gratitude to their alma mater by paying it forward is growing, with many leaving their mark by offering awards or scholarships to future needy students. This perpetuates the cycle of giving and sharing… Read more!

JW’s Spotlight on Aviation

29 April 2011 || JohnstonWells

Airlines provide many frustrations for travelers: lost bags, cancellations and delays are just a few of the many customer complaints airlines deal with on a daily basis. Since many people use social media to vent these frustrations, airlines have become leaders in handling customer service through the web… Read more!

Airlines are experimenting with latest online phenomenon Groupon

29 April 2011 || airlinetrends

In recent years, airlines have been experimenting with a wide range of non-traditional distribution channels, a development dubbed ‘Pricing Pandemonium’ by trendwatching.com. Examples include flash sales, happy hours, Facebook and Twitter-only fares, eBay and reverse auctions, as well as vouchers offered for sale in supermarkets and newspaper kiosks… Read more!

Feedback: SimpliFlying’s Shashank Nigam on virtual returns

18 Apr’ 2011 || Flightglobal

As airlines increasingly embrace social media as part of their market strategies, Shashank Nigam of brand strategy consultancy SimpliFlying asks: is getting a return on investment fantasy or a reality?

It is a very simple proposition. “Like” a Facebook fanpage to get a random reward. In the case of American Airlines’ AAdvantage, the reward was to get between 100 and 100,000 miles just for liking its Facebook fanpage, in its Mystery Miles contest… Read more!

The Airline Twitter Champion in Asia [INFOGRAPHIC]

18 Apr’ 2011 || Penn Olson

AirAsia, one of the most social media savvy Airlines in Asia was ranked third as the Airline Talking Champion on Twitter for March. The data is complied by Eezeer in partnership with Air Valid and Simpliflying, an aviation branding company based in Singapore and New York… Read more!

New Report Shows Delta Most Active On Twitter

12 Apr’ 2011 || Aviation Week

There are 168 airlines on Twitter, but only 77 are actively tweeting and 80% of all tweets come from just 30 airlines, according to the first of what will become a monthly report about airline activity on the service. The report by SimpliFlying and Eezeer defines an “active tweeting airline” as one that has sent or received an average of at least five tweets daily over the month… Read more!

The airlines and their users on Twitter

12 Apr’ 2011 || Emilie Ogez

Eezer and SimpliFlying came together to create a monthly report Twitter dedicated to airlines. You now know everything about them (commitment, quality of customer service, quality of meals on board …) and the concerns of users… Read more!

Facebook, Twitter help travel companies connect with customers

04 Apr’ 2011 || USA Today Travel

Imagine an airline contacting you through Facebook to rebook your flight following a cancellation; a hotel offering you a spa discount through your iPhone or a tweet telling you how to earn a free airline ticket by visiting a nearby restaurant. Any traveler who still sees Facebook or Twitter as a novelty or a marketing vehicle needs to check back in to the rapidly expanding world of social media… Read more!

Airline Facebook Apps, Will Others Follow?

30 Mar’ 2011 || Aviation Week

Delta Air Lines has enhanced and exported its Facebook booking application, and Malaysia Airlines has debuted one that makes greater use of the features of social networking. But now the question will become how the carriers will grade the success and value of their efforts—and whether, based on the results, other carriers will feel compelled to follow… Read more!

KLM Parties Their Way from Amsterdam to Miami on an MD-11

23 Mar’ 2011 || Reuters

It takes something big to turn down an offer to fly on a party plane from Amsterdam to Miami on KLM. Unfortunately that something happened to be the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental’s first flight. Luckily Shashank Nigam, who runs the site Simpliflying.com, was on the flight and able to share all the excitement…. Read more!

Next steps for KLM and the use of social media

23 Mar’ 2011 || Marketing Facts

After an inauguration party at the Mondrian Hotel (designer Marcel Wanders) with blue KLM cocktails and red Delta cocktails early the next morning for a breakfast session with Erik Varwijk (Executive Vice President International & The Netherlands at Air France KLM) and an interview with Martijn van der Zee (Vice President E-Commerce by KLM)… Read more!

Gay Campaign wins award

17 Mar’ 2011 || Gay.nl

The controversial campaign “Love is in the Air ‘by Scandinavian Airlines has appointed Online Campaign of the Year at the prestigious Webbies Awards. The Webbies are awarded annually to the best and brightest web sites and online activities within the aviation industry… Read more!

