DATE KLM today has launched a ‘Meet & Seat’ scheme which encourages passengers to pick seatmates by checking out social media profiles of fellow passengers who link to their profiles during check-in. The idea is that flyers will be able to find out about interesting people who will be on board their KLM flight, for example other passengers attending the same event at the destination. The ‘social seating’ feature has been launched on flights between Amsterdam and San Francisco, Sao Paolo and New York City with plans to extend it to other intercontinental destinations shortly.

Although the idea of the ‘social flight’ in itself is not entirely new – it was coined by digital media guru Jeff Jarvis a few years ago, while airlines such as Malaysia Airlines and Estonian Air have experimented with the concept – KLM’s new ‘Meet & Seat’ tool takes the idea of ‘social seating’ a step further, as until now social media users could only connect with their friends before a flight, while KLM allows anyone to connect with anyone.

KLM says it is trying to give travellers a more “inspirational journey” with the service enabling them to see who is on the flight, perhaps meet for a coffee beforehand, select seats next to each other or share a taxi at the other end. The tool will be opt-in only, to allow the many travellers who view flight time as private time.

How it works
Passengers who have booked a KLM flight from Amsterdam to New York, San Francisco or Sao Paulo (or back), can go to KLM.com and log in to the ‘Manage my Booking’ section. They then go to the ‘Seating’ tab, click ‘Meet & Seat’ and connect their social profiles with their booking by logging in to their Facebook or LinkedIn account.

After selecting the profile details they want to share with other passengers and adding their travel details, the seat map shows other passengers who have also shared their profile details, and which seat they have chosen. Passengers then can select their seat, for example next to someone with similar interests. It is unknown if both people will be required to accept a seat pairing.

When other passengers on the flight share their details via Meet & Seat at a later stage, passengers who registered earlier then receive an e-mail, so they can change seats if they want to. KLM emphasizes that passengers can always choose to show less or more profile details, or remove their profile details from the seat map entirely. Meet & Seat will be available in 90 days and can be used 48 hours before departure. See this video for more on KLM’s ‘Meet & Seat’ service.

KLM and social media
KLM, which has over 1 million Facebook fans and 220,000 followers on Twitter, has developed a reputation when it comes to digital media campaigns that combine the online, virtual environment with the offline, real world. Earlier social media initiatives include a Delft Blue-tiles livery based on profile pictures of the airline’s Facebook fans, passengers at Schiphol Airport who were randomly surprised with a personal gift based on their tweets or Facebook messages, and a commercial flight from Amsterdam to Miami with tickets exclusively sold via Twitter. The airline also runs several online communities, called Clubs, based on themes such as golf, running, China and Africa.

DATE In September 2011, Boeing handed over the first keys of a 787 Dreamliner to Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA). This year, the other Japanese heavyweight, Japan Airlines, will be taking delivery of the aircraft in a fleet renewal and route restructuring effort. The 787 is a twin-aisle airplane that can accommodate between 210 and 250 passengers on distances up to 8,200 miles (15,200 km) – making it the only mid-size airplane capable of very long-range routes. The Dreamliner’s interior provides passengers a more spacious experience than on other twin-aisle planes, because of a ‘vaulted’ 8-foot ceiling and reshaped overhead luggage bins that drop down, while larger windows with electronic shades provide significantly more natural day light. Passenger comfort is further improved by maintaining air pressure at the equivalent of an altitude of 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) in comparison to 8,000 feet on previous aircraft, and higher levels of humidity.

787 deliveries
While the 787 is known to burn 20 percent less fuel than jetliners of a similar size, production of the plane has proven to be a challenge over recent years – mainly due to the fact that it’s the first large passenger jet to have more than half its structure made of lightweight composite material instead of aluminum. The ‘All Things 787’ blog reports that up until now, the pipeline of 787 production has been flowing into a quagmire, as Boeing has parked about 40 Dreamliners that require extensive rework at its Paine Field base. It’s only from March 2012 that the first 787s will be delivered straight from the production line without any need for rework. Boeing’ own forecasts expect to deliver between 35 and 42 787s in 2012, though analysts have projected a figure of up to 55 aircraft as a possibility.

Of the 55 787s it has on order, ANA has thus far received its first five aircraft. Other airlines that are likely to receive their first Dreamliner in 2012 include Air India (spring 2012), Qatar Airways, China Southern, Ethiopian Airlines (all mid-2012), Hainan Airlines (fall 2012) and LOT (end of 2012), as well as reportedly LAN, Royal Air Maroc and United Airlines. After launch customer ANA, the next operator of the 787 will be Japan Airlines (JAL), who will receive its first aircraft in February 2012.

JAL 787 passenger experience
The passenger experience on board the 787 has been a huge selling point for the plane, and many airlines have announced their intent to introduce onboard features and configurations. ANA’s 787s feature the airline’s ‘Inspiration of Japan’ experience, which was launched in early 2011. Similar to ANA’s low-density 158-seat configuration on international flights, JAL has opted for their 787s to hold 186-seats, which will include 42 business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 144 economy class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. In their 787 Executive Class cabin,  JAL will use its angled lie-flat SHELL FLAT NEO seats, which are currently used on 777-300ER routes to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Jakarta.

In-flight entertainment on board the 787s will be JAL’s MAGIC-V system, which is the latest iteration of the airline’s MAGIC IFE system. Aside from the movies, music and other standard IFE features, JAL is also introducing SKY MANGA as a new feature on its 787s. It will be the world’s first in-flight electronic manga (Japanese comics) browsing service and from March, manga fans will be able to choose from up to 30 different titles on seatback video screens. JAL mentioned that the new offering would “respond to customer demand for diverse in-flight entertainment while also showing the world the Japanese art form we call manga.”

JAL 787 routes
JAL plans to commence flights between Tokyo Narita and Boston on April 22th, 2012 with its brand new plane. This will create the first direct connection between Boston and Asia and is JAL’s only new destination with its 787s. However, the airline is deploying 787s on five existing routes – namely to Moscow Domodedovo, New Delhi, Singapore and Beijing. According to CAPA, the 787’s size, capacity and cost efficiencies play well into JAL’s strategy for Moscow and Delhi, where the new plane will signal a strategic capacity reduction of 19 to 24 percent from the current 777-200ERs in service. In the case of Singapore and Beijing, the 787 will allow for transitioning away from JAL’s aging 767s, as well as addition of capacity from Haneda Airport. BusinessWeek reports that “flights to Singapore from Tokyo’s Haneda and the Narita airport will switch to the Dreamliner from 767s starting in September.

