10. Delta teams up with Westin Hotels for ‘Heavenly’ onboard amenities As full-flat beds have now become the standard in Business Class – allowing passengers to sleep more comfortably – airlines are looking for additional ways to improve travel comfort. Delta, for example, has teamed up with Westin Hotels to offer passengers in Business an in-flight version of Westin Hotel’s ‘Heavenly Bed’ pillows and comforters. Read more … Our blog and free newsletter is just a snapshot of what we track. Need more? Contact us for an in-house trend session. | enquire now > British Airways to trial electronic baggage tag BA_e-bag tag_b680x330 By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends 28 June 2013 | British Airways will start testing an electronic baggage tag which could remove the need for a new paper tag each time a traveller flies and speed up passenger check-in times at the airport. Passengers can update the digital suitcase tag to display their flight information by holding their smartphone over the tag after they have checked in. The tag will then be automatically programmed with a unique barcode containing flight details and an easy-to-see view of their bag’s destination. The tag is then scanned where bags are dropped off. British Airways estimates the new system can cut baggage drop-off times to about 35 seconds from the 3 minutes it routinely takes now. Paper tickets will still be offered, although BA says the electronic tag is designed to require only a hand-held scanner so the service can be provided at any airport. The tags will be usable only on BA flights. The hi-tech tag will initially be subjected to an internal trial which begins in August, before it is extended to a customer trial next year. The electronic tags have been specially developed by BA in partnership with Densitron Displays, and Designworks Windsor, while Heathrow Airport is providing help with the trials. Says Frank van der Post, BA managing director, brands and customer experience, “This is a fantastically simple, yet smart device that gives each customer the choice to have their own personalised electronic baggage tag that changes with the swipe of a smartphone – every time they fly. Read full article » Delta invites passengers at London Heathrow to test their table tennis skills against Serena Williams Delta_Serena William_LHR_a680x280 This Delta Air Lines sports marketing case appears in the upcoming July edition of the Airline Marketing Benchmark, a monthly report by airlinetrends and Simpliflying, which identifies the latest innovative marketing capaigns recently launched by airlines around the world. 26 June 2013 | Taking a cue from the likes of Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad, which all have invested heavily in sponsorships of major sports such as soccer and basketball to create brand recognition among the general public, Delta has teamed with major baseball league teams in the USA and earlier this year opened a Sky360 lounge inside Stamford Bridge stadium, home of British Premier League soccer team Chelsea FC as part of a wider sponsorship agreement. In a fun gesture to passengers leaving from London Heathrow Airport on June 18, Delta surprised travellers flying out of the airport’s Terminal 4 by offering them the chance to test their table tennis skills against none other than defending Wimbledon Champion Serena Williams, who had just arrived from JFK on an overnight Delta Air Lines flight on her way to the 2013 edition of the tournament. Video here and more images here. With the surprise appearance of the current number 1 of woman tennis, Delta aimed to showcase its renewed long-haul Business Class product with fully flat beds and new Westin Heavenly Bedding. Says Tim Mapes, Delta’s SVP for Marketing, “We’ve gone flat-out to give customers a great night’s sleep on board our flights into London, and Serena’s form today shows that Delta’s BusinessElite flat-bed seats ensure customers arrive rested for a day’s work or play.” Download the free State of Airline Marketing Report The airlinetrends newsletter is highly appreciated at airBaltic. We are always inspired by the latest innovations featured in the newsletter and for example use it as input for our brainstorming sessions. - Janis Vanags, Vice President Corporate Communications, airBaltic The Social Tree at Singapore Changi Airport lets passengers leave a ‘digital memento’ Changi Airport_The Social Tree_a680x226 By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends 22 June 2013 | Singapore’s Changi Airport has just unveiled an interesting art installation, called The Social Tree, which plugs into a trend dubbed “Life Caching” by trendwatching At close to nine metres tall and 11 metres in diameter, The Social Tree is surrounded by eight touch-screen photo booths that enable travellers to ‘attach’ their photos onto the colourful and animated crown of the structure, which is made up of 64 giant 42-inch high-definition screens. Together, the screens offer a 360-degree display of various animated backgrounds