Plane Conversations

Over the years we have seen more and more travel aggregators come into the online marketplace. Now you can go to dozens of different websites to find the lowest possible price for your next trip. As an industry, we have subsequently seen prices going lower as the airlines fight to the bottom to fight for market share. This does not drive down the cost of operation for flying the aircraft, it just lowers the consumer perception of what travel is worth.

(via http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/11/29/prweb8985424.DTL) Superfly, a technology startup at the forefront of travel innovation, today announced its new smart flight search engine. Superfly’s engine is a unique online platform that personalizes flight search by adding an individual’s data — frequent flyer miles, elite statuses, rewards programs and individual preferences — into the decision-making process of choosing a flight. For the first time, travelers can fully take advantage of their frequent flyer miles and rewards programs when booking travel online.

“Today’s mainstream flight search websites completely ignore the impact of consumer data,” said Jonathan Meiri, CEO of Superfly. “This is a defining issue for the future of online travel services. Superfly is a secure tool that not only has access to all the flights in the world, it also combines that information with personal travel preferences in order to help consumers figure out which flight is right for them.”

Google’s recent acquisition of ITA Software has marked the dawn of a new age in online travel. Many industry players are now using the same travel data, essentially turning flight search into a commodity. This will most likely unleash a wave of innovation as incumbents look to differentiate their services.

“Superfly is an incredible tool that will bring great value to travelers, particularly frequent flyers,” said Kenneth Esterow, an advisor of Superfly and former CEO of GTA by Travelport. “It is particularly useful to heavy users and corporate travelers.”

Superfly enables consumers to maximize the value of their miles and make better travel decisions. Rather than focusing solely on presenting the cheapest flight, Superfly helps individual consumers identify the options with the greatest personal value. Travelers can use Superfly’s personal travel insights to better manage their rewards programs and cash-in on the opportunities they present.

When all you focus on when you are looking for a service is price, everyone will lose. Value is a much more sustainable model and can lead to more growth and innovation. All of us here at Social Flights support the efforts of companies like Superfly and look forward to leading the charge with them into an innovative and prosperous age of travel.

Several months ago, Ryan Keough with Cutter Aviation asked me if I would like to participate as a panelist in a webinar on social media strategies that NATA was planning.  I wondered if he knew whom he had called.  He put me in touch with Shannon Chambers, who was putting the whole event together.  After speaking with Shannon, I agree to participate since, while I might not know everything, I’m happy to share what I do know.   After weeks and months of worrying what I should say, the webinar finally arrived.

Twice, I was introduced as an expert, but I really believe I’m more of the Poster Child for You-Can-Do-It-Too.  My degree is not in marketing.  Anytime my job has required me to construct marketing campaigns, I’ve based them on approaches that work for me as a consumer.  I want straight-forward information from people I can both trust and relate to.  But it’s a big world and general aviation covers nearly all of it; so, how do I find those people?  The internet is a good tool made much more useful by Social Media, as we discussed in a previous post. 

Acknowledging that Social Media is a great tool for connecting with customers is all well and good, but, for a company with a limited marketing budget that may not be up on the latest internet tools, getting started can be a daunting task.  Well, at least it was a daunting task for me.  But, I’m going to share something with you…..lean closer so I can whisper it to you…….shhhh, it’s not rocket science.  Okay, don’t tell anyone I told you that; but, it’s the truth.  Social Media is not rocket science – it’s a lot of effort – but a degree from MIT is not required, neither is a secret de-coder ring.

I recently attended a seminar to discuss Social Media use and, frankly, was disappointed.  In my opinion, the subject was discussed as though everyone in the room already understood the basics, which post-seminar discussion proved not to be the case.  I spoke with several frustrated attendees who needed more direction than “just open a Twitter account and follow the directions.”  For them, I sent my own notes gathered during the process of developing our own Social Media campaign.  Now, I don’t assert that I am the Queen of Social Media (note: if you want to call me that, I do already have a tiara in my desk drawer); however, I have learned something during our journey and I am more than happy to share what I’ve learned.   Technology and applications are evolving so quickly that any instructional document I might attach would be out of date before I hit “publish;” so, if you’d like to talk with me about establishing your own blog or social media campaign, email me or call.  I’ll be happy to share. 

In the meantime, we’ll keep blogging, Tweeting, changing our statuses and interacting with you while we all continue our way on the learning curve.

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In any family dynamic, each member has a role to play.  Until the invention of Trivial Pursuit, my role was to lose at every single board game we played.  It didn’t matter which game it was, I stunk equally badly at them all; but, I was okay with that.  It’s just how it was.  When I went to college, my liberal arts studies did not include Game Theory; so, in spite of its 50 year history, this business decision making tool is new to me.

In a July 24, 2010, article in Financial Post, Michell Osak highlights both the strengths and the weaknesses of using Game Theory in the strategy development process.  The theory is ideal, he says, in “strategic situations where competitive or individual behaviors can be modeled.”  However, the theory’s flaws are that it assumes that “the players act rationally and in their self-interest” and that they “act strategically and consider the competitive responses of their actions.”  Osak goes on to quote The Economist magazine which said, “Managers have much to learn from game theory provided they use it to clarify their thinking, not as a substitute for business experience.”

It seems to me that wholesale flight department liquidations were an example of a time when Game Theory was substituted for business experience – to the detriment of an entire industry.

Studies have shown that companies which either own or use private aircraft tend to pay larger dividends to their shareholders.  Yet, some of those very same companies dissolved their flight departments.  Those decisions were not based on months of study, but, rather were a knee-jerk reaction to negative press reports.  Game Theory said that a company using a business aircraft would look wasteful when compared to a similar company that didn’t.  Game Theory predicted a negative public relations issue.  Game Theory dictated that companies jettison one of their most useful business tools.

It’s time to start making decisions based on business experience again and leave the board games for family night.

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A business aircraft is a productivity tool. It is no different than any other tool we use in business to become more productive. It has a cost and it brings, or should bring, value. The value has to exceed the cost. If it does then we get a positive rate of return on the investment. If the value does not exceed cost then it is not a good investment.

All of the mainstream and social media conversations about the “extravagance” or “corporate excess” associated with the business jet play well with the anti big business crowds and populist politicians, but they lack substance. So far, these conversations have had nothing to do with the reality of what a business aircraft does to enhance the productivity of a company and its most valuable assets – its people.

The discussion about the value of business aircraft should be all about productivity. If using business aircraft increases the productivity of an organization, and the measured gain in productivity exceeds the cost, then it makes sense. Bottom line!

I just purchased an iPad. I can use this device to increase my productivity in internet research and communications or I can play games on it. How I choose to use it doesn’t make it inherently good or bad. How I use it does determine its value in my personal and business productivity.

In that way, a business jet is no different than an iPad.

Those of us in business aviation need to do a better job of first understanding, and then selling the value proposition of business aircraft as a tool to enhance productivity.

Billions of dollars have been spent in research and development of new high technology aircraft that will take us higher, faster and further on less fuel.  All the while, business aviation has invested very little in the technology to truly measure the enhancement of productivity gained by flying in a private aircraft. It is not just the time saved that we need to measure and quantify. What about the social and physiological experience of travel and its effects on human productivity and creativity?

Additionally, we should invest in the technology to learn how to better utilize the business aircraft to bring the costs down. How do we cut the inefficiencies of business aviation without reducing the experience?

An industry-wide increase in the efficient use of the business aircraft coupled with a measurable understanding of the value would do more than just silence the naysayers. More importantly, it would grow the industry that supports business aviation and bring an innovative increase in the productivity of our economy.

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