Being placed in charge of a company that has been losing money since 2005 isn’t exactly the kind of dream job that most people have in mind. However Tero Taskila has always relished a good challenge. After all, the Finn, who was previously the Chief Commercial Officer of Latvian competitor airBaltic, lives by the motto: “I want to have frustration and excitement in good balance.”

There’s certainly been no shortage of both and since assuming the position last June, Taskila has been busy overseeing the restructuring of the airline and introducing initiatives to increase the number of routes that it serves and the frequencies of its flights. And while there are plans to introduce long-haul services in the future, for now, Estonian Air is concentrating its efforts on becoming a leading regional airline and establishing a strong network in the Baltic States, Nordic countries and Russia.

Changing the Rules of Engagement

Among the initiatives adopted by Estonian Air last year, one of the most successful has been its AirScore loyalty program, which not only brought a fresh spin to the concept but also piqued Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards to win a Mega Award for the world’s best social media marketing program.

What makes the AirScore loyalty program unique is that it rewards subscribers for spreading the word about the airline – they do not have to fly with the airline to participate in the program at all. Subscribers can earn points simply by signing up for the Facebook app and sharing the information published on its wall. Furthermore, they also earn points when their friends join AirScore and participate in the program as well. These points can then be redeemed for flight discounts as well as other airline rewards such as free lounge access, depending on the subscriber’s level of membership.

The response has been turning heads, to say the least. Within the first 10 days of its soft launch, it had recorded two million impressions, a feat which Taskila admits was “not something they could even expect or dream about”. Among the other features it plans to implement in the future is one that allows it to integrating analytics so that it can be used as a sales tool as well.

Small and Innovative Wins the Race

In many ways, being a small airline has been a boon for Estonian Air. For a start, it’s given it the courage to go where bigger airlines fear to tread. “As a small airline, you always have to do something different and innovative to be noticed,” says Taskila, adding that one of the benefits of being headquartered in Estonia (or the land of Skype, as the country is fondly known) is that they are situated in a hotbed of talent and innovation.

And ‘innovation’ is clearly a key part of the brand’s credo. Among the other initiatives that it has introduced are the Chefs on Board campaign, which was launched last summer, and a Skype check-in service for passengers traveling to Moscow. In the case of the former, what distinguished it from the culinary programs adopted by bigger airlines was the fact that it actually hosted a chef from a leading Estonian restaurant on one of its flights every month. The menu served on that flight was then served on its other flights for a month after its launch. For the airline, apart from improving the flight experience, it was also a way to promote the country’s cuisine and produce. So popular was the program that at one point, its Net Promoter Score (NPS) was higher than that for the iPhone 4S.

Though the latter is still in its early testing phase, the Skype check-in video service it is offering to travelers heading for Moscow is another example of how the airline is hoping to improve the convenience of its customers’ flight experience. Not only do they get to beat the queue they also have the option of talking to a real airline representative to ask questions about their flight.

Looking Ahead

Things certainly look promising for Estonian Air. Not only is it based in one of the most financially stable countries in the European Union, it is also one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe. Taskila is quick to add that there is nothing artificial about this growth. “It was the result of Estonian businesses being more successful globally and also the attractiveness of Tallinn as a destination. We don’t see any slowing down in demand in that respect so that’s a very good starting point for us.”

While it may be tempting for an airline to join an alliance to strengthen its network and brand, Taskila tells us that Estonian Air has no plans to do that just yet. “I’ve always said that if you want to get married, you need to get pretty first,” he jokes. “Although we are very pretty a bride already, we are also a bride with our own ambitions and those are not ready to be piped out. We still have a lot of things we want to achieve before joining an alliance.”

Among other things, Estonian Air plans to introduce a new aircraft to its fleet as well as a new plane livery this year in its bid to improve its overall customer experience. “To be more successful in 2012, we need to get things out of the door faster, be more flexible and be closer to customers.”

But how does an airline maintain that close relationship with its customers when it needs to expand in order to keep up with the competition? There’s no easy answer to this question but for now, Estonian Air is focusing on delivering on the promises it’s made to be the most convenient, innovative, trustworthy and “positively surprising” airline in the region.