including a mystical forest, a deep sea environment, and the Singapore skyline. Travellers can also post photos and videos taken at the booths on their social networking profiles. Passengers are encouraged to store their photo/video memories with a unique login & password combination, inviting them to become part of Changi Airport’s history by leaving behind a photo or video of themselves which will be kept for decades to come. Travellers – and their families – can retrieve and re-live their digital memories at Changi Airport from this “memory capsule.” Comments Yeo Kia Thye, SVP for Airport Operations, Changi Airport Group, “We live in a world where digital communities form part of our everyday life. We see hope to see The Social Tree grow into a digital community at Changi Airport, offering a connection over time for our passengers who may pass through Changi many times in their lives. It also provides a social element for our more than 52 million passengers each year to reach out to family and friends.” The trunk of The Social Tree is made up of 100 aluminum bars that uses LED lighting, producing an array of colours. The installation is located at the center of Terminal 1, immediately after the immigration counters. The Social Tree follows the upgrading of Singapore Changi’s Terminal 1 last year which saw the installation of a so-called ‘Kinetic Rain’ sculpture in the Departure Hall of T1. Our newsletter is read by aviation professionals from: sign up now » How new technologies are improving the onboard passenger experience Technology_Onboard experience_680x445 Airlinetrends is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Future Travel Experience at their upcoming FTE 2013 global event to be held in Las Vegas, 4-6 September 2013. Besides the ‘On The Ground’ conference and workshop stream, this year’s event will see the first edition of the ‘Up In The Air’ conference, meaning FTE Global 2013 will now cover the whole passenger journey. Airlinetrends’s Raymond Kollau will be leading a pre-event workshop on how airlines are differentiating the passenger experience, as well as co-chair the 2-day ‘Up In The Air’ conference. The central theme of FTE 2013 is “Reinventing the passenger experience through innovation, personalization and connectivity” and delegates will be free to move between streams throughout the event. More on FTE Global 2013 here. 17 June 2013 | The acceleration of wifi installations onboard aircraft around the world, combined with the large number of passengers carrying one or more digital devices, is creating a momentum that sees many of today’s inflight innovations focusing on digital developments. In this three-part series on how new technologies are improving the onboard passenger experience, we will take a look at some of the major initiaves and innovations that are the result of this convergence. This first article will focus on the implications for seat design, the provision of real-time information to passengers, and opportunities to improve onboard customer service. The second article will highlight the latest in inflight entertainment (both fixed and wireless), followed by onboard ancillary revenue generation and personalization in the last part. Power ports and storage The first impact of today’s tech-toting passengers is on cabin ‘hardware’. Airlines around the world are responding to the large number of passengers carrying smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers by equipping seats with power and USB ports. A number of airlines and interior suppliers are also looking how to integrate passengers’ own devices with the design of the seat. Besides creating storage space for personal electronic devices for the more spacious seating arrangements in Business Class, several seat manufacturers are also beginning to incorporate smartly designed spaces in Economy seats where passengers can store their mobile device. For example, passengers travelling in Economy on Air France’s A380 and select B777-300s can store their cell phone into a small belonging stowage, which is located just below the in-seat USB port to allow for easy recharging of the device. Japan Airlines’ new Economy seats (manufactured by ZIM Flugsitz), which made their debut on the airline’s B777-300s in January 2013, have been designed with a a conveniently placed smartphone holder which is also located near the USB port. Meanwhile, startup companies such as SmartTray and SkyCast have come up with simple yet smart tray table designs that feature a built-in groove, or two clips, for holding tablets, e-readers and other portable electronic devices upright. For example, Canadian budget airline WestJet rents out Android tablets that clip onto the back of the seat tray in a design called TrayVu. Download the free State of Airline Marketing Report Read full article » Air Canada’s new LCC – rouge – teams with Disney for customer service training Air Canada Rouge x Disney_a680x295 For more on the latest trends in airline hospitality, see our recent presentation at the 2013 