Why the Southwest and WestJet alliance is good for both the brands

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US based Southwest Airlines and Canada’s WestJet Airlines paved the way for a strong relationship by announcing codeshares starting 2009. Not only will the relationship give customers access to a much larger number of destinations across North America and the Carribean, but the customers of both the airlines would appreciate the seamless brand experience across borders.

Photo courtesy Flickr user gtarded
Image Credit: gtarded

Both Southwest and WestJet are the leading budget carriers in their respective markets and the alliance has the potential to enhance the brand value of both the airlines due to some key factors. Here are some of these factors.

  1. Greater choice – Just like global alliances of full-service airlines allow passengers access to routes not flown by a specific airline, but a partner carrier, this partnership will give customers of budget airlines in North America the same conveniences for the first time. Furthermore, like Tiger Airways in Asia and Air Berlin in Europe, this alliance will allow passengers to take multi-leg budget flights too.
  2. One size fits all – Both Southwest and WestJet fly only Boeing 737s, which will ensure a consistent experience for passengers in either airline. Moreover, sometime in the future, as both these airlines operate from each others’ hubs, maintainability would be much easier too.

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How airlines in the Middle East are enhancing brand value through their frequent flyer programs

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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 … Read more

Three ways for airlines to create a lasting first impression

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MH cabin crew member.Image via Wikipedia

In service businesses like airlines, first impressions count. On my hour-long American Airlines flight last evening from Toronto to Boston, I was welcomed on-board by a cheerful flight attendant, Heather. She was genuinely pleasant (and not over-doing it) and extremely courteous, even though she was the only flight attendant on board the small Embraer jet. She played along when people were not paying close attention to the safety demonstration, and cracked jokes while serving beverages. A very pleasant experience – but that’s just one tenth of the job done for the airline when it comes to creating first impressions.

Creating lasting first impressions – a hundred million times

Air Canada’s Robert Milton mentions in his book that on average each passenger comes in contact with the airline ten times, every time he flies. This may be through the call center, website, at the check-in counter and of course, on-board the plane. So if an airline flies 10 million passengers per year, there would be a total of 100 million interactions on average! So how can airlines create a lasting first impression, every customer interaction? Here are three ways.

  1. Exceed expectations. Before a customer interacts with an airline, he has certain expectations formed through advertisements, word-of-mouth or previous experiences. Airlines should aim to exceed them. Reduce the waiting time at the call center. Have pleasant check-in counter staff. Cater to the fliers’ needs on-board. This is not to say that each and every airline must spend millions in sprucing up service levels, but rather exceed the expectations they have set themselves. For example, budget airlines like AirAsia promise on-time performance and not in-flight luxuries. They then ensure these metrics are adhered to. Airlines like Thai Airways and Qatar Airways promise a pampered service for their business class passengers, and then deliver it. Prioritize, then execute and keep the word.

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Interbrand’s Brandchannel.com publishes airline branding white paper

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Dear Readers, I’m delighted to share the news with you that Interbrand’s Brandchannel.com has just published the white paper on airline branding, “Six steps to building a swashbuckling brand,” authored by me. Brandchannel.com is the leading online exchange about all things branding. Hence it is an honor for the it to be selected as the … Read more

British Airways buys L’Avion, dissolving the all-business class airlines industry

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This blog’s predictions that all-business class airlines would go extinct have come true, with British Airways making an offer of $107.3 million for the last remaining major all-business class airline – France’s L’Avion. With one less competitor operating between Paris and New York, BA’s new OpenSkies airline will be able to dominate the route. In … Read more

Virgin America takes in-flight experience to a new level

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Image via Wikipedia Last week, a friend of mine boarded a Virgin America flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles. As is the case often at most busy airports these days, there was a delay in departure, due to air traffic delays. The flight sat on the tarmac for 10 minutes. But this is where … Read more

Malaysia Airlines Crises Management 2.0 workshop – presentations and resources

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Dear MAS team, Thank you for attending our Crises Management workshop. Your participation and enthusiasm was much appreciated and we hope you gained a number of new insights into crises management for the connected traveller of today. Below, you will find all the resources we shared with you in KL. If you have any questions, please … Read more

Doing something new? Beat the drum about it!

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Here’s a quiz: 1. Which airline tested wi-fi for the first time last week? 2. Which airline will be testing bio-fuels next month? 3. Which airline is the first to have showers in its first class? 4. Which is the first airline that’s going to fly the Boeing 787? 5. Which airline was the first … Read more

Vijay Mallya of Kingfisher – BBC interview

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Vijay Mallya, often considered the Richard Branson of India, was recently interviewed by BBC on a range of issues concerning the Kingfisher brand. For those who’re not aware, he heads Kingfisher Airlines, as well as Kingfisher beer, under his UB Group. In this BBC interview, Mallya talks about starting new routes to London, airline bankruptcies … Read more

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