27 social media marketing ideas for 2011 from EFT’s Social Strategies Conference

10 Mar’ 2011 || Eyefortravel

The last few days have been full of good conversations and presentations about using social media in the travel industry. Gina from EyeForTravel was able to assemble an interesting group of people (at EyeforTravel’s Social Strategies Conference in San Francisco) to discuss what’s changing in this area… Read more!

Marketing special report: Going Viral

22 Feb’ 2011 || Flightglobal

What does it take for a video campaign to be a runaway success – and can an airline really measure the impact of the ‘feel-good factor’ on its bottom line? Last autumn, Cebu Pacific embarked on a simple plan to provide live entertainment during a domestic flight but, in the process, it inadvertently became a poster child for how “viral” video can pack a massive marketing punch. The Philippine low-cost carrier enlisted flight attendants to dance choreographed routines to pop songs by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry while demonstrating to passengers how to use their seat belts, life vests and oxygen masks… Read more!

Virgin brand everywhere as Passenger Choice finalists are revealed

2 Sep’ 2010 || Flightglobal/Blogs

Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, V Australia. All three carriers have been short-listed as finalists for the first annual Passenger Choice Awards by passengers from all over the world. Indeed, Virgin-branded airlines have been named as finalists in all but one of 12 categories – Best in Region, Middle East. Virgin will no doubt remedy that in time. Virgin America has also been short-listed for a coveted Avion Award for Best Single Achievement in In-flight Entertainment, joining Air France, El Al Israel Airlines, Emirates and Etihad Airways. Read more!

Malaysia Airlines Wins “Best Use Of Social Media To Drive Revenue” Award

4 Oct’10 || Malaysian Airlines News

“Malaysia Airlines won the “Best Use of Social Media to Drive Revenue” award at the inaugural Simpliflying-Airline Business Social Media Excellence Awards for Airlines.” … read more

SAS wins social media award for crisis communication

2 Oct’ 10 || FINCHANNEL

“Scandinavian Airlines just won the SimpliFlying Awards of Excellence in Social Media in the Best use of social media in a crisis communications category.The coveted award honors SAS’ hard work to provide customers with instant communication via Facebook during the ash cloud crisis earlier this year that saw hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded across the world.”… read more

Paperless boarding passes: benefit or bother?

5 September’10 || Stuck at the Airport

“Like any new technology or service, there needs to be a transition period when everyone is learning the way to proceed,” said Steve Lott of International Air Transport Association, an industry trade group.  And so for now, notes Shashank Nigam of the airline consulting firm, Simpliflying, “Paperless boarding may very well remain an early adopter thing until all airlines and airports fall in line.”… read more

JAL to slash routes, aircraft in turnaround bid

31 August’10 || Reuters

“This is a massive shutdown in a very short amount of time, and generally only happens when airlines are shut down, not when they restructure,” said Shashank Nigam, head of Singapore-based airline industry consultant SimpliFlying Pte… read more

Ongoing staff crisis damages PAL perception

26 Aug’ 10 || MEDIA magazine

“PAL’s pilot exodus has resulted in significant damage to an already fragile brand. As it is, PAL is colloquilly know as “Plane Always Late” and the latest mass-cancellations caused by the pilots leaving for greener pastures has compounded the problem further.” … read more

Red, Hot, and Blue: The Hottest American Brand Is Not Apple

3 June’10 || Fast Company

In our hyper-social word, these incidents, while not Toyotas or BPs, can seriously wound businesses and brands that are not sure and secure, like a Song, or a United even (guitars can break the brand some). Southwest encountered Kevin Smith… read more

Nacil strategy group to discuss labour unrest

31 May’10 || livemint.com

…That may require giving employees a greater say in decision-making, said Shashank Nigam, a Singapore-based aviation analyst. “Employees should be involved in turning around the company. It’s their company after all, many of them have been working there for generations,” he said. “At the same time, employees must understand that they must take the bitter pill if the airline health is to improve. They can’t take the airline for granted and believe that it can never shut down.”… read more

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

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

Winair Makes Good Use of The Internet

7 May’10 || AVSNewsOnline.com

… Shasank Nigiam, who is assisting WINAIR with this project, mentioned that they are trying to make WINIR more customer and employee centric. “With Flicker you can load pictures of your WINAIR experience, and on Youtube you can load videos…” … 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

Uniforms: Creating the right impression

Apr’10 || Aviation Security International

…Respected airline branding expert and the CEO of global aviation consultancy SimpliFlying, Shashank Nigam, agrees, “First impressions count, and nothing communicates the brand or authority in an instance more than a uniform. If the flight attendant is dressed in bright yellow, like Jet Airways, you feel fresh. If the TSA officer is in deep blue, you feel a sense of authority. And this first impression goes a long way in garnering respect, patience and the type of behaviour expected.”… read more

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 integrating social media reviews in the booking path in order to boost conversion or by integrating with social media travel tools like TripIt… read more

Mishandled baggage: mission accomplished?

