"[Working with SimpliFlying] has expanded our minds, opened our eyes and showed us what to do in concrete, practical, and tangible terms. We see the benefits not only to ourselves but to our members as well." - 
"SimpliFlying has a great balance - providing strategic insights and directions while maintaining a down-to-earth attitude in guiding LAN in strategy implementation. Justifying our investment to senior management was not difficult." - 
"The SimpliFlying MasterClass was a combination of trends and insights from the industry, as well as tailor-made topics designed to help Lufthansa progress to the next level of customer engagement. By having every management level participate, Lufthansa achieved great results in regards to 'social status' and loyalty, which was one of the key topics." - 
"At Estonian Air, we always look for partners who can bring innovation and good ideas, with the ability to execute. With Simpliflying, we get exactly that." - 
How AirAsia is rocking it in India, and how airlines in India can leverage their entry
AirAsia’s India market entry has recently created waves and lots of discussion about what this means for the future of the industry in India, specifically local airlines. I was interviewed by a leading business newspaper in India on this, and here are excerpts from that interview. How do you think Air Asia permeates a market …. continue reading →
Jet Airways' pilots mass sick-leave make the once glorious Indian airline brand look confused
If you’re in the airline industry, you must have heard about the misery of Jet Airways in the last few days. Half their pilots went on a “mass sick-leave”, causing almost 200 flights to be canceled per day, inconveniencing over 20,000 passengers resulting in absolute mayhem at the major airports, most of which tend to …. continue reading →
Aviation expert from CAPA predicts more consolidation for airlines in India
Closing off the Indian Aviation Special Month here at SimpliFlying, this week, I’d like to share with you an exclusive interview with Binit Somaia, Director India & Middle East, at Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), based in Sydney, Australia. CAPA is a leader in consulting and advisory to airports, airlines, investors and governments on …. continue reading →
Three reasons airlines in India will come out strongest from the recession
Image via Wikipedia … Jet Airways recently hinted that the worst is over for them and they expect to break even again in the middle of this year. And this is mostly because of the drop in fuel prices (obviously!) as well as the prudence shown by the management in cutting unprofitable routes, including that …. continue reading →
The funny side of competition of airline brands in India
Re-posting here one of my favorite posts, originally published in early-2008, at the peak of the competition in Indian skies. Enjoy! ____________________ Sometimes, competition can lead to funny outcomes. Here’s what happened at a major crossing in Mumbai, India, when Jet Airways announced their makeover. If you enjoyed this article, click here to get free …. continue reading →
Cultural sensitivity is the key to building sustainable airline brands
I flew to from Delhi to Singapore yesterday on Singapore Airlines. Service was at its best, as always, but the Boeing 777 plane wasn’t very full. In fact, the load factor was startingly low – probably below 50%! There was one person in First Class, less than five in Business Class and Economy was empty …. continue reading →
Airline industry and branding outlook for 2009: Experts speak
Image via Wikipedia Over the past few months, I’ve had a chance to interact with some of the brighest minds of the airline industry as well as key brand leaders. Though these were all individual interviews, there was a common question in all of them – “What’re your thoughts about airlines and branding in 2009″. …. continue reading →
Can Jet Airways survive the recession (and what does the Kingfisher alliance mean)?
….. Jet Airways is relying heavily on ethnic marketing in the US to get in touch with its key target market of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), and tapping on distribution networks like grocery stores to allow access to tickets! In this part 2 of the exclusive interview with Lisa Markovic, the Vice President of Sales and …. continue reading →
Jet Airways’ VP of Sales & Marketing shares what it takes to build a strong airline brand in the US
….. Jet Airways has been the shining star of the Indian aviation industry, especially in the past 5 years, since liberalization. The airline established itself as the harbinger of positive changes in the region, and currently offers one of the best service in the Indian skies, their numerous industry awards a proof of that. A …. continue reading →
Three lessons from Jet Airways on how not to treat employees
Last week, Jet Airways in India fired almost 1000 employees (and then re-instated them after a huge furor). In bad times, it’s natural for companies to cut costs, and reducing headcount is one of the ways to do that. But it was the method of communication that infuriated employees and resulted in widespread public protests. …. continue reading →