Airline Branding in the Air

There has been a lot of work and debate on Airline Branding and the role of social media in engaging customers and enhancing the brand. It is all concentrated on how to keep passengers loyal and of course engage more and more passengers. My contention is, it should be on how to get the brand to be loyal to me as an individual and as a frequent flyer.

As a frequent flyer the airline provides perks on the ground. All the customer engagement happens on the ground; the priority check in, fast track through security, priority boarding and baggage claim and of course the use of a lounge.

If one is travelling economy and if you have hundreds of  thousands of air miles, I don't care which airline it is, the airline is oblivious to you in the air. The cabin crew gets handed a list of the First and Business passengers and the service is personalized.

As a frequent flyer passenger, translate a loyalist to the brand, I want the brand to engage me during the most important segment of my travel experience, the actual flight.

I have flown several airlines were cabin crew did not even walk through the economy cabin for more than three (3) hours after the service, or kept the 'Fasten Seat Belt" sign on during smooth flights to control passenger movement.

For an airline to engage their frequent flyers is not very difficult. I am sure IT can provide a list of frequent flyers in the economy cabin. The cabin crew can then provide some sort of a personalized service during the flight. It could range from addressing the passenger by his name during beverage and food services instead of the regular "chicken or beef" litany; check on these passengers during the flight between services to see if they require anything; or provide them with a fast track voucher through immigration on arrival. It does not cost much but does wonders to the brand.

These days it seems one can buy the personalized service on an airline much easier than earning it

Royal Jordanian, the Brand

To start with I am biased, I have worked for Royal Jordanian eighteen (18) years but I left fourteen (14) years ago. Further, I have not flown with RJ for almost three (3) years. Having said all this, I will try to be as impartial as possible.

I traveled from Dubai to Amman and back on a Y/J ticket (staff ticket with a confirmed economy seat upgradeable to Crown Class subject to load).

At Dubai I checked in and requested an upgrade, the RJ supervisor was very courteous and I got my upgrade on the spot. The Crown Class was full I must have taken the last seat.

This was a morning flight on an A321 which had leather seat and IFE. The aircraft could have looked better, but it was clean and bright. The breakfast service was a little bit disorganized, but the Cabin Crew smiled and were very courteous. One thing I missed on that flight was the Ya Hala Service (the cabin crew wearing a modern traditional dress) which branded the Crown Class for years.

At Queen Alia International Airline I checked in at the Crown Class Check in which took a few minutes. I was invited to the Lounge pending the change of my boarding pass. The Crown Check in has its dedicated security check point and takes straight to desk 1 at immigration. the whole process took a few minutes and everyone was friendly.

The new Crown Lounge is awesome, spacious and overlooks the apron. It has a game room with a pool table and kids playing room. Hot food and snacks are served. It is a great improvement over the previous lounges and provides free wi-fi and dedicated TV viewing stations. It is a pleasure to spend time there.

The flight back was a night flight, the service was similar to the breakfast service and the Cabin Crew were as courteous, efficient and friendly as their colleagues.

The service and equipment are great and it is a far cry from what they offered a few years back.

However, Royal Jordanian needs a more definitive Brand, something that will make it stand out in the crowded MENA region and among its partners in One World.

Kudos Royal Jordanian, keep it up

The WOW Factor

A few days back I was asked off the record why do Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways always place in the top ten or top five rankings of travel and airline surveys.

Well, the cynical answer is their PR departments wine and dine magazine editors and journalists to write good things about them. Maybe.... but I don't think so.

To start with these are heavily branded airlines associated with football clubs, F1 racing, Tennis tournaments and other high profile cultural and sport activities. Most importantly they have what I like to call the WOW Factor;

1. New aircraft with brand new leading edge technology interiors

2. IFE systems so loaded with movies, music and games that time flies by.

3. Good point to point routes both short and especially long range that minimises multi stops

with their associated hassles of airports and airport security.

4. Good food and good service usually with a smile, consistent and enjoyable. I am not saying

they do not make mistakes but on the whole they are good.

5. And last but not least a serious commitment from the top down towards passenger service.

Not many legacy airlines can claim all the above attributes, the European carriers are starting to fray at the edges and the US carriers are so obsessed with security in the cabin that flying with some feels like being in a classroom, so uptight they sometimes forget to smile. There are the exceptional fun airlines but then most are not all Legacy Airlines.