25 Feb’10 || MSNBC

… In 2009, there were fewer passengers, fewer flights and, therefore, fewer checked bags to be mishandled. All those new checked-bag fees, according to SimpliFlying’s Shashank Nigam, caused “many passengers to stop checking-in [any] bags unless absolutely necessary … and frequent fliers to travel light,” unless they can take advantage of elevated mileage status and check their bags for free. “That’s the secret behind the numbers,” he said… read more

Marketing special report: Social media

19 Feb’10 || Flightglobal

… A return on investment is only one way to gauge the success of a campaign, and “it needs to be complemented with a return on engagement, also known as love or buzz”, says Shashank Nigam, chief executive of global airline marketing and branding consultancy Simpliflying… read more

Poor Results Aside, Qantas Remains an Agile Brand – By Shashank Nigam- By Shashank Nigam

18 Feb’10 || CNBC

Qantas unveiled on Thursday a first-half net profit that slumped 72% from the previous year, triggering an 8 percent slide in its stock price. In comments to the media, Chief Executive Alan Joyce defended the results, saying the carrier has done better than most of its rivals… read more

First Class is dead. Long Live First Class.

18 Feb’10 || Travel Insights 100

… PS – if you like stories and analysis on the life, death and opulence of first class travel check out Shashank Nigam August 2009 post on SimplyFlying called ” Singapore Airlines A380 Suites – A Class Beyond First or a First Class Branding Debacle?”… read more

Social Media Drive Sales to Tourism, Online marketing for tourism is social and profitable!!

18 Feb’10 || Blogging Petros

… This post is inspired on the Mashable post about Social Media and how it can drive revenue to airlines and hotels. Therefore I would like to thank Shashank Nigam, its writer for the inspiration. As Shashank very accurately says Social media is no longer the “new” thing, especially for airlines. Looking at JetBlue or Lufthansa we understand that social Media is part of their daily routine… read more

Marketing special report: Social media

17 Feb’10 || Flightglobal

… But airlines are notoriously closed-mouthed about the financial results of such campaigns. “I don’t know that anyone has published specific results and that is the challenge. I can understand the propriety nature of this,” says Harteveldt. A return on investment is only one way to gauge the success of a campaign, and “it needs to be complemented with a return on engagement, also known as love or buzz”, says Shashank Nigam, chief executive of global airline marketing and branding consultancy Simpliflying… read more

Hotel distribution and the Twitter effect

Feb’10 || Tips from the T-List

Last week a very interesting article by Shashank Nigam (Simplyflying) was featured on mashable.com outlining 5 ways hotels and airlines can drive revenue from social media. I am in complete agreement with Shashank, it’s time some of the more traditional travel businesses got on board with social media, it has become very clear this is more than a passing fad. What I found the most intriguing about the article was not what was said, but what was implied (Possibly Intentionally?) about the future of hotel inventory distribution… read more

Simpliflying.com: Imperatives for Airline Social Media Policy

15 Feb’10 || ex-United

… Over at Simpliflying.com, Rachel Levy provides guidance at the 20,000-foot level in her excellent blog post “Five Imperatives For Your Airline’s Social Media Policy.” Job #1 is, of course, to 1) thoroughly understand the external and internal business implications of social networking, and then 2) articulate a policy regarding the use of social networking in the workplace (including customer-facing areas), and as a business tool… read more

PREACH IT! Kevin Smith continues to tweet fire at Southwest, may take his story to Larry King [poll]

15 Feb’10 || LA Times

… “This shouldn’t have a lasting impact on Southwest’s business, just because they handled the issue swiftly,” aviation branding expert Shashank Nigam, of the company Simpliflying, tells the Ministry. “Southwest Airlines is a brand that can withstand such minor blips like Kevin Smith.”… read more