DATE Brazil, the largest South American country, has recently enjoyed a tremendous growth of its middle class, resulting in increased demand for aviation. In fact, the Brazilian middle class grew from 30 percent of the population in the 1960s and ‘70s to 55 to 60 percent in 2011. In 2010, the lower-middle class accounted for 34 percent of domestic tourism, almost double that of 2002. In the last 10 years, the demand for air travel in Brazil has increased by 194 percent. Much of this increased demand comes from the members of the new Brazilian middle class, many of whom are entirely new to air travel. TAM estimated that in 2011 there were going to be 10.7 million first-time flyers.

Brazil’s airlines have been developing innovative strategies as they compete to win over this new market. In the past, airlinetrends.com discussed marketing strategies adopted by TAM to target this first-time flying segment. TAM, and its low-cost competitor GOL, have continued to target the emerging middle class with novel sales channels, including sales kiosks at subway and bus stations.

GOL
During 2011, GOL opened kiosks in subway stations where they provide not only information, but also the option to book, change and/or cancel a flight. The first kiosks were opened in Sao Paulo’s Itaquera, Sé and Luz subway stations in March 2011 and GOL subsequently opened additional kiosks in Sao Paulo’s Tatuapé station, Rio de Janeiro’s Central do Brasil station, Porto Alegre’s Estação Mercado do Metrô station, and one in Salvador.

The main goal of this new distribution channel is to engage the new Brazilian middle class in aviation. According to GOL’s Market Vice President, Claudia Pagnano, “The new identity comprises items referring to airports, as well as illustrations showing the main phases of a flight.” In order to provide better service and meet the needs of a ‘typical’ subway user, GOL’s kiosk teams completed 20 days of specialized training courses that focus on the habits of the emerging middle class, selling techniques, and language skills.

TAM
TAM’s first staffed subway station kiosks were opened in August 2011 at Sao Paulo stations Corinthians-Itaquera, Ana Rosa and São Bento. TAM has since opened two more kiosks in Rio de Janeiro’s subway stations Botafogo and Central.

The subway station kiosks are part of TAM’s “new retail project” marketing strategy, which was launched in 2010 with the goal of strengthening TAM’s efforts “to make plane tickets increasingly more accessible to the overall Brazilian population.” According to Paulo Castello Branco, Vice President of Sales and Planning, “Our plan is to have 200 [travel] stores open by 2012.  What we want is that the new publics perceive that they can travel with us and will have access to our sales channels.”

Among the first steps in this marketing project was the opening of sales points in Brazil’s well-known retail store, Casas Bahia. TAM’s subway kiosks have benefitted from TAM’s experience with the Casas Bahia sales points. Says Líbano Barroso, president of TAM, “the business model we implemented in the Subway Project was tried and tested at our kiosks at Casas Bahia.”

TAM’s employees working in the subway stations were not just trained to sell tickets, but also to help first-time flyers navigate the system, from learning about financing and booking flights to what time to arrive at the airport, how to check-in luggage, and other logistics of flying.

TAM has also expanded their sales points to include bus stations and has signed agreements with Pássaro Marron, a bus company presently serving 50 cities in the States of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and with Princesa do Agreste, a bus company serving 29 north-eastern cities. In both cases, TAM agreed to sell the bus company’s tickets at TAM stores in return for selling air tickets at the bus stations. The Pássaro Marron agreement did not last long, however, as the bus company was acquired by TAM’s competitor, GOL.

GOL and TAM both say they plan to continue expanding these channels of distribution, both in more subway stations and through other venues, to target the emerging middle class.

DATE In Helsinki Airport’s newest lounge, visitors can wear woollen socks and read books on a vintage sofa. Counterbalancing the often sterile and pompous airport lounges, it is a cosy place whose furniture and atmosphere aim to bring to mind a Finnish home. The idea behind the lounge is to provide a homey rest stop for hurried passengers, tapping into the so-called “being space” trend, as coined by trendwatching.com.

Kitchen, book corner, woollen socks
Operated by airport restaurateur SSP Finland, The Almost@home lounge has been decorated with original artwork, handicraft, furniture and household items by renowned Finnish designers such as Wirkkala vases and Artek ‘2nd Cycle’ chairs.

The heart of the lounge is a fully equipped kitchen and dining area with a variety of fresh food, drinks, snacks, and bakery products where travellers can make their own snacks. In the living room passengers can watch TV or sit on a sofa in the book corner and pick up a book from one of the book shelves to read and borrow a pair of comfortable woollen socks at the reception.

Other amenities include a long dining room area with ‘Club Med’ style joined tables, working stations with HP computers, a gaming zone equipped with PS3, an LCD screen and 2 ‘Fat Boy’ sofas, and bathrooms and showers. Visitors have access to work space where their privacy is guaranteed. It is also possible to book a meeting room in the lounge. There is a room for families and a play and games corner for children.

Showcase
Another innovative feature of the lounge is the possibility for guests to purchase any article or furnishing found in the lounge that takes their fancy, making it a showcase and marketplace for home decoration, both technical and artistic. Besides artwork and furniture for sale, other brands visibly present include JP Cheney wine and Lipton tea

The Almost@home Lounge has room for 73 guests and is located in Helsinki Vantaa’s long-haul flights area. The lounge is open between 06.30 and 23:30 and is available to frequent flyers of a dozen participating airlines, while for EUR45 other passengers can stay in the lounge for 3-hours.

DATE Rising disposable income in emerging economies such as the BRICs and the N-11s has allowed the rapidly growing middle classes in these countries to start travelling by air. According to IATA estimates, the number of air travellers worldwide will grow with 800 million to 3.3 billion in 2014 (up from 2.5 billion passengers in 2009), with China alone accounting for more than a quarter of this growth. Although air travel in China is still mainly on domestic and regional routes, an increasing number of leisure and business travellers are flying overseas.

‘Red carpet’
With Chinese outbound tourism recording more than 20 percent annual growth in recent years and overseas spending by Chinese tourists in 2011 expected to total around USD55 billion, airlines, airports and tourism destinations around the world are rolling out the red carpet to make Chinese travellers feel more at home.

Says Reinier Evers, founder of trend agency trendwatching.com, “China is the new emperor, and outpaced companies, flailing nations and even broke monetary unions are looking to the Chinese to bail them out. No wonder red carpets are being rolled out wherever Chinese politicians and CEOs currently set foot. In 2012’s global consumption arena we see a similar picture: department stores, airlines, hotels, theme parks and museums, if not entire cities, around the world are going out of their way to shower Chinese customers with tailored services and perks, and in general, lavish them with attention and respect.”

