***This is an article written and published from scratch at 35,000 ft, in-flight on Virgin America flight 342 from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale. Made possible by Gogo Wifi. A first on SimpliFlying**

In a recent conversation with a South American airline executive, we were talking about the state of commercial airlines in the US. And the consensus we reached was that the travel experience  within the US is just bearable at best, often frustrating and most noteworthy innovations are actually taking place in other regions around the world.

Then I took my first Virgin America flight. And I stand corrected – innovation is indeed taking place in the US too. And in addition to just flying their own airlines regularly, I’d highly encourage every senior airline executive in the world to come give Virgin America a shot on their next trip to the US. And here’s why.

Red, White and Purple – ah..so..Virgin

Virgin America probably has the best in-flight product on a narrowbody aircraft (trust me…I’ve flown a lot of them). And the brand personality truly stands out!

The ambience: The number of innovations inside the cabin are astounding. The first thing that strikes you is the cabin ambience – purple lights and swanky music. This may be common on some interrnational airlines like Emirates, but is a rarity in the US domestically.

The IFE: The advanced IFE allows you to order food on-demand, watch movies on demand and chat with other passengers on the flight – and for things you need to pay for, you just swipe your credit card right in the IFE screen! It’s all very user friendly.

The seat: When I relaxed into my seat, it felt very comfortable. After checking Seatguru.com, I realized that they have one of the widest seat in a narrowbody aircraft… in the world… both in First Class and Main Cabin (Economy), and the seat pitch is generous too.

The Service: On the flight, I was served by Aladdin, his brother Mazen and Cheryl (see photos below). One has been flying for almost 20 years, another is a former lawyer! Mazen actually made the effort to pronounce my name right – which was impressive. Again – the personal touches made an impression.

At the airport: Even on the ground, there is a diffence. Only two airlines use the International Terminal for domestic flights from San Francisco – Virgin America, and JetBlue. Is it a surprise that they’re two of America’s favorite airlines? The good thing is that you can choose to relax in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (another world beater), which is at the same terminal.

In-flight connectivity = future of IFE

The biggest revelation has been the in-flight wifi made available thanks to Gogo in-flight. Now, I know that there are a number of airlines trying it out, but only Virgin America and AirTran have implemented it fleet-wide. And that I feel is a competitive advantage, until the others catch up.

I have shared my views in the past that the future of in-flight entertainment, especially for budget airlines, might mean providing a power outlet and a wifi connection. These are both enablers. They empower passengers to use their own devices the way they want to.

And after flying Virgin America today, I feel the future of IFE is indeed in-flight connectivity. For the first time, I did not feel “jailed” in a tube. I even Skyped my mom and showed her the view from my window!

Delivering on the brand eXpectations…

Now,  you’ve probably already heard a number of the things I’ve shared here about Virgin America. After all, it’s been over two years since the airline launched all of what I’ve just experiencedfor the first time today. But that also meant I had sky-high expectations of the airline.

The good news is that they not only met the brand eXpectations (remember, the whitepaper?), but exceeded them at times too. And that in itself is an achievement.

The Verdict

If you’re in the airline industry – you need to fly Virgin America (and soon) to get a glimse of what the future looks like. If you are living outside the US, make sure you fly Virgin America on a domestic route if possible – it will be a totally different experience.

And if you are living in the US, then come fly probably the best airline flying domestically in the US.

P.S: Special thanks to Bowen Payson from Virgin America for meeting me for coffee early in the morning at the airport!

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As a number of you who follow me on Twitter and tracked my travels on TripIt know, I’ve traveled from Singapore to London to New York to Atlanta in the past one week. My Singapore to London flight was on the brand new Singapore Airlines’ A380 (my 2nd time on this “whale” in one month!), I flew from London to New York on Virgin Atlantic B747 and the last leg was on a Delta B757. I was excited like a kid in a candy store! And took away some lessons from each airline in branding too!

Singapore Airlines – there’s a reason why they are the best

As I boarded the A380, the first words in my head were, “Recession? What recession?!” It was a full-load double-decker aircraft from Singapore to London I was getting on, with more than 450 passengers on-board. Yet, I was personally led to my seat by an Singapore Girl. My coat was neatly hung in the cabinet, and she helped me with my hand-luggage too. The in-flight service was impeccable as ever, and the quite, new aircraft was like an icing on the cake.