AirAsia lands Vietnam joint venture

12 Feb’10 || FinanceAsia

… Experts generally see AirAsia’s entrance into the market as a positive. “Given that Jetstar already has a base in Vietnam, in the form of Jetstar Pacific, this will be an interesting situation where we might see cooperation, as opposed to heads-on competition, between the two airlines,” said Shashank Nigam, airline marketing and branding strategist and chief executive of Simpliflying. “In the end, I think this might actually turn out to be beneficial for both the airlines.” He added: “It’s other airlines like Tiger Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Vietnam Airlines that now need to act swiftly to ensure that they don’t lose a lot of market share.”… read more

Singapore Air Show Online Coverage by the Numbers

9 Feb’10 || Aerospace Business

… However, Flight Global was not the only one going after the “new generation”. Respected Airline branding expert Shashank Nigam (@SimpliFlying) also made a push for Social Media at the Singapore Air Show. As you can see from this Top 20 list, he was the top contributor amongst the 1583 tweets posted by 315 unique accounts on the show’s #SIN10 stream. As a regular contributor to CNN and CNBC, he essentially tried to carry the “social media torch” to the show hoping that everyone in the industry finally opens their eyes to its potential. Although met with criticism from some (make sure to read the comments), I think he should be commanded for its efforts and enthusiasm. I think of Shashank as a prophet converting one aerospace business at the time to the brave new ways of Social Media… read more

5 Ways Airlines and Hotels Can Drive Revenue with Social Media (By Shashank Nigam)

9 Feb’10 || Mashable.com

Social media is no longer the “new” thing, especially for airlines. JetBlue has over one an a half million followers on Twitter. Lufthansa allows passengers to update their Twitter or Facebook status about where they are in the sky. AirAsia drives buzz about its new destinations through custom micro-sites. However, most airlines (and airports and hotels) are still struggling to earn direct revenue from their social media efforts… read more

AIRSHOW-Quiet Singapore Airshow ends with fewer deals

5 Feb’10 || Reuters || Aviation India || Indian Business News Update

… “It was disappointing, no commercial (aircraft) deals, everything was on MROs (maintenance, repair and overhaul). People even thought last year’s Dubai Airshow was disappointing,” said aviation analyst Shashank Nigam, who writes a blog on the industry… read more

S’pore Airshow 2010 sees US$10b in deals, down 23% from 2008 show

5 Feb’10 || Channel News Asia

… Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying, said: “I don’t think we should read too much into the numbers because if you drill it down, there were no new aircraft orders. Most of the deals are coming from MRO maintenance, aerospace and the biggest order was from the Indian military, for missiles… read more

Webbies 2009 – winners and judges comments

5 Feb’10 || FlightGlobal

… The judges said that SimpliFlying had lots of good content. “It has a good, clear focus and the author writes with authority and verve.”…read more

S’pore Airshow garners US$10b in deals as trade show ends

5 Feb’10 || Channel News Asia

… Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying, said: “By the end of the year, AirAsia will have a larger fleet than Singapore Airlines. And by 2012, maybe double. So there’s going to be a renewed focus on low cost carriers and how manufacturers can sell to these players rather than just the legacy airlines.”… read more

Singapore Airshow is Hot, And it’s Not Just the Weather

4 Feb’10 || CNBC

By: Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying.com It’s searing hot at the Singapore Airshow – combine 34 degree celsius temperatures with 85% humidity and you can start to imagine why my shoe soles started to melt on the tarmac… read more

CNBC Live Interview: Airlines Look to Cargo Business

3 Feb’10 || CNBC

As more airlines turn to the cargo business, Shashank Nigam, founder and CEO of SimpliFlying, highlights the importance of ancillary revenue for the sector, with CNBC’s Martin Soong… read more

CNBC Live Interview: Rebuilding Garuda’s Brand

3 Feb’10 || CNBC

Garuda Indonesia plans to raise up to $300 million in an IPO this year. The carrier’s CEO, Emirsyah Satar, tells guest host, Shashank Nigam of SimpliFlying & CNBC’s Martin Soong when this is likely to take place and what it plans to do with the funds raised… read more

CNBC Live Interview: Flying Green

3 Feb’10 || CNBC

Environment doesn’t become a priority for aviation until it relates to profit, says Shashank Nigam, founder and CEO of SimpliFlying. He tells CNBC’s Sri Jegarajah, Martin Soong and Amanda Drury that being green means either reducing costs or driving revenue… read more

Indy Transponder 3-FEB-10

3 Feb’10 || Indy Transponder

… What have the first two days of the Singapore Airshow been about? A tag-cloud says it all from SimpliFlying… read more