Since there are around 160 cities in China with populations of over 1 million people, airlines such as KLM (Chengdu, Xiamen, Hangzhou), Lufthansa (Shenyang, Qingdao), Air France (Wuhan), Finnair (Chongqing), Qatar Airways (Chongqing) and Etihad (Chengdu) have opened routes to second-tier cities in the country. These airlines also employ Asian cabin crew on board and offer localized amenities such as Chinese food and beverages, movies, music, newspapers and magazines.

France is the top destination for Chinese travellers in Europe with 910,000 arrivals in 2010, according to Euromonitor. Chinese spent by far the biggest amount in France too – USD375mln, preferring to fork out on goods – often luxurious ones – rather than hotels and food. In fact, a majority of Chinese tourists visiting Paris stay in cheaper accommodation outside the city and spend about USD1,800 each on shopping, 60 percent of their travel budget, according to Global Blue, an international company that handles refunds of taxes for international shoppers.

Chinese new year
To meet Chinese tourists flushing in during the Chinese lunar new year (starting January 23), Aeroports de Paris has launched several ‘welcome’ initiatives. In the baggage delivery area, and when a flight from China lands, audio welcome messages are broadcast in French, English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Hostesses of Aéroports de Paris hand out a red envelope to each Chinese passenger, which contains a welcome letter from the president of the Paris airport, a bilingual-marked Paris map in English and in Chinese. At terminal 2E of the airport Chinese travellers are also greeted by a red-colored arch-gate marked in Chinese calligraphy “Happy Dragon Year.” As Chinese are ranked first among customer groups at CDG’s airport duty-free shops, the airport has also employed more shop assistants who can speak Chinese and has organized a Chinese language and etiquette training course for its staff.

Amsterdam Schiphol
In recent years, Schiphol Airport has seen a sharp rise in the number of flights to mainland China (39 a week in the summer of 2011), as well as the number of passengers (600,000 passengers departed from Schiphol to China in 2011, of which 295,000 were Chinese travellers). During the month of January hostesses welcome Chinese passengers in Mandarin at the gate upon arrival at Schiphol and hand out an airport map and shopping brochure in Mandarin. A welcome and happy new year message is shown on digital screens. On pier F a special showroom has been set up where Chinese passengers can obtain tourist and product information from staff wearing “I speak Mandarin” buttons. Many of the luxury retailers at the airport have also deployed Mandarin speaking staff as well, around 50 in total. Schiphol says it is planning a similar welcome initiative during the month of May, which is another peak travel period for the Chinese.

Helsinki Airport
At Helsinki Airport, airport operator Finavia together with home carrier Finnair celebrates the Chinese New Year from 23 January to 9 February with daily shows, such as live music, dragon dances and Finnish-Chinese dance performances and traditional decorations at the gates. Based on the geographical location of Helsinki, Finnair and Helsinki Airport are positioning themselves as providing the shortest and fastest route between Asia and Europe.

Wayfinding
Since for many Asian travellers, getting around western airports can be difficult due to language problems (the ‘universal’ icons on airport signage that indicate exit, baggage reclaim or toilets still lead to confusion among passengers), Helsinki and Copenhagen airports have added Chinese and Japanese language to their wayfinding signs (the only two airports in Europe to do so), while signs at Helsinki Airport are also in Korean.

Taking a digital approach, Schiphol and CDG airport have teamed up to develop a Chinese version of their mobile apps for iPhones and Android-based devices. Developed with the goal to serve as a ‘virtual travel companion’, Chinese passengers can use the app to find information in Mandarin about flights, maps, public transport, baggage and medical services, as well as special tax-free shopping deals.

The most innovative feature of the app is the use of optical character recognition technology which lets passengers to translate the airport signs directly into Mandarin via the camera of their smartphone (demos here and here). The app can translate 2,500 different signs in Amsterdam and 7,500 signs in Paris.

DATE Southwest Airlines in October 2009 turned a B737-700 into a ‘beta-plane’ to test a series of sustainable interior materials, such as environmental-friendly leather and recycable carpet. This so-called ‘Green Plane’ has been operating in regular revenue service, so Southwest could evaluate normal wear and durability. Based on the in-flight test results and feedback from customers onboard the Green Plane, Southwest has just announced its new ‘Evolve’ interior, which will feature refurbished seats, more under-seat space, new carpets and a more stylish colour palette. Southwest says the materials used are “green” and lighter, reducing each aircraft’s weight by several hundred pounds per plane, thereby saving fuel and costs.

Seats, carpet
APEX reports that Southwest is retaining the B/E Aerospace-manufactured ‘Innovator II’ seat frames on its 737-700s, but will add fixed wing head rests, new, thinner, more durable foam fill, and synthetic ‘E-Leather’ seat covers – an eco-friendly, lightweight and scuff resistant alternative to traditional leather. The airline is also removing the under-seat floatation device – and instead adding smaller and lighter life vest pouches – to create weight savings of nearly six pounds per seat. A smart new feature are netted seat pockets, which have so-called ‘crumb catchers’ at the bottom that can be zippered open to allow the crumbs to come out. Furthermore, completely recyclable, carbon-neutral carpet from InterfaceFLOR will be laid in squares, rather than rolls, which eliminates the need for total carpet replacement.

The slimmer refurbished seats will also allow Southwest to reduce seat pitch from 32 to 31 inch and add an additional row on its 737-700s without sacrificing personal space. Southwest, however, emphasizes that “it was never our objective to add a row of seats, and the extra row isn’t the main reason for this redesign. Once we examined how much space would be saved, it was determined we could accommodate the increase, without sacrificing comfort.”

Sky Interior
Southwest will receive its first 737-800 ‘Sky Interior’ aircraft with the new Evolve interior in April 2012 and subsequently will start a retrofit of its fleet of 372 B737-700s. The operation is planned to be completed by the end of 2013 and represents an USD60 million investment. The airline, however, anticipates the new interior – coupled with the gain in seat capacity – will produce savings of about USD250 million annually.

DATE At airlinetrends.com we are constantly on the look-out for innovative products and services launched by airlines and airports around the world, as they respond to industry and consumer trends such as ‘digital nomads’, social media, the quest for ancillary revenues and sustainability. Taking a cue from sci-fi writer William Gibson words that “the future is already here, it’s just unevenly distributed,” we are wrapping up 2011 with our selection of the most innovative products and service concepts that have been launched this year. Airlinetrends.com will continue to bring you  inspiration in 2012, starting next month with our take on the 12 innovative airlines to keep an eye on in 2012.

