Note: This is a cross-post from Steven Frischling’s Flying with Fish blog. Steven Frischling, aka: Fish, is a self employed photographer, and founder of The Travel Strategist, who has flown approximately 1,000,000 miles since he began to track his mileage 2005.
————————————-

Throughout the past year airlines have suffered massive financial losses due to record high fuel prices, a weakening global economy and declining demand for airline seats.

In an attempt to increase their financial stability many airlines in the United States, and around the world, turned to the ancillary revenue generated by charging passengers for their baggage.   As angered as passenger have been regarding the checked baggage fees they have helped major airlines in the United States collect more than US$1,145,385,850 in revenue during 2008…and baggage fees weren’t even initiated by most airlines in the United States until the middle of the second fiscal quarter of 2008.

The fourth fiscal quarter of 2008 saw airlines pull in US$498,600,000 alone!

Checked baggage fees have always provided a significant revenue source for airlines, however prior to the past year this revenue was for excess baggage and overweight baggage. Airlines that do not allow any free-checked baggage, such as American Airlines, now consider all …

Late last year, I had the opportunity to pick the brains of two Senior Partners at Lippincott, New York, on my favorite topic of airline branding. Both Randall Stone and Rodney Abbot bring tons of experience in design and brand creation and had some very interesting views to share about how airlines can tap on the potential of their own brands.

Lippincott is a leading brand strategy and design consultancy, which has worked with airlines globally, including Virgin Atlantic and most recently TACA Airlines. Lippincot helped TACA deliver a “calming trip” to their customers, the moment they stepped aboard the plane. They have also extensively helped Delta Airlines deliver a 360 degree brand experience, both internally and to the external customer. Randall and Rodney share a number of anecdotes in their interview about both these case studies.

Here are some of the key points they make in the interview:

Identifying, and then optimizing key touch-points relating to brand experience (that means inside and outside the plane)
Sensory branding – how all five senses can be involved in creating a holistic brand experience (and how Singapore Airlines did it!)
How design can be infused in brand strategy to allow the airline to take-off, and how Delta …

In my conversation with airline executives, I often emphasize my belief that an airline’s brand is what it does, not what it says it does.  And Virgin America in the US is proving to be very good at delivering their brand promises – that of presenting the customer a new way to fly.

I’ve written in the past that Virgin America  is good at living up to a highly-differentiated brand positioning. Be it Sir Richard Branson or the zingy flight attendants. Be it the smaller-than-usual boarding passes or the in-flight safety video. All elements enforce a strong Virginisque brand personality, and it is this which continues to linger in the customers’ minds long after they leave the plane.

Here’s a true account of a passenger who’s comparing her flights from Boston on Virgin America and Delta, and you can clearly tell why Virgin America is a clear-cut winner – because of their impeccable brand delivery.

Virgin America Vs. Delta Airlines…

[caption id="attachment_594" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Michael D'Esopo"][/caption]

Lippincott, a leading brand strategy and design consultancy, has worked with airlines globally, including Virgin Atlantic and most recently TACA Airlines. Lippincot helped TACA deliver a “calming trip” to their customers, the moment they stepped aboard the plane. They have also extensively helped Delta Airlines deliver a 360 degree brand experience, both internally and to the external customer.

I decided to take this opportunity to meet up with Michael D’Esopo, a senior partner at Lippincott’s Boston office, to get his perspectives on airline branding, and what makes for a truly successful airline brand. With 15 years’ experience in brand building, he revealed a number of gems, and you can view the full, uncut version of the interview right below.

Here’s a quick summary of Michael’s thoughts:

Differentiation – Like all brands, airlines should have a strong and unique value proposition – something Barack Obama did so well, as I discussed in my previous article.
Clarity – They should then deliver this differentiated positioning to consumers with clarity. The important point here is to deliver
Mergers: During mergers in the industry, airlines should ideally strive for …