CNBC Asia- CEO Call

3 Feb’10 || StreetIQ.com

Environment doesn’t become a priority for aviation until it relates to profit, says Shashank Nigam, founder and CEO of SimpliFlying. He tells CNBC’s Sri Jegarajah, Martin Soong and Amanda Drury that being green means either reducing costs or driving revenue… read more

Airshow Notes: No Big New Orders, But Lots of Buzz

3 Feb’10 || CNBC

By: Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying.com Much has gone as expected at the Singapore Airshow – no big new orders. Regardless, there were certainly a lot of announcements coming from all corners of the globe… read more

Boeing expects new orders for passenger aircraft to fall short of deliveries

2 Feb’10 || Channel News Asia

… Shashank Nigam, CEO & Aviation Analyst, Simpliflying Pte Ltd, said: “They own an all-Airbus fleet and Airbus can literally milk them if they take care of these clients. “So maybe Boeing can do something like that, maybe Ryan Air or other low-cost airlines which are growing fast… it might be an Indian airline, for example, SpiceJet flies all Boeing or it might be Korean or some other budget airline”… read more

Webbies 09 – The Winners

2 Feb’10 || Flightglobal

… Best Blog: Judged by Reed Business Information’s head of Blogging, Adam Tinworth and Vice President Cabin Design Office at Airbus, Jonathan Norris 1. Things In The Sky 2. SimpliFlying 3. AirPigz… read more

4 Wild Things to Expect at Singapore Airshow 2010

2 Feb’10 || CNBC

By: Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying.com What a start to the year has it been from airlines. AirAsia and Jetstar announced world’s first low cost alliance. Japan Airlines filed for bankruptcy and hopes to come out as a different airline, with a different alliance altogether (It even hired a monk as a CEO.)… read more

A ‘timely’ new agreement

29 Jan’10 || TODAY

… Airline branding firm SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam also said that Jetstar has shown strong business agility through its partnerships with Changi Airport and AirAsia. “The new routes are low-yielding and have a high load factor. SIA will see its lower end of the economy class suffer,” Mr Nigam added. Mr Ngiam also said that Changi Airport’s move to keep Jetstar here is timely as it will help secure its hub position against Kuala Lumpur… read more

SpiceJet wins International award for Best Website

1 Feb’10 || afaqs!

… Sharing his experience on the award, Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying and one of the judges said, “SpiceJet was in tough competition with the other nominees for the best website award and the judges had a tough time deciding. In the end, the friendly user-interface, the custom content for local travelers and ease of use played a much bigger role in securing the award, rather than just the website functionality”… read more

AirBaltic (by simpliflying.com)

28 Jan’10 || SafeRiga.com

Flying from Berlin to Riga with AirBaltic. Video by simpliflying.com… read more

Social Media and the Airline Industry

27 Jan’10 || Columbia Business School

Shashank Nigam, founder of SimpliFlying, a blog on aviation, branding and technology, discusses the impact of social media on the airline industry and why customers relate better to brands that show a human face with David Rogers, executive director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership, during the 2009 World Brand Congress in Mumbai… read more

Digital natives and airlines

27 Jan’10 || Ole Kassow, Inc

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by one of the most passionate and well-informed airline observers, The AirObserver’s Blog, last week. It’s now online here. I talk about the challenges faced by traditional carriers and low cost carriers alike when dealing with digital natives (Generation Y and Generation Z). I would personally like airlines to put a lot more effort into understanding digital natives and coming up with more great initiatives like Southwest, Cathay and Virgin. Another couple of inspired guys are Chris Brogan and Shashank Nigam… read more

Six Brand Leadership Lessons from Air New Zealand, and the flatbed seat in Economy Class

27 Jan’10 || AirMarketeer© Aviation Event Marketing

from SimpliFlying || Aviation :: Branding :: Technology || Airline marketing, airline brand management, social media, Web 2.0 byShashank Nigam. At the edge of the world, a small airline is pushing the envelope when it comes to doing the right things. This is a hallmark of a brand that is going places, even in times of adversity. If you haven’t already heard, Air New Zealand yesterday revealed a revolutionary flat-bed seat in Economy Class that will re-define the way we travel (Check out Crankyflier’s firsthand coverage here). This prompted a lot of commentary around the world, and I really liked one from Arun Rajagopal (in addition to Cranky’s) with his focus on branding… read more