1. Airlines go wireless with their in-flight entertainment systems

Our pick of the best innovation of 2011 is wireless in-flight entertainment. This cost-efficient solution gives passengers access to content stored on an onboard server via wireless digital devices. Following launches by American Airlines and GOL, the service has been announced by several airlines worldwide. Read more…

2. 11 ways how airlines are deploying the Apple iPad

Airlines have made Apple’s iPad device available to passengers in their lounges and in the air, or for example use the device as a self-service kiosk or food ordering tool. As the list of applications continues to grow, here is our latest overview of how airlines worldwide are deploying the iPad. Read more…

3. San Francisco airport installs water bottle refill stations after security

Many passengers throw away their bottled beverages before entering airport security and then purchase a new drink once air-side. San Francisco International Airport has come up with a more sustainable and customer-friendly solution by installing free water bottle refill stations beyond security. Read more…

4. Malaysia Airlines lets Facebook members select their seat via Facebook

Malaysia Airlines’ MHbuddy app lets Facebook users book flights and check-in, without leaving the social network. Users can also see if any of their friends are travelling on the same flight, and select a nearby seat. KLM will launch a similar ‘Meet & Seat’ social flight feature in early 2012. Read more…

5. Estonian Air’s social loyalty program rewards fans for online promotion

Tapping into the ‘gamification’ trend, Estonian Air is the first airline in the world to launch a social loyalty system by rewarding Facebook fans for posting and sharing reviews and deals of the airline online. Users can redeem their earned points for rewards such as ticket discounts or a meeting with Estonian Air’s CEO. Read more…

6. US Airways offers passengers free branded snack boxes on domestic flights

Instead of letting passengers pay, airlines are increasingly teaming up with advertisers to foot the bill for in-flight amenities such as Wi-Fi. Earlier this year, passengers onboard US Airways flights were given complimentary snack boxes, sponsored by online luxury retailer Gilt. Read more…

7. Delta to rent out iPads at the airport for onboard use, to be returned via mail

Airport restaurateur OTG Management and Delta Air Lines will launch a ‘Media Bar’ at Minneapolis-St Paul airport. Passengers can rent an iPad at the airport, download their choice of content, take the device with them onboard, and return it in prepaid postage box once they reach their final destination. Read more…

8. Finnair / Helsinki Airport’s ‘Quality Hunters’ scan the world for new ideas

This fall, Finnair and Helsinki Airport selected seven Quality Hunters out of several hundred applicants to travel around the world for 48 days and collect ideas on how the two companies could improve the flight and airport experience. Finnair and Helsinki Airport have vowed to implement the best ideas. Read more…

9. Airlines let passengers hedge against airfare increases, for a fee

When it comes to developing new ancillary products, creativity is key. Several airlines offer passengers a paid option to increase or descrease their exposure to rises in ticket prices. Travellers can ‘freeze’ their fare for up to 14 days when making a booking, or bet against a rise in fuel prices. Read more…

10. AirBaltic introduces innovative ancillary fee for checked bags

AirBaltic, in partnership with Samsonite, has introduced an ancillary product called the airBalticBag. Regular flyers with the airline, who purchase the suitcase, can use it as checked luggage on an unlimited number of airBaltic flights during one year. Samsonite also launched a similar concept with Ryanair. Read more…

11. Austrian Airlines starts its own branded airport taxi service

To capture much needed ancillary revenues, airlines are increasingly cross-selling hotel reservations, car rental bookings and travel insurance to passengers. Austrian Airlines has taken this approach a step further by launching its own branded taxi service in Vienna. Read more…

DATE GDP growth, increased trade flows, the rise of a new middle class, and market liberalization are the main drivers behind the rapidly growing demand for air travel in Asia Pacific over the coming decade. Airbus, for example, projects that by 2030 the region will account for 33 percent of worldwide revenue passenger kilometres, up from 28 percent today.

The growth in the region’s aviation market is resulting in a large number of new airline launches. In the past year, full-service airlines such as ANA (Peach, AirAsia Japan) and JAL (Jetstar Japan) have announced their own low-cost initiatives in order to take advantage of market deregulation in Japan, while the region’s largest LCC’s – AirAsia, Jetstar and Lion Air – continued their expansion. Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, has launched a low-cost long-haul subsidiary, called Scoot.

At the other end of the spectrum, the region’s booming economies and the resulting growth in business travel have led ‘challenger airlines’ such as Skymark from Japan (low-density A380) and Hong Kong Airlines (Hong Kong – London ‘Club’ service) to announce all-premium long-haul flights, while in Southeast Asia, Qantas, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes have all revealed plans to set up their own regional premium carrier.

Qantas ‘Red Q’
Because of intense competition from Gulf-based and Asian carriers, Qantas’ international market share in Australia has fallen from 39 to 14 per cent over the past decade. The airline’s cost base for its international operations is said to be 20 per cent higher than that of its competitors. With its dominance at home eroded, Qantas in August 2011 announced a plan to establish an Asian hub, which is is expected to reduce its operating costs with tens of millions of dollars.

Says Qantas CEO Alan Joyce: “Our aim is to position ourselves in the Southeast Asian marketplace in advance of planned aviation liberalisation. In five years we plan to have a hub in the world’s fastest growing aviation region, feeding traffic into both our Qantas and Jetstar networks. This is how we will end the disadvantage of being an end-of-the-line carrier.”

As part of the plans, Qantas will establish a premium short-haul carrier, which will likely be called RedQ (or alternatively OneAsia). According to Australian Business Traveller, Qantas’ Asian subsidiary plans to emulate British Airways’ all-business trans-Atlantic service from London City to New York with lie-flat beds, but will also have “superior” economy seats”. Says CEO Alan Joyce, “the airline will be better than anything else seen in Asia with lie-flat beds in the business cabin and [it] will have a private jet feel to it.”

Kuala Lumpur hub
After Singapore initially emerged as the most likely base, Qantas is now reportedly favouring setting up its new premium airline in Kuala Lumpur. A major reason for this shift is Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) entry into the oneworld alliance, which paves the way for closer cooperation between MAS and Qantas and turn Kuala Lumpur into a major hub. There are also reports that MAS is also pursuing a tie-up with oneworld member British Airways – which currently does not serve Kuala Lumpur – leading to a potential joint venture in the UK-Malaysia market and beyond. Says MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, “MAS can be the link into intra-Asia, South East Asia, BA for Europe and US points, and Qantas for Australasia. By combining to scale they can beat Emirates and even Singapore Airlines.”

