What will bring Russian airline brands out of their slumber? In conversation with industry expert Stuart Barwood

on September 7, 2009

I recently read in the news that Aeroflot Russian Airlines had sent their flight attendants to Singapore, for training in grooming and customer service, by Singapore Airlines. This, after holding a competition among 40 design agencies to refurbish their image, including new uniforms. I’ve personally taken four (not-very-memorable) flights on Aeroflot, and trust me, this comes as a pleasant surprise.

In Russia, airlines are often ridiculed for rickety planes, atrocious service, inedible food and constant delays. Moreover, airlines often started on the whim of a billionaire. But this seems to be changing. First, it was Siberian, which hired Landor to re-invent itself at S7 and now there’s Aeroflot trying to pull up its socks. But are these just exceptions, or the coming of age of the Russian aviation industry? Why not have an expert share with us?

In conversation with Stuart Barwood – Russian aviation expert

We had the opportunity to catch up with Stuart Barwood, the Commercial Director for Brolin Consulting. Formerly with easyJet, Stuart is now a Russian aviation expert who probably spends more time in Moscow than his home in the UK.

Watch the interview with Stuart (17:12 mins) to hear him explain:

The massive untapped potential of the Russian market (1:30)
The need for non-Russian managers (2:04)
Why over-regulation is not always a good thing (3:55)
Why crashes are a thing of the past (3:03)
Why anything not “Made in Russia” has penalties (4.20)
Not all Russian aircraft are bad, they just don’t have the leasing agreements (5:19)
Which Russian airlines stand out (6:00)
Why foreign investment may not rush into the Russian market (8:25)
The biggest opportunity in the Russian market (9:40)
The need for change with airport infrastructure (10:53)
Why marketing is a “new science” in Russia and the dominance of charter carriers (12:12)
Aeroflot on Twitter? 3D tours of the aircraft? Why? Why not? (14:46)

So, what do you think? Are Russian airlines pulling up their socks? Or is it all doom and gloom?Let’s discuss in the comments or over on Twitter (@simpliflying)

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Shashank Nigam

CEO at SimpliFlying

Shashank Nigam is a globally sought-after consultant, speaker and thought leader on airline branding and customer engagement strategy. He is the Founder and CEO of SimpliFlying, one of the world’s largest aviation marketing firms working with over 85 aviation clients in the last ten years. Nigam is also the youngest winner of the Global Brand Leadership Award and has addressed senior executives globally, from Chile to China. Nigam’s impassioned and honest perspectives on airline marketing have found their way to over 100 leading media outlets, including the BBC, CNBC, Reuters and Bloomberg, and into leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. He writes a dedicated monthly column in Flight’s Airline Business, challenging the typical assumptions about airline marketing. His new book on airline marketing, SOAR, is an Amazon bestseller that’s shaking up the industry and inspiring other industries to learn from the best airlines. Born in India, raised in Singapore, he now lives with his wife and two young daughters in Toronto.