EyeforTravel Social Media Strategies for Travel 2010

26 Jan’10|| UpTake Travel Industry

… Facebook – “Best Practices to get the Highest ROI on Your Social Media Initiatives” – Many travel companies have a token presence on Facebook, but if you want a meaningful presence with a significant ROI and understand how customers prefer to use Faceboook and engage with them, then don’t miss this one. Speakers for this panel include:- A Representative from Facebook; Fiona Ashley, Director of Marketing, Travelmuse; Shashank Nigam, Founder & CEO, Simpliflying; and Brandie Feuer, Director of Interactive Marketing, Planet Hollywood… read more

Digital Natives: The New Travellers, AO Interview Of Ole Kassow

26 Jan’10 || AirObserver’s Blog

… Anyway, back to your question, the most authentic, open and dialogue-based airline companies are probably Southwest Airlines and Virgin. What they have in common is a great company culture. Check the interview with Paula Berg, the force behind the new media strategy at Southwest… read more

Webbies 09 – The Shortlist

25 Jan’10 || Flightglobal

… Best Blog: Judged by Reed Business Information’s head of Blogging, Adam Tinworth and Vice President Cabin Design Office at Airbus, Jonathan Norris. Nominees are: Things In The Sky, Airboy, AirPigz, GreenAir Online, Randy’s Blog, SimpliFlying… read more

Social Trippin’

22 Jan’10 || Slideshare by Turkish Airlines

… The author of SimpliFlying.com, a well respected  and unique airline marketing and branding blog that is well-respected by those in the airline industry and those interested in marketing to travelers. On Twitter, he is one of the Top 5 most “followed” as well as one of the Top 5 most “influential” on airlines. Most recently, Shashank became the youngest awardee of the Global Brand Leadership Award, for his groundbreaking work in airline branding… read more

CNBC Live Interview: The End of Japan Airlines?

19 Jan’10 || CNBC

Japan Airlines, Asia’s biggest carrier in terms of revenue, filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday. Shashank Nigam, founder & CEO of SimpliFlying, has analysis of the company and its outlook… read more

Gulf Carriers Pursue India’s Market

9 Jan’10 || Aerospace Diary

… One analyst monitoring this trend is Shashank Nigam, CEO of Singapore-based SimpliFlying, an airline branding consultancy. He notes that Emirates now leads in number of passengers to the Indian subcontinent from Canada, while Etihad Airways is attracting customers by using short-cycle turnarounds in travel deals… read more

Is A Low Cost Airline Alliance Possible In Europe?

8 Jan’10 || AirObserver’s Blog

… I’d like to quote Simpliflying, whose insight is particularly pertinent especially when we’ve witness such an alliance and with whom I agree. He says that “the most significant difference is the departure from Star Alliance – type marketing or revenue driven alliances. Air Asia and Jetstar have formed a cost alliance… read more

Jetstar and AirAsia join forces

7 Jan’10 || The Straits Times || Asia News Network

… Code-sharing, where a flight operated by one airline is offered as a service by other airlines, could be a prime candidate for cooperation, said Mr Shashank Nigam, chief executive officer of SimpliFlying, an airline branding consultancy headquartered in Singapore… read more

CNBC Live Interview: Analyzing Jetstar-AirAsia Alliance

6 Jan’10 || CNBC

The most distinct part about the alliance between Jetstar and AirAsia is that it is cost-driven, notes Shashank Nigam, CEO at SimpliFlying. He analyzes how this deal will benefit both low-cost carriers, with CNBC’s Martin Soong & Sri Jegarajah… read more

How can an airline create a viral video? – By Shashank Nigam

5 Jan’10 || Travel Reviews || Travel Industry Wire

TAP Air Portugal – a national carrier – maintains a YouTube Channel. Of all the videos they have posted on the channel, hardly any had crossed the 500 views mark in the past one year. Most are showcasing the latest products and are an extension of the marketing arm. This was the case till four days ago… read more

Social Media Predictions for 2010

4 Jan’10 || DrDaveHaleOnline.com

… Shashank Nigam of SimpliFlying Pte. Ltd., HQ in Singapore, states “I’m heading SImpliFlying, an airline branding consulting company out of Singapore, for just over a year now. Our total go-to-market strategy is based on a blog, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. I believe that social media platforms likes LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and WordPress will form the backbone of the social media strategic plan for companies who will use social media for branding their business. We blog regularly, which is then syndicated on selected LinkedIn groups and discussed live on Twitter. This helps us then connect with key executives in airlines the world over who are our main clients, even though we’re headquartered out of Singapore… read more