Malaysia Airlines ‘Sapphire’
At the same time, however, MAS has also announced plans to launch its own premium short-haul carrier in mid-2012, targeting short-haul routes to destinations in Asia. According to CAPA, MAS will begin to shift early next year all of its B737-800s to its new regional premium carrier, which has not yet been formally named, although could be called Sapphire. The new carrier will initially operate routes within four hours of Kuala Lumpur, such as Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok and would serve as a point-to-point commuter service, as well as a feeder for MAS’s long-haul operations.

Says MAS CEO Yahya, “In the first half of 2012, we will launch our new short-haul brand, flying an entirely new Boeing 737-800 fleet. Given a clean slate, a new business model can be designed from inception for sustainable commercial success without any inertial drag of legacy airline models. We also intend to create a separate management structure to focus on the unique customer needs of regional premium travellers. This new airline shall set new standards for product and service quality, cost efficiency, and operational excellence.”

Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, AirAsia
According to Australian Business Traveller, Qantas medium-range premium airline Red Q will complement the regional routes which MAS has earmarked for its own top-shelf carrier. The Malaysia Airlines offshoot will focus on destinations within four hours of Kuala Lumpur, whereas Red Q would run flights from Australia and destinations further afield in Asia.

According to MAS, AirAsia will play no role in the new premium airline. In August, AirAsia agreed to acquire 20.5 percent of MAS, which will likely see AirAsia picking up low-cost domestic and regional routes currently operated by MAS, allowing the latter to focus on the premium international market.

AirAsia ‘Caterham Jet’
But, to make matters even more complex, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes is rumoured to be setting up a new premium regional airline, likely be called Caterham Jet. The name comes from the recent purchase by Fernandes of British sports car manufacturer Caterham Cars, and Fernandes Formula 1 racing Team Lotus will also change its name to Caterham Racing.

Caterham Jets, which has yet to be granted an operating licence by the Malaysian government, is expected to fly out of Subang Airport, Kuala Lumpur’s former international airport, which is located considerably closer to the city centre than the current KLIA airport. According to CAPA, the cities named as possible destinations for the premium point-to-point service (as opposed to the feeder models of Qantas’ Red Q and MAS’ Sapphire) are Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore.

Point to point
Caterham Jet reportedly has secured several Bombardier CRJ200 jets which have been sent for retrofitting. The CRJ200 typically seats 50 passengers, but the configuration will likely be much less dense and give passengers a private jet feel. Aviation Week reports that Caterham Jets will be led by Peter Leiman, who earlier launched European air taxi operator Blink.

Boom times
The various announcements to set up premium services in the Asia Pacific region are a telling sign of the economic boom times in Asia, and resemble the heydays of premium aviation in Europe about five years ago, which saw the rise (and fall) of premium airlines such as Eos and Silverjet. As CAPA rightfully warns, “Just as the North Atlantic market was flooded last decade with premium carriers eventually put out of business by their legacy rivals, a potential market does not mean the market is accessible.”

DATE In a follow-up to last year’s campaign, Finnair in September 2011 launched a new public search for so-called ‘Quality Hunters’, this year in partnership with Helsinki Airport. Seven Quality Hunters, chosen from hundreds of applicants, travelled around the world for 48 days throughout October and November 2011, collecting ideas and insights on how Finnair and Helsinki Airport could improve the flight and airport experience. An eighth “Bonus Hunter” joined the group in November on the basis of his social media activities.

Seven categories
Each Quality Hunter was given a theme to focus on: food & beverages, entertainment, socialising, travel in business class, services, shopping and “on the move”. Their task was to collect product and service ideas and present them to Finnair and Helsinki Airport at the end of the project in early December. Finnair and Helsinki Airport in turn would commit to the best ideas for implementation. Says Finnair “We don’t need a list of flaws (we’re painfully aware of most of them already!) but we want to know how to fix things and go even beyond that.” […] ”As a part of renewing our entire service identity, we want to go further in charting the black spots of travel and finding creative solutions to resolve them.”

The Quality Hunters blogged and tweeted daily about their observations and ideas, made videos and acted as community managers. Visitors to the Quality Hunters website could set tasks for them, make comments and share their opinions, while passengers at Helsinki Airport could drop by at the Hunter’s Lounge, located between gates 32-38.

Over 250 ideas submitted
Ideas could be submitted, rated and commented on at www.qualityhunters2.com until 29 November, after which Finnair and Helsinki Airport narrowed the list down to the suggestions they felt had the most potential. The public then had until 11 December to choose a winner. Some of the more than 250 ideas that have been submitted include in-flight karaoke, virtual chess games, airport speed dating, exit doors on aircraft for tall people, ‘hush hush’ noise-free seating areas and onboard showers.

The two most popular ideas turned out to be “meat-free Mondays” (meant to decrease the carbon footprint of inflight meals) and an “airport book swap,” so passengers can trade second-hand books. The book swap will be introduced at Helsinki Vantaa in early 2012 and another Quality Hunters idea, an art gallery, will also open at the airport next year. Finnair says it will investigate the practical implications of the “meat free Monday” concept, as well as some other food-related suggestions such as Finnish-Asian fusion kitchen. Other ideas, such as family travel services for business class passengers and improving luggage claim areas, have been selected to undergo internal development.

Says Johanna Metsälä, Customer Experience Manager at Helsinki Airport, “We are thrilled with the quality of ideas we have received, and our intention is to relay the benefits of the project to our passengers by putting into practice as many ideas as possible as soon as we can”. A video of the Quality Hunters campaign can be found here.

DATE With an enviable outlook ahead of them, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are some of the world’s fastest-growing airlines. A recent report released by the Boston Consulting Group illustrates that the three carriers will collectively triple their capacity over the next 20 years. But while these so-called ‘Gulf Gullivers’ have a number of similarities – they have placed multi billion-dollar aircraft orders, large investments in their premium services,  and expanded their airports in order to turn the Gulf region into the world’s 24/7 aviation hub – they have taken on different growth strategies.

We have highlighted before how Emirates, which will become the world’s largest operator of widebody aircraft by 2015, is combining its global Dubai hub with localized services on board. This time we are taking a look at Qatar Airways, who has been taken a slightly different expansion approach by seeking out markets that have yet been unexplored by fellow Gulf carriers.

Airline of the year
The national carrier of Qatar has experienced a rapid ascent to become one of the top airline brands in the sky. Earlier this year, 5-star rated Qatar Airways was named “Airline of the Year 2011” by Skytrax – which cited its roomy economy class cabin and the Business and First Class experience (including the Premium Terminal at its Doha hub) as key drivers for the ranking.

