10. Social seating: Have you read about the Malaysian Airline initiative that led the airline to create a much talked about Facebook booking engine that allowed people to sit with their friends on the airline’s flights?

9. Airports in social media: In the ninth place we have a Top 10 case-pack, an initiative helmed by our Senior Innovation Officer Shubhodeep Pal, on how airports have driven engagement trough social media.

8. Blockbuster social initiative: Next, in 8^th place we find one, if not the, most successful social media campaigns of 2011, the AA Advantage “mystery miles” campaign that hit the headlines in February by achieving an 84 fold growth of its Facebook fans in 54 hours.

7. Airline Twitter initiatives: In the seventh place we find another Top 10, this time focusing on the use airlines made of Twitter, one of the fastest growing social networks of the year.

6. Social media ROI: The second half of our roundup us opened by keynote presentation made by our CEO Shashank Nigam at the Social Media Travel Summit earlier this year. The keynote focuses on a much talked about and little understood topic, the ROI of social media.

5. In fifth place is one of our most popular infographics, focusing on the resources that airlines dedicate to social media.

4. Airline Facebook initiatives: Our Top 10 case-packs have been one of the most viewed resources on our website and in the fourth place of this roundup we find another one illustrating the best examples of Facebook contests run by airlines.

3. 6X Model of Airline Branding: In third place we present a long standing favorite of our readers, the Airline Branding Whitepaper. This much praised paper was written by our CEO Shashank Nigam back in 2008. Yes, light years away in social media time, and was also selected and re-published by Brandchannel.com in the summer of the same year. Three years later it is still extremely relevant and, as this roundup shows, one of the most visited pages of our website.

2. Future of loyalty programs is social: In the second place comes one of our best infographic to date, highlighting the social future of loyalty programs and the new tendencies of the connected frequent flyers.

1. A380s and sales problems: In the first position, we have an article that was the most read in 2011, even though it was actually written in August 2009. We are talking, of course, of our famous piece on the Singapore Airlines’ A380 Suites and the sales problems that followed their introduction.

That said, if you have read this far you clearly have an interest in us. Similarly, we too are interested in our readers. We’d love you to use the comment box below to tell us what you would like to see (or not see) on SimpliFlying in 2012.

Thanks for reading SimpliFlying! Have a great New Year and here’s wishing you a fantastic 2012!

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However, it seems that aircraft furniture of the future is changing to address the need for more comfort, better support and more groovy hi tech gadgets and gizmos for those who love their in-flight entertainment. In fact, in a recent survey done by Devesh Agarwal, more people thought seat comfort was more important in making a ticket purchase decision, than punctuality or frequent flier benefits for long haul travel.

Airlines are changing the way we travel. International flight comparison site Skyscanner.net are here to prove it by looking at five of the most exciting new seat designs of the future, in this guest post.

Skycouch – Air New Zealand

Nicknamed ‘Cuddle Class’; Air New Zealand’s cosy new Economy Skycouches are set to take off from an airport in London. To be ‘sky tested’ in the B777-300 aircraft, the Skycouch features three seats that have been designed to create a flexible seating option. The seats lie completely flat, creating a space where kids can play and adults can relax or sleep. While over in Premium Economy, the Spaceseat has been developed to give passengers more privacy and flexibility. Seats angle out to seclude their occupier but can also be combined to enable couples to cosy up closer or even dine at the same table. Window seats angle towards the window not only offering complete privacy but a better view.

Air New Zealand has some nice extra little details too like pillows that slip over the headrest then don’t budge and neat little beanbags for under your feet. You may not want to get off the plane!

Gaming Seats - Germany

Currently a prototype, the ‘Not for Wimps’ (NFW) Gaming Seat was only a reality at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in early April.

With a design idea that possibly came from the ‘carrot dangling from a stick in front of a moving donkey’ scenario, an extendable plastic arm reaches over a rather cosy bucket seat dangling in front of the passenger a state-of-the-art monitor and gaming and docking station. Technophiles will be in their element in this comfy seat with endless gaming options, oblivious to the many hours of a long haul flight as they whiz by. The lightweight design could even save the airlines money on fuel.