Just a day earlier, my colleague had flown on an earlier flight to London, but presented the wrong passport at check-in. The staff still managed to check him in, using another ID for verification, while his brother rushed to the airport to deliver the passport. The gate closes 10 mins before departure for Singapore Airlines flights and the passport finally arrived 12 mins prior. The Singapore Airlines ground-staff had a buggy ready and my colleague was rushed across the terminal to make his flight. He was the last to board. A scene right out of a thriller isn’t it? Well, if it wasn’t for Singapore Airlines, it could have been worse.

This is why Singapore Airlines is the best – impeccable and consistent brand execution. Be it dealing with a full load A380 or dealing with unforeseen circumstances – the customer always feels like a VIP. And that’s why they have my loyalty, even though I have to pay a little more.

Virgin Atlantic – Still red-hot

Remember the recent 25th anniversary Virgin Atlantic advertisements? They proclaimed to be “Still Red Hot”. I couldn’t agree more. This was the my first time with Virgin Atlantic and I must say it’s one of the best flights on the B747 I’ve had. It wasn’t just the product – the spacious feel you get as you enter through Upper Class and see the bar at the entrance – to the headrests and IFE in the Economy cabin. Even though it’s been some time since the new product was introduced, it’s still fresh. Ironically, better than some of the “new” 747 cabins I’ve been on!

What makes Virgin Atlantic stand out though is the software – the service. The flight attendants are perky, love to joke around and have fun with the passengers. I had some very interesting conversations with them. Oh, and you see cheekiness (and Richard Branson) everywhere. Be it in the safety “cartoon” video or on the socks cover. Virgin Atlantic makes a conscious effort to stand out, and it adds an X-factor to the brand that is difficult to duplicate. Very different from Singapore Airlines, just as successful.

Delta Airlines -  just being the world’s largest doesn’t help

Delta Airlines use “we’re the world’s largest airline” in a lot of their brand messaging. However, I frankly feel that’s not a strong point of distinction, simply because tomorrow United Airlines may buy US Airways and a couple more to become the world’s largest. Moreover, being the world’s largest can result in inconveniences too, if things are not handled well.

As someone who travels a lot, unforeseen circumstances inevitably happen. When I landed in the US, there was a very long queue at Immigration, so it took me a couple of hours to come out to collect my bags. My Delta flight to Atlanta was at 7.10pm, and I reached the check-in desk at 6.11pm. But the agent wasn’t able to tag my bags, since the “system” shuts down an hour before the flight. Mind you, we-the-people could still be checked in, but our bags couldn’t be tagged. Fair enough, not their fault.

I requested the agent to put me and my colleague on the next flight, which was the next morning – an agonizing 11 hour overnight transit at JFK is something I don’t fancy much. But here’s where things got interesting. The lady refused to give us a confirmed seat on that flight even though it wasn’t full. Not keen on arguing, I just took the re-validated tickets and went over to another Delta agent. Surprise! Surprise! We got our confirmed seats. Exit row too.

The flight itself was comfortable, equipped with wi-fi and had a very interesting in-flight magazine. But coming back to my original point – being the world’s largest is of no use if the staff do not go all the way to help the customer. If the second agent could help me with a confirmed seat, I wonder why the first one couldn’t. And this makes me wonder if I’d have missed my original flight in the first place, if I had gone to the second agent….

As I’ve mentioned in my keynotes before, an airline brand is what it does, not what it says it does. Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic execute well. Delta does it better than most American carriers, but there’s some distance to go.

So, what do you think? Isn’t brand execution and delivery very important? Then why do some airlines ignore it? Let’s discuss in the comments or over on Twitter (@simpliflying)

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I have another confession to make. I haven’t been on Virgin America, and I really want to try it! (the first confession was a couple of weeks back that I haven’t been on Southwest, and that I wanted to meet the rapping flight attendant). Why the sudden burst of emotions? Well, because I just watched an interview of Richard Branson in one of those purple-blue cabins and I was mesmerized, yet again.

Why is it all the rave? Thanks to The Nerdist.

Because this time, Richard was interviewed by Chris Hardwick, “The Nerdist“, and Chris has been generating lots of comments on the interview, been Tweeting about it and making a lot more fans for the airline than probably a Virgin America advertisement in the morning daily would have. Why am I so sure? May be because on Twitter, Chris has 20 times the “followers” that Virgin America has! And I bet his website gets more hits than the Virgin America website too.

The point I’m trying to make? Airlines are in the service business, and not in the transport business. And because of that, airlines cannot shy away from social media anymore. Be it working with influencers like Chris or The Cranky Flier, or providing accelerated customer service through Twitter. In an interview with USA Today. JetBlue’s CEO Dave Barger summed up my emotions about social media best:

“My sense is that really – not just in America – but the around world there’s what’s known as mainstream media. But, new social media, it’s there. It’s real-time…. It’s Real.”

