Have you ever read this? Isn't it hilarious? Yes, the famous, if airlines sold paint dialogue. There are some well known blog posts or web sites out there that have gone around the traps. I'm thinking of the difference between a man showering and a woman showering or that personal note on Craigslist asking where she can find a rich guy. That reminds me of a poster I saw at a restaurant last night, it said, "chocolate, coffee, men, they are better rich."
Anyway, I digress. Hopefully by now you have read the dialogue about if airlines sold paint. If you read the dialogue I'm sure you will be able to relate to the frustration that is buying airline tickets.
At the moment I am not a heavy user of airlines, in fact I haven't been on a plane since the beginning of May. When I was living away from New Zealand, obviously, I used airlines quite a bit and I have my favourites and ones I would like to avoid if I can help it.
Lets say I want to use Air New Zealand on a regular basis what would they have to change for me to use them. I must admit that I am not a full time traveller like George Clooney in his movie, 'Up in the air' but I do know my way around an airport, especially Narita and Auckland.
So, Air New Zealand, how are you going to get more of my business?
1. Make your tickets cheaper. That is an obvious one. From Tokyo to Auckland, generally Air New Zealand was one of the more expensive airlines going around. Obviously it is nice to fly direct but I don't mind going home vis Seoul or Sydney to save a few hundred bucks. In the case of Sydney, you can fly to Wellington which is quite convenient too.
2. If people ask for upgrades do you give them? Wouldn't it be nice if you upgraded people from New Zealand if space was available? Do you think these people will use Air New Zealand after that? Of course they would and you would have some pretty loyal passengers.
3. I have been researching the possibility of using the Koru Club. Obviously if you travel quite a bit that kind of facility is quite nice however I noticed that you don't have that many lounges around the world and your partner airlines don't allow guests in some airports. It would be nice if you can allow your members to take guests in as if they are travelling in twos it would make it difficult.
4. I'm sure you look after all of your customers but can you look after New Zealanders more? Is that feasible? Is that discriminatory? Do other airlines do that too?
5. Can you make your ticketing prices more stable and transparent? It is really confusing for me and everyone else when you look one day and the price is $1000 and then you check 24 hours later and it is $1500 for the same flight. It doesn't make sense. I am sure that there is some reason for it. Care to share?
6. How about making more leg room for passengers so they can get a bit more horizontal than they are now? I know that you want as many people as possible on the flight but can you give up a few seats for customer comfort. Financially it would be worth it in the long run.
7. Raise the baggage allowance. I know that there are aerodynamic considerations to take into account when we talk about flying and I don't understand the science behind it. But raising the baggage limit would be good. I have heard that the 20kgs is just an arbitrary number and with jets in 2012 it can easily be a lot higher.
8. Domestic airports I have found are fine but lining up at an international airport is still a pain in the butt. Is it not possible to check in myself at an overseas airport. Every time I have used Air New Zealand from Japan I have had to line up for what seemed an age. Are you telling me to get off my ass and make some money so I can fly business or first class?
9. In the 1980's and 1990's the airline advertisements that remember the most are the Singapore Airline advertisements on television. The whole idea behind that advertising campaign was the flight attendants and it certainly got my attention. The flight attendant service on Air New Zealand flights is OK, in fact compared to other carriers it is quite good but there is still room for improvement, like when I push the button for service I don't expect to go looking for someone even if it is 3am in the morning.
10. If I am flying an international flight I would expect my domestic fare to be not much. I am spending a big wad of cash flying from Auckland to wherever so why can't my flight from PMR to AKL be free or a nominal amount? You could almost guarantee that I wouldn't look at any other carrier.
These are just some ideas for Air New Zealand. i have tried to make them practical. My first idea of having flight attendants in bikinis and having a jacuzzi in the middle of the plane is just nor practical and plain stupid unless your name is Donald Trump then maybe it might be OK.
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