Hamburg AIX Passenger Experience Conference. By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends 12 June 2013 | The idea behind Air Canada’s new low-cost subsidiary Rouge is to offer a lower-cost alternative for several international leisure destinations to which Air Canada’s current cost structure makes it prohibitive to fly. Air Canada is hoping with lower wages and benefits along with a higher-density configuration of its planes, Rouge’s unit costs will be lower than the main line’s by about 25 percent or more. The airline will offer 13 leisure destinations in Europe and the Caribbean from Toronto and Montreal: Edinburgh, Venice, Athens; and a host of vacation choices in Cuba, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Destinations will be added in the coming months as the fleet grows, expected to reach 50 aircraft in the next three to five years. Rouge will launch service with four planes on July 1st and will start its inaugural flights that day from Toronto to Kingston, Jamaica, and from Montreal to Athens in Europe. Casual style As Rouge will be more leisure-focused compared with Air Canada, this means a change in style and attitude for their service staff. The airline says it aims to deliver a relaxed, casual onboard experience and just reveiled its new flight attendant uniforms, which are much more casual, with relatively-basic burgundy tops and grey pants, and shoes from Canadian designer John Fluevog. The outfits came together in just four months, by taking pieces that already exist on the market and having certain elements customized to suit the brand. “You can move quite quickly when you don’t invent anything new,” says Renee Smith-Valade VP customer experience of Rouge. L’Oreal has created “the look” for Air Canada rouge flight attendants, using products from its brands Maybelline New York and Redken Fifth Avenue. The crew will be equipped with a starter kit of the product, and will be trained on on how to use them. Service training Rouge has also partnered with The Walt Disney Co – who has trained the likes of United Airlines and Alaska Airlines – to help with the training of its flight attendants to aid in the transformation. In addition to five weeks of safety and other training, Air Canada Rouge first 150 flight attendants will spend a week at the Disney Institute in Orlando to learn the ins and outs of its customer service model. They will also hone their skills and techniques at Disney World parks in Orlando. Read full article » Passengers on Delta’s ‘Beta Plane’ can submit their ideas via Wi-Fi Delta_Beta Plane_Ideas In Flight_b680x227 By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends 8 June 2013 | We have reported several times before how airlines and airports are teaming up with the general public in order to generate ideas for new products and services. As this trend matures, airlines such as KLM, SAS and Finnair have gone beyong incidental crowdsourcing campaigns by launching broad co-creation programs to improve the passenger experience. KLM ‘Bright Ideas’, for example, asks Facebook fans to share and discuss their ideas to improve KLM’s products and services. Scandinavian Airlines’ ‘My SAS Idea’ is an online community where anyone can share their ideas and others can join in to further improve on each idea. Finnair’s Quality Hunters – now in its third year – invites a select group of enthusiasts to come up with ideas which are then shared online with the larger community. Delta ‘Ideas In Flight’ In 2011, Delta teamed with “scientists and thinkers” conference TED – whose slogan is “ideas worth spreading” – to generate innovative crowd-sourced ideas to improve the travel experience. Called ‘Ideas in Flight’, the program uses curated TEDTalks as thought-starters to inspire participants across technology, entertainment, design, etcetera. Ideas could be submitted through a dedicated tab on the Delta Facebook page. In February of this year, Delta launched the second edition of Ideas In Flight. Similar to the 2011 edition, any Delta Facebook fan could contribute via Delta’s Facebook page and a voting system allows Delta and users to see what ideas are popular, and which ones will be considered to be implemented on the flight. Download the free State of Airline Marketing Report Read full article » AirBaltic’s BalticMiles app rewards frequent fliers for burned calories airBaltic_BalticMiles_BurnTheMiles_680x241 By Springwise 2 June 2013 | Nike Mexico’s Subasta de Kilometros campaign has already offered runners the chance to use their tracked miles to bid on sports equipment. Now, the Burn The Miles app is using a similar idea by giving rewards to frequent fliers who jog enough to burn off the same number of calories as miles they’ve flown. The app was developed by communications agency MRM for airBaltic’s loyalty program Baltic Miles, which rewards frequent fliers with points to exchange for flight tickets and products and services at partner businesses depending on how far they’ve traveled. Those downloading the app are challenged