They’re not available for order just yet but watch this space…

Entertainment Stations - Emirates A380

On the Emirates A380 aircraft, the future has definitely arrived. Extra space, private suites, showers in first class, and a thousand channels of entertainment are just the tip of the iceberg. (remember, we brought you the Live coverage from the inaugural A380 flight to JFK?)

Business Class passengers can now enjoy fully reclining massage beds complete with their own mini bar, privacy screen and widescreen TV. Economy Class passengers will also benefit from more space with seats that recline further, hopefully increasing the chances of getting some shut-eye on a long haul flight.

Emirates has so far placed the largest order of 58 new Airbus A380 superjumbo planes, that will incorporate these state of the art luxuries, giving lucky passengers on flights to Bangkok, flights to Dubai and flights to Auckland and Sydney a chance to try them out!

Lumbar Support – Virgin Atlantic

The new Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy seats are currently the biggest in their class and offer passengers advanced ergonomic design that delivers additional lumbar support, an adjustable headrest and a dual position footrest.

The seats will mean passengers can stretch out even further while enjoying all the lovely little luxuries that Virgin provide from bowls of fruit and chinaware to newspapers and an after dinner brandy!

Ryanair Standing ‘Seats’

The lure of cheap flights is strong but maybe not quite strong enough to get on board the latest brainwave from Ryanair’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary. The proposal is for an area at the back of the aircraft to be reserved for ‘standing seats’ that would mean passengers could pay as little as £4 for a flight. That said, travellers should remember to bring their loose change as plans to create coin-operated toilets could also be coming into effect.

The Civil Aviation Authority have raised their doubts over the vertical seats meeting necessary health and safety requirements so, with any luck, Ryanair will stick with tradition and opt for seating of the more comfortable horizontal variety.

About Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a travel search site providing online comparisons on flight prices for over 670,000 routes and on over 600 airlines, including flights to India as well car hire, deals and holidays. You can follow Skyscanner on Twitter and Facebook

(All images courtesy of the individual airlines)

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On Tuesday, Shashank called me and asked “What are you doing this weekend?” Knowing him, I knew that was probably trouble =p Apparently Lufthansa was going to be flying the Airbus A380 from Frankfurt to JFK for the first time on Monday, SimpliFlying was invited, and the press group was leaving on Saturday. While I love to travel, this was very last minute, but given the opportunity, I said yes, of course.

I didn’t realize, just how incredible this opportunity would be. From flying business class, to a tour of the maintenance hangar, a tour of every inch of the plane, to interviews of the pilots, head of maintenance, a visit to the cockpit dinner overlooking the runway, this was certainly the experience of a lifetime.

The A380 is not new to Lufthansa, nor is it new to Airbus, but Lufthansa is set to be the largest A380 operator in Europe. Airbus currently has 244 orders from airlines, Lufthansa being #3 with 15 planes, after Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Each A380 customer has the ability to customize the plane to their liking.

Welcome to the A380!

The Airbus A380 is a double decker plane with the 2^nd floor spanning the entire length of the plane. The two passenger decks have a total area the same as three tennis courts! Economy class is on the bottom floor and Business/First Class is on the 2^nd floor. It seats 526 passengers (420 in economy), which is 40% more than a Boeing 747. Overall, here are a few of the features of the plane that make it the incredible plane that it is:

• Reduced noise foot print
• Lowest fuel burn per seat (20% less than Boeing 747-400)
• Overall improved comfort level
• 3 in-flight cameras, including a front facing view from the top of the plane, a rear view, and a view looking straight down. (This greatly enhanced my experience during takeoff and landing, particularly because I was in the middle section so wasn’t able to see out the windows.)