Qatar Airways currently operates a fleet of 102 aircraft to 109 destinations, and by 2013 plans to serve 120 destinations with a fleet of 120 aircraft. Receiving a new aircraft every 18 days, the airline is targetting an annual growth of 35 percent in the coming years, and has ordered more than 200 aircraft, including 10 a380s and 80 a350s, worth over USD 40 billion. Additionally, Qatar Airways is a key stakeholder in the construction of Doha’s brand new international airport, scheduled to open in 2012.

Niche Markets
While Qatar Airways is likely to remain smaller in total size than its near neighbour Emirates for the foreseeable future, the Doha-based carrier seems keen to overtake its Dubai-based rival in the number of destinations served (109 versus 116 routes at the moment). Speaking at the recent Dubai Air Show, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said that the airline’s mission “…has been to operate to key business and leisure destinations around the world, but also to underserved markets where others dare not venture into. We take bold decisions to serve certain markets because we believe it makes strong business sense.”

Qatar Airways has capitalized on the absence of its competitors in various markets. In Europe the airline already flies to 27 destinations, including Eastern European cities such as Budapest, Bucharest and Sofia, as well as Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo in Scandinavia. These second and third tier destinations have limited long-haul direct flights, so passengers have to make a stop-over anyway in most cases. In 2011, Qatar launched seven new European destinations and the airline will start services to Helsinki and Zagreb next year, making it the first Gulf carrier to serve the four Nordic capitals, which in the words of Business Traveller, are a “neglected area of the world, with Emirates and Bahrain-based Gulf Air serving only Copenhagen, while Abu Dhabi-based Etihad is not represented at all.”

Qatar Airways says it is “placing strategic importance into emerging cities around the world.” Upcoming routes include Chongqing (China) in late November, as well as 2012 route launches to Baku (Azerbaijan), Tblisi (Georgia), Benghazi (Libya), Kigali (Rwanda) and Mombasa (Kenya). The airline also recently announced that it had reached an agreement with the Iranian government to fly domestically in the country.  In total, Qatar Airways will launch 15 routes during 2011 and another 9 during 2012, many of which are currently not served by neither Emirates nor Etihad Airways.

Narrowbodies
While Emirates moves in on new routes to second- and third-tier destinations with widebody aircraft such as the A330 or B777, Qatar Airways tends to take a more cautious approach by starting small, grow the route and then deploy larger aircraft as market demand grows. The airline has extensively deployed narrowbody aircraft – which makes up 40 percent of its fleet – on new short and medium haul routes, without compromising its inflight experience. For example, Qatar serves the Venice – Doha route with an A320 featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 seats in Economy, compared to around 180 seats by airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France. Qatar’s A320s offer personal screens in all seats with a choice of more than 700 audio and video on demand options. The aircraft is also equipped with OnAir connectivity, so passengers can use their mobile phones onboard for SMS and emails. Just like the diverse nationalities of Emirates’ flight attendants, Qatar Airways has a multi-lingual cabin crew, and for example, the Doha – Bucharest (Romania) route is staffed by Romanian and Arabic-speaking crew.

Qatar Airways currently operates 38 A320 aircraft, with a further 9 pending delivery. The airline has just ordered another 50 aircraft of the A320neo series (a more fuel-efficient update of the existing A320 family), of which it will become the first operator by 2015.

Turkish Airlines
It has often been suggested that Turkish Airlines (THY) could be regarded as the fourth ‘Gulf Gulliver’, and the airline is taking a growth approach an approach similar to that of Qatar Airways. From its Istanbul hub, THY can reach both European cities and the Gulf or North Africa in two to five-hour flights for which its B737s and A320s are ideally suited. Says THY’s CEO, “Smaller aircraft are better to serve secondary cities in Europe and offer a cost advantage that even Gulf carriers cannot match.” According to analysts, THY even has an advantage over the Gulf airlines, as with a Turkish population of over 70 million people, it has substantial origin-destination and domestic markets.

About Vivek Mayasandra
Vivek is an airline enthusiast and industry professional with experience in marketing, branding and operations. A graduate of Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business, he’s worked in supplier management at Boeing for 3 years and has also done marketing consulting for small businesses. In addition to his writing at airlinetrends.com, Vivek is working on “Take Flight, Literally,” a project to bring together stories of inspiring people who’ve literally taken flights to change the world.

DATE IKEA stores in Canada feature ‘green parking’ spaces close to the entrance that are reserved for drivers of hybrid cars and fuel-efficient vehicles. Credit card companies such as Amex and Mastercard have been opening airport lounges for their members (at for example Toronto and Budapest airports). UK mobile operator 02 gives its customers exclusive access to concert tickets up to 48 hours before general release, while Palmeiras, one of the major football teams in Brazil, reserves 5,000 seats exclusively for Visa Card customers. Called the ‘Visa Sector’, the section has a lounge, restaurant, bars, plasma TVs and other perks.

Coined by trendwatching.com as ‘Perkonomics’, these initiatives are part of a new breed of perks and privileges that are added to brands’ regular offerings in order to satisfy consumers’ ever-growing desire for novel forms of status and/or convenience. Several airlines have also jumped on the ‘perkonomics’ bandwagon by offering more inclusive perks for members of their loyalty programs.

Cine TAM
Cine TAM is a cinema owned by Brazil’s TAM Airlines. In 2007, the airline transformed a former theater in the Santo Amaro neighborhood of Sao Paulo into a TAM-branded cinema. The design of the four-screen cinema is inspired by the jet-set era of the 1960s, and for example features several ‘ball chairs’ in the entrance hall, while the theater’s screens are named Londres (London), Nova York (New York City), Milão (Milan), and Paris. Red and Black members of TAM’s Fidelidade frequent flyer program, as well as holders of TAM co-branded credit cards, receive a standard discount of 50 percent on film tickets, can make use of a preferential queue when buying tickets at the box office, and are invited to attend exclusive premieres. TAM commercials are shown before each movie.

Air France-KLM Kinepolis
On a similar note, albeit on a much smaller scale, Air France-KLM offers members of its Flying Blue loyalty program the chance to reserve one of the airline’s VIP seats at the Kinepolis cinema in Brussels, Belgium. Amenities of the so-called ‘Air France-KLM VIP Lounge’, include 4 comfortable “Business Class” aircraft seats, a cooled bottle of champagne and a mini-bar. The perk is reserved for Flying Blue members (silver tier and higher) residing in Belgium, who can book the cinema lounge twice a year.

