However, it seems that aircraft furniture of the future is changing to address the need for more comfort, better support and more groovy hi tech gadgets and gizmos for those who love their in-flight entertainment. In fact, in a recent survey done by Devesh Agarwal, more people thought seat comfort was more important in making a ticket purchase decision, than punctuality or frequent flier benefits for long haul travel.

Airlines are changing the way we travel. International flight comparison site Skyscanner.net are here to prove it by looking at five of the most exciting new seat designs of the future, in this guest post.

Skycouch – Air New Zealand

Nicknamed ‘Cuddle Class’; Air New Zealand’s cosy new Economy Skycouches are set to take off from an airport in London. To be ‘sky tested’ in the B777-300 aircraft, the Skycouch features three seats that have been designed to create a flexible seating option. The seats lie completely flat, creating a space where kids can play and adults can relax or sleep. While over in Premium Economy, the Spaceseat has been developed to give passengers more privacy and flexibility. Seats angle out to seclude their occupier but can also be combined to enable couples to cosy up closer or even dine at the same table. Window seats angle towards the window not only offering complete privacy but a better view.

Air New Zealand has some nice extra little details too like pillows that slip over the headrest then don’t budge and neat little beanbags for under your feet. You may not want to get off the plane!

Gaming Seats - Germany

Currently a prototype, the ‘Not for Wimps’ (NFW) Gaming Seat was only a reality at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in early April.

With a design idea that possibly came from the ‘carrot dangling from a stick in front of a moving donkey’ scenario, an extendable plastic arm reaches over a rather cosy bucket seat dangling in front of the passenger a state-of-the-art monitor and gaming and docking station. Technophiles will be in their element in this comfy seat with endless gaming options, oblivious to the many hours of a long haul flight as they whiz by. The lightweight design could even save the airlines money on fuel.

They’re not available for order just yet but watch this space…

Entertainment Stations - Emirates A380

On the Emirates A380 aircraft, the future has definitely arrived. Extra space, private suites, showers in first class, and a thousand channels of entertainment are just the tip of the iceberg. (remember, we brought you the Live coverage from the inaugural A380 flight to JFK?)

Business Class passengers can now enjoy fully reclining massage beds complete with their own mini bar, privacy screen and widescreen TV. Economy Class passengers will also benefit from more space with seats that recline further, hopefully increasing the chances of getting some shut-eye on a long haul flight.

Emirates has so far placed the largest order of 58 new Airbus A380 superjumbo planes, that will incorporate these state of the art luxuries, giving lucky passengers on flights to Bangkok, flights to Dubai and flights to Auckland and Sydney a chance to try them out!

Lumbar Support – Virgin Atlantic

The new Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy seats are currently the biggest in their class and offer passengers advanced ergonomic design that delivers additional lumbar support, an adjustable headrest and a dual position footrest.

The seats will mean passengers can stretch out even further while enjoying all the lovely little luxuries that Virgin provide from bowls of fruit and chinaware to newspapers and an after dinner brandy!

Ryanair Standing ‘Seats’

The lure of cheap flights is strong but maybe not quite strong enough to get on board the latest brainwave from Ryanair’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary. The proposal is for an area at the back of the aircraft to be reserved for ‘standing seats’ that would mean passengers could pay as little as £4 for a flight. That said, travellers should remember to bring their loose change as plans to create coin-operated toilets could also be coming into effect.

The Civil Aviation Authority have raised their doubts over the vertical seats meeting necessary health and safety requirements so, with any luck, Ryanair will stick with tradition and opt for seating of the more comfortable horizontal variety.

About Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a travel search site providing online comparisons on flight prices for over 670,000 routes and on over 600 airlines, including flights to India as well car hire, deals and holidays. You can follow Skyscanner on Twitter and Facebook

(All images courtesy of the individual airlines)

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• SPECIAL FEATURE: An exclusive look at Cathay Pacific’s new Business Class seats
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• Lufthansa Airbus A380 from Frankfurt to JFK inaugural flight: The Best aircraft, Best Airline, to the Best City?
• How will Emirates ensure high levels of service across its A380 fleet? VP Nigel Page explains

This is bound to get the message far-and-wide for AirAsia X, and hopefully they’ll be flying to Sydney sooner than later. It’s good for us, consumers

• Virgin Atlantic’s Airphoria is just the start, VP of Marketing Jim Mezoff reveals
• What can airlines learn from the Obama marketing machine?
• Why Virgin Atlantic Airways is not “on the brink of collapse”
• Virgin Atlantic’s Vtravelled gets into social gaming – Interview with Lysette Gauna
• Talking airline business with Virgin Atlantic VP, Paul Charles

What’s wrong? Recession… nah, but surely something else is at play here too.