Here’s a look at each seating class

Economy Class

The one feature that stands out in Economy is “living space”, which includes not only the seat pitch, but the overall room and legroom the passenger feels. The seats were very comfortable, and reclined significantly more than other Economy seats I’ve felt, which is important on a long flight. Each seat also has an individual TV with movies, games and TV shows. The Economy Class level is designed with multiple partitions, giving the feeling of a smaller plane, although it seats 420 passengers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Business Class

Not only did I receive a tour of the Business Class section while the plane was in the hangar, but I was lucky enough to be seated in this section for the flight from Frankfurt to JFK. What stood out to me in this class, was the superior service and attention I received from the flight attendants. In addition, the seats reclined fully into flat beds (although with an 8% pitch, which I found slightly uncomfortable), and included a massager, which I loved.

The menu, prepared by chef David Burke, was definitely not your typical “airline food”. Appetizers included fresh shrimp or a caesar salad, and entrees included chicken or a red snapper. For dessert, I had “cheesecake lollipops”. Yum! The only negative thing I noticed which was not even to do with the plane, was the lack of water bottles, which is important on a long flight to prevent dehydration.

Each seat had access to a private TV, power outlet and a USB port, although wireless internet is not yet available.

Click here to view the embedded video.

First Class

The First Class cabin seats just 8 passengers. Overall, it seems their goal is to make the passenger feel like they’re not on a plane. The walls are light brown suede and the seats are real leather. There are no overhead bins, instead, the passengers stow their belongings in personal closets. The floors are specially insulated for noise control. One of the features that differs from the Emirates A380 is how Lufthansa handles privacy. On the Emirates A380, seats are enclosed in private rooms, whereas, Lufthansa felt it was important for passengers to be able to choose the level of privacy they prefer throughout the flight. While working on your computer, your screen can be down. When you’re sleeping, a screen ascends between the two seats and partially around your seat.

The First Class cabin also has noise control built in. From the extra insulated floor, to the sound insulation curtain separating it from Business Class, and sound insulation in the fuselage. The other unique feature is the humidity level control – first of its kind in an aircraft– has a significant impact on how tired you feel after a flight. Normally humidity levels in First Class are 5-8%, but on this flight, it’s increased to 22-25%.

The washrooms are more “room” than “wash” to me. Not only was the design beautiful, but a changing room was built-in, giving lots of space to change. There are also urinals, which apparently is a nice feature – and also a first on commercial aircraft!

With a First Class ticket, you are entitled to use the First Class Terminal at the Frankfurt airport. Lufthansa is the only airline with this service, which offers service from security check-in to boarding, including private bedrooms, offices, showers, spa services, a dining room and a cigar lounge.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Takeoff and Landing

Landing was not as smooth as I had heard it would be, but I suspect that was due to the weather when we were arriving. Takeoff felt very smooth, especially given the size of the plane.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are my photos from the trip:

Photos from Day 1 (hangar tour, dinner, first class terminal)

Photos from Day 2 (the flight and ceremony at JFK)

Overall, this is an incredible plane – I recommend flying on it if you have the opportunity to! I’ve lost my A380 virginity. Have you?

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Once again, we’ve been fortunate enough to be on the inaugural flight of an A380 to New York. Almost two and a half years ago, we brought to you the first Emirates A380 flight Live, and over the next couple of days, we will share the experience aboard the Business Class on Lufthansa’s first A380 flight to the US.

On Monday, February 28th Lufthansa’s A380 will make its inaugural flight from Frankfurt to JFK, landing around 2pm EST. Rachel Levy (@bostonmarketer), who’s been an integral part of the SimpliFlying team over the last year, will be sharing her experiences on Twitter and here. We have also created a Twitter list of all those on the inaugural flight, and you can follow them here.

Photos being uploaded from Lufthansa A380 inaugural flight proceedings by SimpliFlying Associate, Rachel Levy

Photos being uploaded from Lufthansa A380 inaugural flight proceedings by SimpliFlying Associate, Steven Frischling

If you’re not already doing so, do follow us on Twitter (@simpliflying) for the latest updates, photos and videos from the inaugural flight. You can also follow the #LHA380 Twitter hashtag.