BalticMiles Zone
In October 2011, BalticMiles, the loyalty programme of Latvia-based low-cost airline airBaltic, launched a BalticMiles Zone in Arena Riga, the home of ice-hockey team Dinamo Riga. The branded zone is located right behind the rink, allowing the hockey fans to sit close to the action on the field. BalticMiles members receive extra privileges, such as access to the stadium via a fast track entrance and the chance to win prizes from BalticMiles partners during contests in the half-times between hockey games. Says Gabi Kool, Managing Director of BalticMiles: “With this launch of BalticMiles zone in Arena Riga we have the opportunity to strengthen the connection with the members of BalticMiles who are hockey fans.”

Delta Sky360 lounges
As part of a recent marketing push into New York, Delta has become the official airline of New York’s Yankees and Mets baseball teams and opened a ‘SKY360 Suite’ at the Yankees stadium, as well as a ‘SKY360 Club’ at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. Both lounges (video here) are located directly behind home plate and are accessible for baseball fans in the premium seat sections. Delta has also recently opened a ‘SKY360 Club’ at the Madisson Square Garden in New York – open to owners of the best 800 ticket holders in the arena – as well as similar venues in Atlanta (Braves) and Minneapolis (Minnesota Twins).

Besides regularly inviting its most valuable frequent fliers to its SKY360 lounges (other SkyMiles members have access to discounted tickets to watch the game from the Delta-branded areas), the Delta Sky360 lounges are also meant as a ‘brand space’ for Delta to target more affluent baseball fans (those who purchase the premium tickets that give access to the Delta-branded areas). For example, the Sky360 areas feature kiosks where visitors can sign up for Delta’s SkyMiles frequent flier program.

DATE Many people will be familiar with the sight of families and friends lined up in the arrival hall, anxiously waiting to welcome their loved ones, and displaying home-made banners to add an extra dimension to the occasion. Always on the lookout for an innovative amenity to improve an already well-regarded airport experience, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has just installed a self-service banner vending machine, called the BannerXpress. The instant banner (‘spandoeken’ in Dutch’) kiosk allows people who are meeting passengers at the airport to design and print their own personalised banners.

The BannerXpress machine, a world’s first, lets users create a personalised banner in a few steps. They start with choosing the size (40, 130 or 300 cm wide; the height is a standard 30 cm), and then select the background and theme. The last step is entering the text they wish to appear on the banner, and after paying with a debit or credit card, the banner is printed out on canvas. The price of a the banner ranges from EUR 3.95 (USD 5) to EUR 14.95 (USD 20).

Says Otto Ambagtsheer, Director Business Area Consumers at Schiphol Airport, “The banners by BannerXpress allow the airport to offer people who are coming to pick someone up with the chance to surprise them in a playful way. For now we only have this one dispenser in Arrival Hall 2, but we may add more at other locations if it proves popular.” According to the New York Times reports that in the first month of operation, the banner machine “has been churning out about 50 banners a day.”

DATE Besides starring Bill Murray as oceanographer Steve Zissou, the 2004 cult movie ‘The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou’, also featured custom-made Adidas white/yellow ‘Team Zissou’ sneakers with light blue striping, designed by the creators of the movie. After seeing the film, hundreds of sneaker fans inquired with Adidas where they could buy the fictional shoes. However, despite numerous requests, an online petition and Facebook page, Adidas declined to take the shoe into a limited edition production. This prompted many fans to design and produce their own Team Zissou shoes – and also offer them up for sale on eBay.

airBalticShoe
Fast forward to 2011, a time when the ‘conversation economy’ has become much more mainstream. In March 2011, Latvia-based airBaltic – which has been featured several times before on airlinetrends.com – launched a new advertising campaign that highlighted several airline-themed shoe designs branded in airBaltic’s colours. The fictional shoes were meant to illustrate the various reasons consumers could have for taking advantage of an offer by the airline, such as summer travel, winter break, visiting a sports game, or an upgrade to Business Class.

The shoe designs were featured in print ads, outdoor billboards and online banners, and  appealed to the public is such a way that people started to inquire at airBaltic via Facebook and Twitter where they could buy the shoes. Having already launched innovative ‘Baltic’-branded products such as the airBalticBag, BalticWater, BalticTaxi and BalticBike, airBaltic was quick to embrace this marketing opportunity and recently turned one of the designs into a real shoe. In the airline’s words: “Inspired from our advertisments we have made real airBaltic branded leather shoes.”

Says Janis Vanags, VP Communications at airBaltic, “The idea of airBaltic shoes started purely as an advertising concept, emblematic of travelling, road, flight, movement. We were also happy to share our images on airBaltic Facebook with our almost 70,000 fans since spring this year. And what happened – our fans started to inquire at which stores the shoes (sneakers) were available at. Therefor, we decided to create a limited edition of this eye-catching design. The first batch of sneakers is 1,000 pairs. “

Besides a nice conversation starter, the airBalticShoe is a great example of how airBaltic listens and responds to inquiries from the general public. The branded shoe is also a smart way to get some free exposure on the street. The airBalticShoe is available at the airline’s online shop for EUR 55.

Update 12 december 2011. Following the news of the branded sneakers, airBaltic continues to push the boundaries of airline retail. AirBaltic today announced it will become the first airline in the world to sell cars on board. Starting December 16, 2011 passengers onboard airBaltic flights can purchase custom designed Mini Coopers. The cars are branded in airBaltic-inspired colors and sport the text “I Love Flyin.” The final design was chosen by the airline’s Facebook fans.

Passengers wishing to purchase the car, pay EUR 50 on any airBaltic flight to receive a voucher. After landing, the passenger visits airBaltic’s online store and completes the purchase. Then he or she will receive a call from an airBaltic representative and be invited to see the real car and take a test drive and choose payment or leasing options. The Mini Cooper R56 model price is EUR 24 699. It has a 1.6-litre, 120hp petrol engine and an automatic gearbox. The car will be available for purchase aboard all airBaltic flights from December 16, 2011 until January 15, 2012.

DATE Social good is on a lot of people’s minds these days. With a turbulent economic climate and more social awareness, nonprofits, charities and businesses have been scaling their presence to give more, and have been doing so with unique models. Over the past year, businesses in particular have been unprecedented in their initiatives ranging from pay-what-you-can schemes to giving free rides to volunteer events. The trend of spreading good is rightfully taking root in the global business community, and more and more airlines have been catching on with their own unique initiatives.