Taskila has already said that he will be pushing his team to work even harder this year and he has high hopes that the results will outweigh their efforts. “The benefit of being small is that we can be extremely fast and flexible. We have a very low cost base and a team full of passionate people who want to see results immediately. With a small airline, they are able to do just that.”

To listen to Tero’s full interview, please play the podcast below.

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• Estonian Air drives revenue from Facebook through a reverse auction, by simply posting on the wall
• SimpliFlying launches fortnightly Marketing Strategy podcasts for airline and airport marketers
• Estonian Air crowdsourcing ideas to engage travelers as Tero Taskila takes over as new CEO
• [Infographic] The future of loyalty programs will be powered by social media
• Three keys to making loyalty programs work for the airline brand of the future

Today, we’re launching SimpliFlying Podcasts – a brand new product that should excite our readers, most of whom are travel marketers. Starting this Wednesday, SimpliFlying will be releasing Marketing Strategy podcasts for airline and airport marketers on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. Each podcast will have great insights on the latest in marketing from the best minds in aviation.

Why you should listen to the podcasts

Helmed by Shashank Nigam, the CEO of SimpliFlying, every fortnight we will interview a well-known face from the world of aviation (mostly CxO level). The in-depth interviews will be followed by a detailed discussion of insights into the latest in airline and airport marketing by SimpliFlying staff.

The podcasts will be available in two versions – a shorter, free version, lasting about 20 minutes, will have only the interview (you can listen to them below); the longer paid version, lasting about 40 minutes, will have the interview as well as the insights along with a detailed pdf transcript. Each premium podcast will be available at an introductory price of only $19 per podcast!

Listen to the first episode!

Our inaugural podcast has Tero Taskila, CEO of Estonian Air as the guest. Estonian Air, as you know, has been featured previously in our Top 10 case-packs for their innovative social media campaigns involving some rather interesting techniques to drive revenue such as reverse auctions on Facebook.

In recent months, the airline’s major claim to fame has been that it has developed the world’s first social media based loyalty program on Facebook. The app, Airscore, helps Estonian Air provide real-world rewards for virtual actions such as online brand advocacy. The social loyalty program has been path-breaking in terms of how it rewards loyalty and has won a number of awards as well. To learn more about Estonian Air and its great initiatives straight from their CEO, listen to the podcast below. You can subscribe to SimpliFlying Podcasts on iTunes as well!

Hope you enjoyed listening to our free podcast! Our premium version has 20 additional minutes of discussions on the hottest trends in the travel market with a focus on aviation. Burning issues such as social loyalty, measuring ROI on social media, opportunities for location-based services etc are discussed in detail by Shashank and Marco Serusi, our Community Engagement executive based out of Valencia, Spain. What’s more, if you’re not patient enough to listen, you’ll have access to the complete transcript of the 40-minute podcast as well. We’re offering all this, as we mentioned earlier, at a great introductory price of only $19!

This is just the beginning. Watch out over the next few weeks for a couple more exciting new products from SimpliFlying!

Full disclosure: SimpliFlying helped Estonian Air build their social loyalty program.

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• Can AirAsiaX make the low-cost long-haul model work with focus on Asia-Pacific? Interview with CEO Azran Osman-Rani
• Size doesn’t matter. Interview with Estonian Air CEO Tero Taskila reveals a grand vision for the future
• SimpliFlying is “aviation website of the week” (and more accolades)
• SimpliFlying, in the news…and more!
• High Flying Tweets: 11 of the best airline or aviation bloggers / journalists to follow on Twitter

The detailed agenda can be found here. The conference begins at 9.20am London time. The award nominees will make their presentations at noon.

• SimpliFlying-Airline Business Awards for Social Media Excellence for Airlines – Vote now!
• SimpliFlying Awards for Social Media Excellence for Airlines – Winners, photos and finalist presentations
• Think an airline has a great social media strategy? Nominate them now for the SimpliFlying-Airline Business Social Media Awards
• SimpliFlying and Airline Business launch social media conference for airlines and airports [Plus: how you can win two passes]
• The Best Airlines Driving Revenue Through Social Media – Introducing the Top 5 nominees for the 2nd SimpliFlying Awards for Social Media Excellence

Many of these (very 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). Personally, I have made some amazingly talented new friends on Twitter, whom I wouldn’t have known otherwise, from Melbourne to Muscat.