Very exciting times!

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Image via Wikipedia

………
Emirates Airline has placed the largest order of the largest plane in the world. They will eventually have 58 A380s – one third of the total orders Airbus has received till date. Their first A380 that flew from Dubai to New York City on Aug 1, 2008 dazzled everyone with exclusive showers in the First Class and a plush bar for Business Class, along with an overloaded in-flight entertainment system across all classes. Luxury and novelty was the name of the game. But will this last?

Three questions for Emirates

1. Once Emirates has 58 of these double-decker planes flying around the world, will they still be able to maintain such high product standards across the fleet?
2. How will service consistency be ensured?
3. How will Emirates ensure that the right expectations are set among customers for A380s with different configurations? Emirates VP for the Americas, Nigel Page, doused our curiosity with his forthcoming replies on these issues.

Three A380 configs, Two types of aircraft, Single minded focus on service

………
Nigel explained that Emirates will have two versions of the aircraft the ULR (Ultra Long Range) with 489 seats [in three classes], and an Intermediate range version with two configurations – a three class version with 507 seats and a two class version with 625 seats.

So how doest Emirates ensure service consistency on-board for planes carrying anywhere from 400 to 625 passengers? Nigel revealed that Emirates “cabin crew will be trained and licensed to operate all three versions of the aircraft.” To ensure that a consistently high standard of service is maintained, every new cabin crew will be provided with comprehensive training in Emirates’  state-of-the-art training college in Dubai. Moreover, on the ULR, Emirates will carry two cabin attendants to supervise the showers and ensure they are cleaned after each use! Now that’s some dedication.

Setting the right expectation for customers

Given that the Emirates A380 product will vary for in difference markets, Nigel clarifies that “advertising may [also] vary from one market to another dependant of the aircraft type. The configuration will be selected according to route demand. Where there is little demand for First Class we would probably operate the two class version.” The importance of implementing this aspect of the roll-out cannot be over-stated. There is nothing that upsets customers more than stepping into the aircraft only to realize that the product in reality differs drastically from the picture they had in their minds.

So, what’s the key to success? Given Emirates has shown commitment from the outset to ensure consistency of standards across their products, it’s certainly moving in the right direction. But the real test will be when the rubber hits the road (or wings reach for the skies). It’s no small feat to ensure that each passenger gets a consistent experience on a fleet as large as Emirates’. It will be the actual implementation of these plans which will be the feather in the hat, if done right.

What do you think? Can other proactive measures be taken to ensure consistency? Is it as important as we think it is? Let’s discuss.

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Given the significance of being one of the first few airlines to operate the Airbus A380, and since it will once be the 2nd largest operator of the A380, it’s a mystery why Qantas has not capitalized on this event to build its brand further. Moreover, given the recent negative press generated by the string of Qantas safety lapses, there is an urgent need to repair the damage done.

How did Qantas miss this golden opportunity?

1. Lack of radical product innovation: The four classes Qantas product for the A380 are not a radical improvement from its existing fleet of wide body planes. Moreover, the peculiar seat color choices make the cabin look dull. This, as opposed to the double-bed suites introduced by Singapore Airlines for First Class, and showers as well as a bar introduced by Emirates for First and Business Class, in their A380 planes. Both of these airlines took full advantage of these product innovations and marketed themselves well, rightly so.
2. Retracting some service features: Qantas has shelved plans to offer live internet access on its A380 planes from next month as American Airlines comes under fire from customers and flight attendants for allowing passengers to surf porn websites. Last year Qantas general manager John Borghetti was talking up the inflight entertainment system on the A380s, saying “there has never been anything like this on board a commercial aircraft”.But the lack of a full internet service will most likely disappoint many passengers who will have to make do with a limited selection of “cached internet content”. This will be a turn off for some passengers, who were probably looking forward to being connected while they cross the Pacific. Moreover, there is little official explanation given to why the service was retracted.
3. Lack of customer engagement and buzz at launch. Singapore Airlines created an eBay auction for its first A380 flight. Emirates treated an exclusive group of VIPs and media folks to a joy-ride once they landed the big bird in the US. Qantas, ironically, is keeping the event pretty low-key. In an official response from Qantas, this blog was told that, “Much of our media related activity around the delivery and entry into service will take place in Australia, with a very small contingent to be in the first flight on 20 October”. But why? Why not leverage this special event to build the brand further and engage the customers? We wonder.