End of the peak season?

Airline officials argued in a recent news report that the drop was due to the end of the peak winter season. “The fall happens every season from January to August,” said an official. But I’d disagree that the slump can be so severe. It’s the end of the peak season, not the beginning of the low season! So, how can passenger numbers drop from 300+ per flight to just over 100?

The unspoken truth: travel agents’ boycott

The drop in traffic in India is due to a boycott from the travel agents, who have refused to sell Singapore Airlines tickets due to the latter’s refusal to give commission. “We sell around 90% of the airline’s tickets in India. When we stopped selling Singapore Airlines tickets from December 29, the passenger load fell drastically,” claimed Anil Punjabi, Travel Agents’ Federation of India Chairman in a Times of India article.

After months of agitation and deliberations, the Indian carriers like Jet Airways and Kingfisher have decided to five 3% commission to travel agents, but some foreign carriers like Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Delta Airlines have not budged, resulting in the boycott. But why is it such a bad situation, given that a similar policy is followed by international airlines across the western world?

Cultural sensitivity is key to brand sustainability

Many dilemmas in India are created by imitating the Western business models. Zero percent commission was one of them.  In India, travel agents play a vital role in the travel plans of people, unlike in the West, where the penetration, usage and payment gateways through the Internet are well known. Moreover, there are many small travel agents whose earnings solely depend on selling air tickets. The whole issue of zero percent smells of ignorance and cultural insensitivity on the part of airlines.

Hence, even though airlines like Singapore Airlines has a superb brand image in developing markets like India and China, it will do them no good if they cannot keep their channel partners happy. I feel that cultural awarness in developing markets and adopting them reaps good rewards in the long term, even though it may mean greater costs in the short term.

Two pieces of evidence to support my claim:

1. Virgin Atlantic’s latest advertisement in a local Indian magazine “TravTalk” reads: “It’s 5%. We’re 100% sure”. They’re referring to keeping the commissions to 5% for travel agents. Who do you think travel agents will recommend for flights to London from Delhi/Mumbai? Virgin Atlantic or British Airways (0%)?
2. I had featured an interview with Gary Leopold, CEO of ISM Boston, who had designed a very culturally relevant campaign for Emirates’ US markets. They recently won Best in Show, the highest accolade in the industry, at the HSMAI Adrian Awards in New York for their work with Emirates airlines.

So, how important do you think cultural sensitivity is to an international airline’s branding and operational strategy? After my interaction with Indian aviation executives, I certainly feel it’s one of the most important things for long-term success. Do you have other examples of airlines who’ve done it successfully?

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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?

• Why Virgin Atlantic Airways is not “on the brink of collapse”
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• Virgin Atlantic’s Airphoria is just the start, VP of Marketing Jim Mezoff reveals
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• What makes Virgin America an outstanding airline brand? The delivery.

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.

• Virgin Atlantic’s Vtravelled gets into social gaming – Interview with Lysette Gauna
• Why Virgin Atlantic Airways is not “on the brink of collapse”
• Talking airline business with Virgin Atlantic VP, Paul Charles
• Virgin Atlantic embraces cribbing pax, asks him to choose in-flight menu
• Conde Nast Traveler 2008 airline rankings prove that product is the brand

Canadian playwright Raymond Hull is famously quoted as saying that “he who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.” Laura Reis has aptly applied this concept to airline branding, and concluded that airlines need to “do one thing and do it well” to build lasting brands.

Laura Ries is a world renowned branding guru and is the president of Ries & Ries, an Atlanta-based marketing strategy firm that she runs with her father Al Ries – the person who coined the term “positioning”. Together they have consulted with many Fortune 500 companies, including leading airlines. Hence, it is an honor to feature her exclusive interview on airline branding at SimpliFlying.

The power of focus

In this Part 1 of 2 interviews, Laura and I discuss the importance of laser-sharp focus for airlines. She shares the example of American Airlines – whose latest campaign is “we know why you fly”. “Who doesn’t know why a person flies!”, Laura exclaims. American Airlines is a textbook example of unfocused and diluted branding, where a company is trying hard to please everyone, and in the end achieving little.

On the contrary, airlines like Southwest and AirAsia know very well the segment they serve and cater their product and brands specifically to this group – budget travelers. At the other end of the spectrum are airlines like Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, which have a strong focus on high-end travelers. All of these are extremely successful.