Dancers liven up Lisbon airport

4 Jan’ 10 || Facing the Street

Yeah, I know, Christmas is over and done. But if you can stomach one more cheery holiday video, check out this great YouTube clip of a surprise dance performance at the Lisbon airport by the staff of TAP Portugal and Aeroportos de Portugal. If check-in agents at my local airport came leaping over the desks to belt out Mariah Carey tunes and do a bit of Saturday Night Fever-style shimmying, it would certainly take a lot of the stress out of flying! Thanks to Shashank Nigam at Simpliflying.com for spreading the word on the video… read more

Social media – With a little help from your friend

Dec’09 || IATA

… There are many more examples but, equally, many carriers are mired in inactivity. “Airline involvement in social media covers the full range,” agrees Shashank Nigam, CEO of branding consultancy Simpliflying. “Some airlines have no presence on social media sites at all, while others have been active for some time across the board.” … read more

Obsession is a Blogger’s Best Friend

Dec’09 || Joe Sent Me blogistan

… And who knew anyone cared about airline branding anymore. Shashank Nigam and his SimpliFlying blog does… read more

28 Awesome Aviation Pros on Twitter – By Shashank Nigam

Nov’09 || Mashable.com

Twitter has a huge aviation community — from airlines and airports, to cabin crew and aviation enthusiasts. Whether you like to fly planes or just watch planes fly, there are lots of aviation geeks on Twitter with whom you can converse about your passions. Many of these interesting tweeps are tapping into Twitter’s real-time network to offer up travel tips, airline recommendations (or warnings), and an inside look at life in the cockpit (or cabin)… read more

Personal services – In-flight connectivity poised to change the passenger experience for ever

Oct’09 || Flightglobal

… Shashank Nigam, chief executive of global airline marketing and branding consultancy SimpliFlying, says: “I’m of the view that in-flight Wi-Fi should be provided free of charge and airlines should look at it as a platform to be used to generate more revenue. Once you have people on the internet, whether via PEDs or the IFE screen, the airline can charge a transaction fee… read more

How to reach the crowd through social media -> the simplifly.com way

20 Oct’09 || innovators.net

This week my friend suggested I have a look at the website simplifly.com and to my surprise it turned out to be an educational blog. In one of his blogs, Shashank Nigam, CEO and founder of simpliflying.com suggests how airlines could make profit by extensive use of social media like twitter. I would suggest the small industries and web based entrepreneurs to watch this slide show. In this Shashank suggests how the airlines could benefit from using the social media tools effectively; to make their profit margin shoot up remarkably. This could be applied to other industries as well, but practiced in a different way… read more

Five lessons in crises handling from the Facebook war between Ryanair and SAS Scandinavian Airline

14 Oct’09 || SAS Scandinavian Airlines Facebook Fan Page

My Ryanair stunt still lives on … In an interesting article social media, branding and airline industry authority, Shashank Nigam, comments on the our use of social media. I believe he gives interesting perspectives and learing for us all… read more

How to charge more and still be a classy airline

19 Oct’ 09 || The Malaysian Insider

… Branding expert Shashank Nigam, who runs his own consultancy, suggested that airlines concerned about the impact of such non-core activities on their image could adopt several tactics, including what he calls “reverse-discounts”… read more

Queen Alia Airport Jordan announces $750m investment in redevelopment

14 Oct’09 || AMEinfo.com

… Shashank Nigam, Founder & CEO, SimpliFlying, said that: “Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc) will be the next driving force for LCCs. If Dell can sell US$ 3 million worth of products in a short span of time why can’t LCCs take advantage of social media? It is entirely possible to clear distressed inventory on Twitter or Facebook.” … read more

Dubai Metro grabs No 1 spot on Twitter

09 Sep’09 || arabianBUSINESS.com

… “Dubai metro has free WiFi? Great! Singapore’s SMRT built it, and we even don’t have that here,” wrote Shashank Nigam in Singapore…read more

‘United Breaks Guitars’ Viral Video Gets Counterpunched!