What can Qantas do now to leverage on the A380 launch?

It’s probably too difficult and expensive to overhaul the product right away. So, it’s got to be marketing what they’ve got well. May be Qantas can play up the fact that they will be the 2nd largest operator of the largest commercial plane in the world. May be they can highlight their in-flight service and the new uniforms. May be, they can come up with better advertisements showcasing their A380 product features,and not just the plane from the outside.

What do you think? How can Qantas lift up their brand image with the first A380 take off in Kangaroo colors? Let’s discuss.

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Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 advertisement

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Qantas Airbus A380 advertisement

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Singapore Airlines has always been admired for its consistently high-quality products and innovation, especially in times of crises. From using the latest aircraft like the Airbus A380, to customer service that even other airlines talk about. Recently, Harvard Business School Professor Rohit Deshpande talked about Singapore Airlines’ strategy for success in an interview on the HBS Publishing website, conducted by Scott Berinato. His conclusion – competing on price alone never bears fruit.

Thinking beyond price competition

Professor Deshpande explains in the interview that too many airlines around the world, and especially in the US, compete on price alone and this forces them to commoditize their businesses. They remove any additional frills and the concept of in-flight service is diluted substantially. This is exactly what Singapore Airlines doesn’t do. It never compromises on the quality of service, and charges a premium for that. In a world many airlines are eliminating services on-board, Singapore Airlines pampers those who’d pay for it  – and there are plenty of disgruntled traveleres today who would!

Maintaining brand consistency and buying equipment in downturns

In times of trouble, most airlines cut back on services, flights and the goodwill they may have built for their brand in good times evaporates away. Again, something exactly oppsite to what Singapore Airlines does. It maintains brand consistency even in bad times, and hence keeps the trust of their loyal customers. Moreover, it capitalizes on these times to order new planes, since the manufacturers are more likely to offer discounts when other airlines are not buying and the demand it low.

This works perfectly. By the time the industry situation improves, the airline is armed with a brand new fleet and is ready to impress further existing and newly acquired customers.

But can all airlines duplicate this success? How about just the ability to maintain customer service levels in hard times…is that too hard? What do you think? Let’s discuss.

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These are the photos and videos taken Live! at JFK Airport . More analysis coming soon.

Emirates A380 gets a water canon salute at JFK Airport – a historic moment

Emirates A380 business class – tour by VP of Inflight-services

Emirates A380 business class seats and cabin

Emirates A380 business class – transient lighting

Emirates A380 business class passenger interview

Emirates A380 first flight Captain interview

Here’re a sneak preview of how we witnessed this chapter in aviation and shared it right on this page:

1. Live photos and video feed updated in real-time, of the inaugural ceremony, held at the Emirates lounge at JFK airport
2. The not-to-be-missed chance to view the water cannon salute for the Emirates A380 at JFK
3. Exciting video tour of the aircraft, including the much talked about showers in the First Class
4. Video interviews with key Emirates executives, including:
   1. Nigel Page – Senior Vice President of Operations, The Americas
      
   2. Andrew Parker – Senior Vice President, Public & Environmental Affairs
      
   3. Terry Daly – Divisional Senior Vice President, Service Delivery

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to share it with your friends. You can also sign up for free updates by email or RSS. To learn more about airline branding, please download the free white paper, or join the airline branding Facebook group today.

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