The value of simplicity

Something else Laura points out is that very often the “complicated price structure infuriates the passenger”. They might see a $29 airfare, but adding taxes makes the figure balloon up to over $150. In addition to that, they might still end up paying baggage fee and for other peripheries at the airport.  Laura believes that unless the passengers understand the cost logically, and are told about it upfront, their trust in a brand decreases over time. Hence, it’s in the airlines’ favor to keep things simple, especially ticket price structures.

I shall not dive into more details, and let you listen to the first part of SimpliFlying’s exclusive interview with Laura Reis. Part 2 will be out on Friday, 12 Dec (where she talks about deriving brand value from mergers and why no one will join social networks by airlines).

What do you think? Is focus a good thing or bad? Will airlines lose out if they focus too much on a niche? Will having simplistic pricing structures result in a loss of profits? What can really enhance the airline brand? Let’s hear it in the comments section.

• Laura Reis of Reis & Reis feels airline social networks are “ridiculous”
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But it’s important for airlines to differentiate their efforts so that they’re not creating yet another Dopplr (which I think is a great community for travelers). So, what are some of the things that airlines can do to ensure that their online forays help enhance the brand overall?

How to “control” the brand online?

Don’t even try! Since it’s the world of user generated content, user opinions often matter more than what the “corporate speak” is. As Michael D’Esopo from Lippincott shared in his interview, there is a need to allow free discourse to take place online. The airline should really just act as a moderator. This way, they will also discover and learn more about their customers’ changing tastes in these economic times.

The other dilemma airlines face is how tightly to couple the online community with the brand. I think there are two ways of doing this. If a community is being built around a specific airline, like Virgin Atlantic’s initiative, it should clearly project the brand promise and align its efforts with its real brand. It’s like a brand extension, just online.

Though, if an airline is targeting the general traveler, I think it’s important to de-couple the brand from the airline, and offer a platform for online interactions between travelers for it to bloom. Furthermore, this forum can be a treasure trove of insights for market research in the future!

Integrate and interact, but do not interrupt

Traditional marketing has sought to interrupt a target customer to seek his attention, for example through an advertisement during a TV show. But new technologies allow companies to interact with their customers without interrupting their lifestyle. Social networks are the “in-thing” at the moment, but it’s important for airlines to go where their target market is, rather than expecting them to come to them.

As Allen Adamson [watch interview] states in his book BrandDigital, it’s important to “identify where people are hanging out and what they’re doing”. A great example of this is Virgin Atlantic’s Facebook page, which has over 7000 “fans” and allows the airline to interact with its potential youth customers in a way they are comfortable with. Similarly, social networks like Bluenity and GenFly Lounge will do well by offering good integration with leading networks like Facebook and MySpace, as well as LinkedIn (and it’s not that difficult!). This way, the barrier to “sign-up” can be significantly reduced and usage is likely to increase too.

To sell or not to sell? Have a measure for ROI

Often, a return on investment (ROI) from marketing efforts is linked to revenues generated from those initiatives. But having an online social network for travelers from “all airlines” and then trying to sell them tickets on your own airline doesn’t sound right. Hence, it’s important to have a measure of success of the online initiative, other than just the revenue it brings in.

For example, I’m sure in addition to sale of special recommended fares on Virgin Atlantic, the creators of the page also probably had a target of 5000 “fans” in 2 months. Bluenity probably measures success monitoring the amount of “buzz” created by people sharing travel tips and connecting with other travelers. Such “ROI” measures are also likely to help sell the project internally in the airline.

What do you think? What are some of the other things airlines should consider when building online communities? Which other airlines are doing a good job with this? Let’s hear it in the comments section.

Up next…an exclusive interview with VP of Sales & Marketing at Jet Airways USA. Remember to watch it on Wed, 19 Nov.

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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 by demi-brooke via Flickr

I was recently reading an article by Harvard Business School Professor John Quelch, who discussed eight refreshing ways of marketing in a recession. Inspired by that article, I decided to take a shot at coming up with ways in which airlines can market themselves to achieve a superior brand authority in a recession. Here are three of those ideas.

1. Build trust through empathy

In recessionary times, people need the comfort of knowing that they’re not alone in their troubles. While the rest of the world changes, the brand which remains consistent to the promise as much as possible would win the hearts of many.