I just think that Dave Barger makes a lot of sense. What do you think? Watch the Branson video below and share your thoughts in the comments section, or come talk to me (@simpliflying)  on Twitter.

There are still two more autographed copies of the book on Singapore Airlines to be given away, and a 4gb Apple iPod to be won. You too can be a winner, just by re-tweeting a comment from SimpliFlying or leaving a comment on this site. Learn more here.

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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.

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Here’s a perfect example of a an airline not only dealt maturely with a negative situation, but also showed that it takes feedback seriously and has the guts to involve the customers in creating brand experience. A passenger who wrote a witty letter complaining about the Indian meal on a Virgin Atlantic flight to Mumbai has been invited by the airline’s boss Richard Branson to help select food and wines for future Virgin flights!

In what The Telegraph calls “the world’s best complaint letter”, Oliver Beale included seven photos and tons of witty remarks in his 1300 words letter! Here are some excerpts:

“I imagine the same questions are racing through your brilliant mind as were racing through mine on that fateful day. What is this? Why have I been given it? What have I done to deserve this? And, which one is the starter, which one is the dessert?”

“Richard…. What is that white stuff? It looked like it was going to be yoghurt. It finally dawned on me what it was after staring at it. It was a mixture between the Baaji (scrambled eggs) custard and the Mustard sauce.”

“It reminded me of my first week at university. I had overheard that you could make a drink by mixing vodka and refreshers. When I attempted to make the drink in a big bowl it formed a cheese Richard, a cheese.”

Virgin Atlantic at its resilient best!

Virgin Atlantic not only replied to the “constructive if tongue-in-cheek” email, but also offered him a job selecting the food and wines for future flights. What does that show about the airline? It’s preparedness and resilience for sure. The fact that instead of ignoring such an email, Virgin responded promptly, and offered something to make the passenger happy shows the airline’s maturity.

And what better way to involve a customer in creating a brand experience? I had mentioned in my webinar on airline branding that airlines that embrace the accidental spokesperson will do well. And this is exactly what Virgin Atlantic has done. They have managed to involve a person passionately speaking about the airline, to further improve customer experience.

What do you think? Could Virgin Atlantic have dealt with the situation any better? How can other airlines adopt such a practice, given that not every passenger’s whim can be addressed?

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Virgin Atlantic Airways recently launched a new campaign that positions the experience of flying on the airline as “Airphoria.” “We’re glad you hate flying.” is how the ad begins. The text goes on to explain, “Because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t care that our entire reason for being is to do things differently.” The copy then touts Virgin’s fully flat beds, always-open onboard bars and Heathrow’s Revivals lounge. “It’s simple,” the ad concludes. “Turning people who hate flying into people who love flying with Virgin Atlantic kind of turns us on.”

I recently had the chance to interview Virgin Atlantic’s VP of Marketing for North America, Jim Mezoff. He shared his thoughts on the Airphoria campaign, and what the future looks like for one of the most admired long-haul carriers in the world, including their plans for a branding extravaganza on their 75th anniversary.

Here is Jim Mezoff for you, uncut.

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Not only did Mr. Obama win the US general elections last week, he was also selected as Advertising Age’s Marketer of the Year by the executives attending the Association of National Advertisers’ annual conference in Orlando last month.

For a person who has come from behind, fighting tough opponents to win the elections, success can be attributed to many things. But one that cannot be ignored is his super-efficient marketing machine, which not only helped raise a record $600 million, but also brought Barack Obama and his message to the hearts of millions. So what are some lessons airlines can learn, from Mr Obama, to build a strong and long-lasting brand?

The power of simplicity

Change. It was a message that was understood everywhere, from the boardroom, to the hinterlands. There was no confusion over the meaning of this “mantra”. Effective slogans needs to be simple and grounded in reality. Only then will they drive masses of people toward a brand.

In the airline world, a good example of an airline which has a simple message is AirAsia, the Malaysia based no-frills airline led by Tony Fernandez – who is often referred to as Malaysia’s Richard Branson. AirAsia’s slogan is “Now everyone can fly!” Isn’t it simple and straight forward? It’s a message that even a villager will identify with. Something else that has made this slogan so powerful is that it has remained the same ever since AirAsia was established. This leads to the Obama campaign’s next great strength.

Consistency = trust = loyalty

Since day one, Obama stuck to the same message – Change. In a backdrop of constantly shifting stands first by Hillary Clinton, and then by John McCain, Obama appeared to be the only one who carried his message through with conviction. This fact stood out and built trust among his followers. In consumer businesses like airlines, strong trust almost always results in loyalty.

