Recently, I discovered that Hainan Airlines of China has been awarded a “5 Star” status by Skytrax putting them in the same reign as Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways. While Hainan might be a decent airline, putting it in the highest category seemed out of context. And it wasn’t just me, discussing sprouted up around the web on this. Someone on Airliners.net said that Skytrax is becoming “Skytrash”. Someone else called it “Skycash” due to allegations that airlines need to pay big to acquire a new star level.

I feel rating Hainan as Five Star was the final nail in the coffin for Skytrax. Here are three reasons why I believe Skytrax is dead:

Irrelevant – If I’m a Kobe Bryant, then the only Business Class seat that’s Five Star for me is Oman Air’s – not Asiana or any other 5-star-classified airline. Because I can fit in there. Moreover, service and products differ dramatically for airlines on different routes and sectors. Hence, airlines ratings need to be relevant – which Skytrax is not.
Not real-time- Annual ratings are no longer desirable as airline service levels can dramatically change over a much smaller period of …

I’ve spent the past week at the Farnborough airshow, where there are a ton of aviation suppliers decked out in their chalets. My interest was piqued when I saw the only airline chalet at the show – Qatar Airways’. Yes, it does well for brand awareness. But Qatar Airways already has a Boeing 777-300 on static display at the show. Hence, I got thinking why would Qatar Airways invest in a chalet at Farnborough? Here are some possible reasons I came up with.

To get all manufacturers coming to Qatar Airways’ chalet, than the QR executives going to the manufacturers
Increase brand awareness among suppliers
Invite the media to the chalet to share stories about the airline
Mr Al Bakar wanted one

For all the above reasons, I keep coming up with respective counter arguments..

Any suppliers trying to sell planes or services to QR would already have done their homework and go to Mr al Bakar anyway, hence negating the need for driving brand awareness among suppliers
The media is just as happy at press conferences as well as on-board the plane on static display,

So then why would Qatar Airways, or any other airline have a chalet at an Airshow? And how is the ROI from …

There has been a lot of educated commentary about Emirates’ latest A380 order taking the fleet size for that specific aircraft to a total of 90. Though that’s impressive, it’s worth thinking about how dramatically it would change Emirates’ competitors’ business plans.

While we can expect the likes of Air Canada and Lufthansa to seek more protection from their respective governments, the order is likely to dramatically change the airline environment in the Middle East itself. Specifically, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways – both of which have been closely following the Emirates model – that of connecting any two cities in the world in one stop – will be forced to think about how to compete with a bigger, much bigger, Emirates. Here’s what I foresee happening within a couple of years.

Etihad Airways – if you can’t beat them, join them
I’ve dismissed an immediate merger of Emirates and Etihad previously on this blog, though it cannot be ruled out in the medium term.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ CEO has promised the Abu Dhabi government that the airline will be profitable by 2011. Given that Etihad …

As promised at the start of the year, SimpliFlying will be bringing you more Guest Columns from leading aviation practitioners around the world. Our first guest article of the year is written by Oussama Salah, who is an aviation expert based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Being a Jordanian who flies around the region a lot and works in the sector, he shares with us his predictions for Middle East carriers in 2010. —– The MENA region airlines bucked the global trend in 2009. It was the only region that had an increase in traffic and had the loss forecast dropped by 50% to half a billion. The region saw an increase in flights and in destinations. 2010 promises to be an exciting year for the region. Airlines in all segments are competing for a leading position. Emirates facing the crunch? Emirates remain the leader of the pack, with a brand that, by far has no rival not only in the region but globally. So far Emirates has shown a financial ability to finance its expansion without burdening Dubai. The problem Emirates might face is …

From the moment I was handed the boarding passes for my journey, there was something special about it all…I just didn’t know what, at that time. It was the first time I was flying with Qatar Airways – which claims to be the Five Star airline. And I was prepared to put it through the test, on what makes a Five Star brand, and whether Qatar Airways is indeed what it claims it is. For a start, the photos below will give you an idea about my experience.

Five star culinary experience
As you can tell from the number of photos in the slide show with a gastronomic feel to them, I had a LOT to eat on board my flight from Singapore to Abu Dhabi (for this conference), via Doha. Not only did I have a multi-course breakfast and dinner on board the Business Class, it was the style in which it was served that impressed me even more. Fresh napkins were spread on my lap …

Gone are the days when we received some unknown meat topped with a squishy brown liquid and neon green vegetables on board airlines. These days, either we don’t receive anything for free ($2 for water anyone? Think US Airways ), or we receive peanuts (think Southwest) or are over-fed (think Qatar Airways). But which airlines serve the best food?

This article is inspired from a review SimpliFlying has received, which notes that there is hardly any talk about food quality on board airlines on this blog. Indeed, food quality and serivce forms an integral part of the flight experience – especially for long haul flights. In fact, it can sometimes be crucial to winning the customers hearts, as Malaysia Airlines CEO realized. They had been serving mutton biryani on routes to China, and customers didn’t like it. They switched to chicken rice, and won their hearts. At the same time, they started offering mutton biryani on flights to Delhi, which was well received too.

Personally, …

The InsideFlyer magazine published an article entitled “The FFPs of the Middle East” last September. Though on the face of it, the article compares the various FFPs among the leading airlines there, upon closer look, you also discover the nuances that enhance brand value for the customers of these airlines. As proven by the large number of airlines from the Middle East winning the Freddies earlier this year, there are surely lessons for grabs here.

Catering services specifically to customers’ needs ensures loyalty
The region is flush with oil revenues, and more rich Arabs are taking to the skies – flying business class and first class. Airlines in the region pamper this key segment of their customers. Etihad Airways just opened a plush business class lounge at Abu Dhabi airport and offers limousine pick-ups, like Emirates. Emirates is also the first airline to introduce showers on-board its new A380 first class cabin. Qatar Airways has gourmet meals catered to suit their frequent flyers. It is no wonder that programs like Emirates Skywards reports that the program’s current rate of growth is just over …

On June 10, a Sudan Airways flight caught fire on the runway at Khartoum airport, which resulted in the runway being closed due to the damage. Such incidences can wreak havoc for airport officials and passengers of other airlines. This is when an airline’s resilience is tested. Here is an account of a person who was stranded at the airport the day after the incident and had to bear through much inconvenience in order to finally fly out on the Qatar Airways operated flight to reach his final destination – Delhi, India.

Image courtesy BBC news
“I was in Sudan for a presentation and experience sharing with East African Telecentre Networks. I was scheduled to travel back to Delhi on Qatar Airways, via Doha. Traveling the day after the crash, I was issued boarding passes at the airport, even though the runway was only open for small planes as it was partially damaged.  All passengers were standing in front of the boarding gate from 2 PM till 9 PM without any information, food or water. Communication with the ground staff was difficult due to language problems, and they did not seem to have any information as well. As the night approached, the airline refused to put us in a hotel, since they claimed this wasn’t their fault. Luckily, our trip organizers made alternative arrangements for us for the night.