Airlines should take small steps to build trust. One suggestion by Patrick Hanlon is to empathize. People don’t want to be reminded of their problems even when they fly – it’s an oasis of privacy, where they are disconnected from the world. For starters, the in-flight crew can smile more and be more patient with passengers. It’s the small things that build trust. And trust built in tough times is bound to turn into true loyalty when good times return.

2. Offer better value – more discounts, less promotions

It’s a known fact that in a recession, almost 50% of consumers look to switch to a brand that provides them with more value, or at least more perceived value. Greater value can be demonstrated to the consumer if he pays the same or less price for a better quality product. Promotions like extended credit or mail-in rebates don’t tend to work as well, since the “barrier to purchase” is not lowered. Hence, instead of nickle-and-diming customer, airlines should look to improve the quality of service. For starters, now that oil prices have nosedived, some of the fuel-surcharges imposed on the customers should be lowered or removed. The increased price elasticity will likely result in greater overall demand for services.

3. Connect – go online to interact with flyers

In this recession, all companies have an inexpensive market research tool at their disposal – Web 2.0. Airlines should actively monitor feedback sites like suggestionbox.com, fluther.com and epinions.com to see what the buzz is about their airline (or even competition) and then adapt quickly to customer tastes. These are also good forums to showcase how seriously feedback is taken – another good way to build trust.

Moreover, airlines should think of innovative ways of becoming part of online communities that their flyers frequent – such as Second Life, Facebook and Twitter. JetBlue already does a great job with this.

A recession is a good time to build long-term loyalty, and innovative airlines can take advantage of these unique circumstances to gain significant market share from their competitors.

Do you know of examples of airlines that are marketing themselves well in this recession? Would Virgin Atlantic emerge stronger thanks to their “Airphoria” campaign? Would JetBlue create greater loyalty by following passengers on Twitter? What can airlines from other industries in this regard? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments…

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Paul Charles, Virgin Atlantic

My prediction last month that Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, is not on the brink of collapse seems to have proven true. The airline recently announced its financial results – which turned out surprisingly positive, given the tatters the rest of the industry currently is in. Premium passenger numbers were up 22% and profits up a whopping five times compared to the previous year. So I decided to speak with their VP of Corp Comms, Paul Charles (a former BBC TV and Radio presenter!). Here are his responses to questions about how Virgin Atlantic is dealing with the industry crisis so well.

Beating the current crisis

How has the current Wall Street crises affected Virgin Atlantic, especially load factors on London-New York flights?

Load factors have actually not dropped, thanks to Virgin Atlantic’s advance planning – we saw this coming two years in advance. New plane orders were deferred, bank balance was bolstered over time and the latest earnings have only demonstrated the sound planning further. Moreover, the fact that Virgin Atlantic is a long haul carrier has helped too, since it’s the short haul business that tends to suffer more in times like these.

How are the corporate deals that Virgin has negotiated holding up?

Unlike a number of other major airlines in the region, we do not rely heavily on financial institutions for our corporate accounts. The diversity in our corporate customer base has allowed us to weather this crises much better than our competition.

How important is the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club as a structural anchor to keep business travelers, especially in this climate?

We find that our most loyal business travelers are those who have benefited from being part of our award winning frequent flier program. They not only love the privileges, but also appreciate subtle conveniences like “Limo to lounge”, where they are able to go straight to the business lounge after arriving only a short time before the flight, while we take care of all their check-in formalities. This is a service also available to our Upper Class passengers.

Succeeding in the future

Do you think airlines with a stronger brand equity will come out stronger from the crisis? Why?

Certainly. Customers will stand by the brand that they trust, and that gives more stability to the business for an airline like Virgin Atlantic.

What do you make of the emerging business models in aviation, where airline conglomerates like AirFrance+KLM, BA+Iberia+AA and Lufthansa+Swiss are sprouting up?

We feel that although coordination between carriers is an emerging reality, it’s the markets that they target that’s key. For example, BA+AA is something we are vehemently against, since they would effectively own over 60% of the London-New York market share. In fact, even more, if you consider other US East Coast cities like Boston. This is not good for the consumers, and not good for competition in the industry. We are hoping that the authorities would look into this matter seriously and prevent this from going ahead.

Is Virgin Atlantic likely to go down that road too (collaboration)?

We are certainly open to the idea, and would consider seriously if an opportunity for a mutually-beneficial partnership comes along in the future and something that benefits all customers.

———–

Note: This was meant to be a podcast, but the interview recording mysteriously vanished from my Windows PC. Hence, I’ve pledged to only use my Mac for all podcasts from now on!

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