28 Aug’09 || InvestorSpot

… On August 21, 2009, Shashank Nigam, the founder and CEO of SimpliFlying felt the need to support United Airlines by providing them with some free advice. In a carefully crafted backstory,Shashank describes the steps that led up to the creation of his ‘counterpoint’ video titled ‘United Breaks Guitars – the Answer’… read more

So you work for an Airline? Here are eleven steps to lead the social media branding initiative – By Shashank Nigam

26 Aug’09 || Southwest.com

Three airlines, three rockstars. Heard of Morgan Johnston? On Google, “Morgan Johnston Jetblue” produces over 37,000 results, as compared to “Dave Barger jetblue”, which returns 26,800 results. Dave Barger is the CEO of the airline, and Morgan Johnston leads JetBlue’s social media branding strategy. Morgan was into video production, before he joined JetBlue’s Corporate Communications department in early 2007… read more

The Answer

25 Aug’09 || Sandbox

… Now Shashank Nigam who authors the blog “Simpliflying” made a clever move: He himself made a song which provides United Airlines with 10 solutions to dealing with this “social media attack” in a fun, innovative way and engaging its passengers, too. Watch his YouTube video response, talking about the things United could do to rescue their brand… read more

The Fate of Air India

12 Aug’09 || Aviation Week

Via his Twitter account, I see Shashank Nigam of Simpliflying has been talking a lot about the fate of Air India. For a little hint about how he feels, read Why Indians need to get over Air India and recognize Emirates as the national carrier over at his blog. And he also points to this interview in Business Today with Praful Patel, India’s civil aviation minister, who talks about likely paths for an Air India restructuring. As to how they got here… read more

Connectivity explored as AirAsia X mulls long-term IFE&C strategy

12 Aug’09 || Flightglobal

… But it exemplifies the type of innovative thinking for which the low-fares carrier is becoming renowned, according to Shashank Nigam, the CEO of SimpliFlying, a global airline marketing and branding consultancy… read more

6 ways to leverage social media for smoother travel

6 Aug’09 || CNN.com

… “When it comes to a holistic social media strategy, I feel many airlines are either lost, or still experimenting,” says Shashank Nigam, the chief executive of the aviation branding company SimpliFlying. “Or at least that’s how it seems to the outsider.” Pick a travel company at the vanguard of these changes, and you’re likelier to be heard. Nigam says among the airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska Airlines, have reached that level. Many other travel brands, including Marriott, Starwood and Hertz also have strong social media presences… read more

How to grow your business using social networks

1 July’09 || Dare

… Shashank Nigam is the Founder & CEO of SimpliFlying.com, a blog on airline branding. This interview with Shashank was conducted by direct messaging on twitter (@simpliflying) over three days and across different twitter clients. Being done on twitter, both questions and answers have a 140 character limit… read more

Things With Wings Podcast: Airlines And Social Media

16 July’09 || AviationWeek

Late last month at a low-cost carrier conference in Miami, I sat down with airline marketing and branding strategist Shashank Nigam of SimpliFlying to talk about airline use of social media–or the lack thereof. Listen to this Things With Wings podcast (14:44) to hear Nigam explain… read more

6 ways to leverage social media for a better vacation

6 July’09 || MSNBC

… “When it comes to a holistic social media strategy, I feel many airlines are either lost, or still experimenting,” says Shashank Nigam, the chief executive of the aviation branding company SimpliFlying. “Or at least that’s how it seems to the outsider.” Pick a travel company at the vanguard of these changes, and you’re likelier to be heard. Nigam says among the airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska Airlines, have reached that level. Many other travel brands, including Marriott, Starwood and Hertz also have strong social media presences… read more

Naked airline people.

13 May’09 || DaveBarry.com

Reblog of “The Air New Zealand brand bares all – CEO and staff go nude in latest TV advertisement” … read more

JetBlue CEO David Barger: Crazy Like a Fox?

8 May’09 || AviationWeek

… That sums it up in a nutshell.  Yes, there are thousands of industry-related blogs out there, and 90+ percent of them aren’t worth reading.  But Cranky is not one of them, and there are many other airline/aviation bloggers out there doing great reporting.  The ones on my Google Reader include … Airline branding blog Simpliflying… read more

Tweepitition launched for aviation geeks

3 May’09 || Thirty Thousand Feet Blog

Airline branding expert, author of the outstanding Simpliflying blog, and previous Airplane Geeks Podcast guest Shashank Nigam has created an interesting little contest. Winners receive autographed copies of the book on Singapore Airlines, “Flying High in a Competitive Industry: Secrets of the World’s Leading Airline” and there is also an a 4GB Apple iPod shuffle to be had… read more

Simpliflying Blog Puts Airline Branding in Its Crosshairs

17 April’09 || AviationWeek

… A few months ago, I began reading the Simpliflying blog, written by Shashank Nigam. Nigam, a self-professed airline and branding geek (he’s written 2 books on the topic), calls his blog the world’s largest airline branding resource, with more than 200 case studies available, averaging 3 a week… read more