I had the chance to present to a large gathering of airport and airport retail professionals today at the TFWA Asia-Pacific conference in Singapore.

My main theme was around the connected traveler – who has access to the internet throughout every single phase of travel – from the taxi he takes to the airport, to the airport lounge and duty-free areas, to in-flight wifi. And how this changes the dynamics of customer engagement for airlines and airport retailers and revenue opportunities. Below, I share the presentation for your viewing pleasure and would love to hear your comments on it too!

TFWA 2012 on Prezi
*Photo Credit: Brett Henry

Although American Airlines posted a $45 million profit in the last quarter, it was only the sale of a financial advisory unit that kept them in black. Otherwise, they’d have lost over $300 million in one quarter. But why? Shouldn’t all those charges for anything that’s not attached to the plane helping boost profits? Apparently not. Since the fares themselves are not just low, but utterly unrealistic and unsustainable.
Shocking prices!
Here’s an shocking discovery I made while searching for fares on Vayama.com. The fare for a JFK-Singapore flight is $800.20 (on Cathay Pacific), and from Boston – JFK – Singapore is $807.20 (on AA + Cathay Pacific). That means the flight from Boston to JFK is merely $7! That is less than the price for a person to get from Manhattan to JFK by subway! Even a regular bus ticket from Boston to New York City is $15. See the screenshots below for yourself.

How is this possible?
Even though both American Airlines and Cathay Pacific are part of the OneWorld alliance, and cooperate …

Key Flight Facts
Airline: Jet Airways
Travel purpose: Moving to Singapore to begin college studies
Departure from: Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India
Arrival at: Changi International Airport, Singapore
Date of travel: 27 July 2008
Contributor: Shitij Nigam
Flight rating: 8/10

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Image courtesy Flickr user Guido Haesevoets"][/caption]
Check-in
The check-in was process was swift and painless, and partially so because the airport was slightly empty (morning flights not exactly being the craze). The airport staff were also familiar with my Students Pass, something I’d been worried about previously, as to whether or not it would end-up causing unnecessary delays. The Jet Airways staff at the baggage check-in counter was nice enough to ask me about my college and course (and I was nice enough to explain. In detail.)