This list has 11 great aviation geeks to follow on Twitter, however please feel free to suggest others in the comments (or if you tweet on things that fly, leave your own Twitter info – for individuals only, not companies). These are in no particular order.

And you can certainly start with this list if you’re looking to follow my 11 suggested steps to lead the social media strategy for your airline!

Of course, if you aren’t following us on Twitter yet, we’re @simpliflying.

11 airline Journalists/Bloggers to follow on Twitter

AvWeekBenet : One of the aviation journalism “legends” of our times, Benet Wilson has some amazing knowledge about the industry and always a pleasure to Tweet with. Everyone who’s anyone in aviation has probably been interviewed by Benet at some point of his or her career.  Benet currently writes on Business Aviation for Aviation Week and she’s one of my personal favorites.

flyingwithfish : Steve Frischling is an ace photographer turned travel guru. His advice on how to pack light, or travel safe is invaluable. I personally love the travel iPhone App reviews he does at his blog, Flying with Fish. His tweets are a perfect blend of photo tips, travel tips and views on airlines. Some Twitter services tell me that I @reply to him the most!

danwebbage : Dan Webb is a wonderkid, who’s quite an aviation freak. Still a college student, he does an outstanding job blogging passionately about the industry over at Things in the Sky blog. He’s also the co-host of the Airplane Geeks Podcast. Always full of his unique personal insights on Twitter.

roncallari : Ron Callari has a ton of experience working in the travel industry. He blogs at InventorSpot and works with travel and hospitality companies around the world. His over 4,000 followers on Twitter sure like his Tweets. Be sure to check out ‘United Breaks Guitars’ Viral Video Gets Counterpunched! http://bit.ly/4EYhF

aschonland : Addison Schonland hosts the very popular IAG Podcasts. He’s one of the most forward-thinking Gen X persons I’ve known, and is always brimming with great ideas about the next big thing in aviation. Always a pleasure to Tweet with. For some inspiration, just listen in.

BLRAviation : No one knows Indian aviation better than Devesh Aggarwal. Once a million-miler with Singapore Airlines, he’s now based out of Bangalore and runs the Bangalore Aviation blog. His insights and statistics on Indian aviation are a revelation on Twitter. He also knows the best kebab places in Bangalore (and has taken me there too!)

RunwayGirl : Mary Kirby adds the oomph factor to aviation geeks on Twitter! No one knows in-flight entertainment and equipment better than her. She gives us the ins and outs of what’s in the plane, from wifi to the IFE. She writes for  Flight International at RunwayGirl.

crankyflier : The self-acclaimed “airline dork”, Brett Snyder is probably one of the most famous aviation bloggers, having worked in a travel agency when we was a teenager and been totally “into” airlines ever since! His insights on his CrankyFlier blog and on Twitter are daring, straight-forward and always make you stop and think. Very intriguing perspectives.

jetwhine : Rob Mark is very experienced in the industry, and authors the award-winning JetWhine blog. He’s also the co-host of the Airplane Geeks Podcast.

MiddleSeat : Scott McCartney writes The Wall Street Journal’s “Middle Seat” column and is the author of the new book “The Wall Street Journal Guide to Power Travel: How to Arrive with Your Dignity, Sanity, and Wallet Intact.” He’s got very refreshing perspectives on the latest happenings in aviation, and if you can’t keep up with his column, do read his Tweets.

flightblogger : How can this list be complete without mentioning probably the only Boeing outsider who often knows more than the insiders! Jon Ostrower is the FlightBlogger and tweets about the latest Boeing updates. Even the employees read his blog and Tweets to keep up to date with the latest developments in the company!

Feel free to add your favorite aviation Tweeters on this list, ans share this resource with your friends!

• Announcing the Aviation Geeks Meetup @ Sydney, on Aug 5, 2009 #sydneyfly
• SimpliFlying is “aviation website of the week” (and more accolades)
• Airlines on Twitter in June 2011: Delta Airlines is the breakaway “listening and talking champion”
• Airlines on Twitter Monthly Report for August 2011: Cebu Pacific joins the big league and scores high!
• Airlines on Twitter Monthly Report for November 2011: increasing engagement but 30 airlines produce over 80% of tweets