to match every mile they fly with a calorie burned in the space of 24 hours after they land, tracked using the smartphone’s built-in accelerometer. If they manage to do so, they will be able to win further prizes. The program encourages those whose work requires them to sit on aeroplanes for extended periods to reserve some of their free time to exercise. Since frequent fliers often have busy lifestyles, the app provides an incentive for users to keep themselves fit. This case study and video explain more about the scheme. Download the free State of Airline Marketing Report The ‘Burn The Miles’ case appears in the June edition of the Airline Marketing Benchmark, a monthly report by airlinetrends and Simpliflying, which identifies the latest innovative marketing capaigns recently launched by airlines around the world. IndiGo lets passengers taste and vote for their favourite buy-on-board sandwich Indigo_FoodFight_a680x256 By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends 30 May 2013 | In just a few years, low-cost carrier IndiGo has become India’s largest domestic carrier by securing nearly 30 percent of the local market. IndiGo’s popularity with Indian passengers is based on its ‘no-frills chic’ approach towards flying. According to IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh, the airline’s philosophy is “to make travel as hassle-free as possible — low-cost but high quality — and that’s why we are popular both with budget travellers and high-level corporations.” IndiGo has worked with agency Wieden + Kennedy building a new, cool airline brand from scratch. Besides quirky advertising, everything from the design of the safety instruction card and sickness bag, to the availability of a boarding ramp instead of a staircase, to the packaging of in-flight snacks were aimed at being more engaging. For example, IndiGo’s triangular paid-for ‘Airwich’ boxes feature interesting stories and fun illustrations to offer passengers something to read when having their meal IndiGo ‘Food Fight’ In another innovative effort to promote its buy-on-board offering, IndiGo and Wieden + Kennedy in late 2012 organized a food tasting in the sky, dubbed #IndiGoFoodFight. Held on a single day on IndiGo flights across major routes, over 1,000 passengers were surprised with boxes of free food samples containing the contenders for the airline’s new buy-on-board menu. Passengers were asked to vote for their favourite, with the winner making it on-board as the “Passenger’s Choice.” Or as the airline putsit more dramatically: “It’s the ultimate showdown at 35,000 feet. From the feather-weight division we have Lemon Chicken Sub vs Curried Chicken Sub vs Chicken Jhatka. And in the veggie-weights, introducing Veg Junglee vs Tomato-hummus vs Paneer-mushroom. May the best sandwich win!” The Veg Junglee Sandwich and Curried Chicken Sub turned out to be the clear favourites among passengers and are now featured on the IndiGo menu. A video of the event can be found here and images here. Indonesion low-cost carrier Lion Air launches full-service airline 26 May 2013 | At a time that Asia’s full-service carriers are busy launching low-cost affiliates, the region’s second-largest budget carrier, Indonesia’s Lion Air, is moving in the opposite direction by launching full-service airline Batik Air. Now that Batik Air has been flying for a few weeks, we thought it best to take some time to take a look at this new carrier and what you can expect. The inside Firstly, let’s talk interiors. The whole premise of the airline is to fly passengers around the Asia region with a full service offering and even a Business Class cabin with reclining regional ‘First Class’ style seats. First impressions of the 737-900 cabin are great, neutral colours with a few bright splashes in the form of curtains help provide a smart and contemporary look. The neutral grey patterned carpets are a great choice, hiding a multitude of sins as they get worn in. The leather seating looks great in these images, but time will tell if they start to stretch and buckle with their use. The patterns on the bulkheads and dividers are great too. This is a big jump from a low-cost’s roots and what you expect to see from a full service carrier. Where bright bold and strong colours are used to stimulate their passengers, therefore keeping them more awake, and in need of beverages, food and entertainment. This helps generate sales. Whereas premium carriers naturally use softer more relaxing colours to try and calm and relax passengers, where they don’t require so much attention, therefore drinking and eating less, thus increasing profits. The airline offers touchscreen IFE in every seat, Economy class features 32″ seat pitch and the Business class seats offer 45″. The Sky Interior option for Boeing as well will help the cabin seem more spacious and modern. Being a full service carrier all food and drink is included in the price.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 07:42:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015