Other than AirAsia, airlines that have stuck to their “mantra” with conviction over a long time include Singapore Airlines – “Bringing back the romance in travel” and Emirates – “Keep Discovering”. And consumers are indeed very loyal to these brands. Since 1975, another icon, BMW, has used just one slogan: “The ultimate driving machine.” It is the largest imported European car in the US for a reason. Consistent branding results in trust, which leads to loyalty.

Achieving relevance through flexibility

Obama’s campaign was not only dedicated to a simple message over a long time, it also appealed to a variety of people by being relevant to them, in their context. In the image below, you’ll see the various manifestations of Obama’s “Change” campaign – each one appealing to a different user group, even Republicans! By incorporating a little flexibility, Obama managed to create a brand that people could personally relate with. That personalization appealed to micro-groups, or “tribes” as Seth Godin would call them, resulting in his victory.

Given the global nature of the airline industry, there is even more need to resonate with the target consumers by molding the brand to fit a local context. Some airlines that do this well include KLM, which has “KLM Asia” painted on its planes going to that region and British Airways, whose flights to India have Indian flight attendants, wearing traditional Indian dresses. In fact, Lufthansa has even tied up with a master Indian chef from the Taj Hotels Group to design its cuisine for its flights to India. Such measures are bound to resonate much more with customers from specific markets, than just applying a single standard across the board.

Don’t just be better, be Different.

“Better” never works in marketing. The only thing that works in marketing is “different.” Obama did not aim to be a better “maverick” than McCain, or try to appear more “experienced” than Hillary Clinton. He stood for something distinct – change – and made it clear to his opponents.

He achieved two things by doing this. Firstly, by defining himself as something different, he forced his opponents to fight the battle on his turf. Interestingly, Hillary Clinton modified her motto to “countdown to change” towards the end of her campaign. Similarly, well differentiated airlines attract copycats – just look at how many airlines in the US want to be the next Southwest! But Southwest never says that it wants to be a United or a JetBlue even.

Secondly, and more importantly, by being different, Obama was like the piped piper who drew people towards him and they followed him wherever he went. Similarly, airlines that know what they uniquely stand for, and communicate this internally as well as internally create a die-hard fan base that remains loyal. Airlines that do this well? Kulula.com in South Africa, and Virgin Atlantic in Europe.

Lessons in marketing and branding lie all around us. The Obama brand is one many industries can learn from, and here I’ve tried applying the concepts to airlines. What else do you think airlines can learn from the Obama marketing machine? Let’s hear it in the comments section.

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Image via CrunchBase, source unknown

A recent article on The Sietch Blog claims that Virgin Atlantic is “on the brink of collapse”. The argument is based on Sir Richard Branson’s recent statements in the press about the threat posed by the BA/AA collusion. On this, an un-named source has commented that it reflects that Virgin Atlantic is in trouble.

Whether Virgin Atlantic, and their sister companies Virgin America and Virgin Blue can ride out the storm depends on many factors, but at the moment things are not looking good for the former wunderkind of British industry. The “budget house of cards” won’t stop toppling for some time yet.

Prevention is better than cure

In fact, Branson’s comments show Virgin’s preparedness for the upcoming threat and they are dealing with it head-on. Forbes Magazine revealed in an article that Branson unveiled last Friday the slogan “No Way, BA/AA,” which will be painted on the side of Virgin’s aircraft. This campaign will alert consumers to the “anti-competitive” nature of the proposed tie-up, which Virgin hopes will then indirectly put pressure on American antitrust regulators.

Virgin is a trusted brand

Virgin Atlantic is one of the few airlines in the world with a sound business model (first class service at business class prices) and an outstanding brand image. Most importantly, Branson is an icon people can relate with. Customers trust the Virgin brand, and this brings loyalty. They will not ditch a loved brand easily and Virgin is likely to further strengthen its position an industry leader once this crisis is over.

Let’s think of a simple scenario. If given a choice, would a business traveler fly across the Atlantic on an old American Airlines plane with service quality not even close to that of Virgin? Or would he rather fly Virgin Atlantic, having their great in-flight product and service coupled with a luxurious lounge (shown below)?  The difference in the brand experience is so huge that customers would think twice before switching loyalties.

Virgin Atlantic's lounge in London Heathrow

Hence, it is a stretch of imagination to say that Virgin Atlantic is “on the brink of collapse”. What do you think? Can a strong brand support a business in bad times? Is Virgin Atlantic indeed in trouble? Or are we thinking too much? Let’s discuss…

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