Airpoints, surprises and free wifi
Dutch carrier KLM has been widely recognized in the industry as a highly innovative carrier – a reputation that can also be applied to their involvement in kindness-based campaigns. In late 2010, KLM’s incredibly well-received KLM Surprise initiative, rewarded small gifts to random passengers who left an ‘@KLM’ tweet or checked in at the airline’s Schiphol Airport FourSquare locations. With New Zealand being the world’s first country to designate a national ‘Random Acts of Kindness Day’, it should come as no surprise that Air New Zealand has also been at the forefront of offering kindness to fliers. In addition to its long running gift-granting @AirNZFairy Twitter account, Air New Zealand earlier this year launched a similar campaign as KLM’s at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch airports.

Mango
Recognizing and rewarding kindness made its way to South Africa this year in the form of Kindness Month. Mango, one of the country’s low cost carriers, and a subsidiary of South African Airways, commemorated its fifth birthday by implementing a new initiative to reward acts of kindness across the country. During ‘Kindness Month’, which started on 15 November and lasts until 15 December, 2011, Mango will be celebrating acts of kindness between South Africans “through hearing how South Africans helped one another.”

Says Mango’s CEO Nico Bezuidenhout, “We want to hear about personal experiences, about individuals who have made a difference; small but significant acts that has impacted someone’s day, week or life. It could be a shop assistant who went out of their way for a customer, a friend in need, someone who gives you a lift when in challenging circumstances. Anything. In the lead up to the December holiday season, we need to share kindness in even larger measures.”


To be a part of Kindness Month, anyone can nominate anyone for any act of kindness in South Africa with a tweet, Facebook post, email, or by filling out a form on Mango’s site. Mango mentioned that they’ll be rewarding verified acts of kindness with “various token gestures,” such as flight tickets. Mango will also encourage its own staff to perform at least 200 minutes of kindness and community service annually.

Kindness isn’t the first initiative Mango has brought to the South African market. To making air travel more accessible to South Africans, Mango retails flight tickets through local supermarkets, and accepts retail account cards as payment online. In February 2012, Mango will be South Africa’s first low-cost airline to offer in-flight wifi (provided by Row44), with pricing expected to be between R50 (USD6, EUR4.50) and R100 per flight.

About Vivek Mayasandra
Vivek is an airline enthusiast and industry professional with experience in marketing, branding and operations. A graduate of Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business, he’s worked in supplier management at Boeing for 3 years and has also done marketing consulting for small businesses. In addition to his writing at airlinetrends.com, Vivek is working on “Take Flight, Literally,” a project to bring together stories of inspiring people who’ve literally taken flights to change the world.

By Ryan Ghee, Editor, Future Travel Experience

DATE While the first priority of airport security is to ensure the safety of passengers and fully secure the air travel process, increasing passenger expectations also demand that the process is completed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Even in the age of an increased threat from terrorism and the subsequent introduction of strict rules on the carriage of liquids, aerosols and gels, passengers have set a high benchmark for what they expect from airport security. The weight of importance placed on enhancing the process is highlighted by IATA’s vision for the ‘Checkpoint of the Future’, which was outlined earlier this year.

This concept envisages an end to the one-size-fits-all approach to airport security through a triple-pronged approach: Strengthened security by focusing resources where risk is greatest; supporting this risk-based approach by integrating passenger information into the checkpoint process; and maximising throughput for the vast majority of travellers who are deemed to be low-risk with no compromise on security levels. Although the concept appears strong on paper, making significant changes to such a vital process is bound to come with complexities and some have questioned whether it is, in fact, realistic.

London Gatwick rethinks the security process
However, with the opening of its new 19-lane South Terminal Security product, Gatwick Airport provides an example of the significant enhancements that can be made to the existing airport security process. In a first of its kind project, the airport has adopted ‘Iris at a Distance’ technology to automate and expedite entry to the security area, while colour coding, screens displaying accurate queuing times, and specific assistance lanes, have also been adopted.

The large, high-tech security area includes 15 standard lanes for passengers, two dedicated lanes for families with young children and passengers with reduced mobility, and two lanes for premium travellers. Passengers access security by swiping their boarding cards, or smartphone displaying their boarding card, and screens displaying queue times for different colour-coded lanes will give passengers the choice of which lane to use. Smarter scanning technology and automated processes speeds up travel through the security area by 25 percent – increasing the passenger capacity for each of the lanes to 250 passengers per hour.

A spacious preparation area has been positioned ahead of the main security area, specifically designed to help passengers get themselves ready to go through security. Large plasma screens giving instructions in five different languages will also help passengers understand exactly what they can and can’t take through security.

“Previously, passengers could have been waiting for as long as an hour to get through security at busy peak times, but now we have a target to make sure that no passenger queues for more than five minutes at security,” explained Geoff Williams, Head of Security, Gatwick Airport. “Having listened to our passengers and watched their behaviour in the security area, we have provided different services for families, passengers with reduced mobility and others who might need some assistance, and we have created two special lanes just for those groups. This has also allowed us to speed up processing through the other lanes.”

Iris at a Distance
The most innovative aspect of the new security process is the use of the ‘Iris at a Distance’ (IaaD) technology. The passenger’s iris is scanned, along with the boarding card, on the entrance and exit to the departure lounge, ensuring that the same person enters and leaves. The technology is known as MFlow Track and has been developed by Human Recognition Systems and AOptix Technologies. The key difference between IaaD and the previous generation of iris capture devices is its ability to locate and capture the iris of the passenger, as opposed to the user having to stand in an exact location for the capture to be successfully completed. The data of the iris scans is kept for 24 hours by the airport to allow for early check-ins.

Colour-coded, real-time waiting times
Another system, called MFlow Journey, uses facial recognition biometrics to allow Gatwick to track passengers through the airport and to display queue times for different colour coded lanes, so passengers can choose which lane to use. Says Gatwick’s Williams: “The idea is to make the whole process more welcoming and we’re giving our passengers a choice. People are able to avoid the longest queues if they’re in a hurry. All passengers are different and we’ve seen business travellers identifying the shortest queues so they can pass through security as quickly as possible, and we’ve seen groups of people who are happy to just join the nearest queue.”

107 seconds
Although the IaaD technology, assistance lanes, colour coding and real-time queuing times are all eye-catching features, the real issue is whether they are actually proving to be effective at expediting the security process. After all, one of Gatwick’s mottos is: “We hate queues”. While Gatwick targets to process all passengers through security in less than five minutes, the airport’s new South Terminal security process contributed to an average processing time of less that 2 minutes (107 seconds to be exact).