Tag: Airline

Doha, Qatar – Qatar Airways has unveiled a new global ‘AI Adventure’ film which utilises state-of-the-art technology to reinforce its commitment to developing incomparable, immersive experiences for everyone.

In an industry-first, the campaign offers the opportunity to be part of its emotive story, by utilising advanced AI capabilities so you can place yourself within the film and become the star. This reaffirms the airline’s dedication to placing customers at its very heart.

As part of the campaign, viewers can select from multiple scenes within the film to star as the leading roles. Thanks to cutting-edge AI technology, the characters will be an accurate reflection of the viewer’s appearance, adapting to their facial features and skin tone. 

To be a part of the emotive AI adventure, users must visit: flyqatar.com and watch the film on the Qatar Airways YouTube channel.

Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, chief executive officer at Qatar Airways Group, said, “At Qatar Airways, we go beyond simply meeting customer expectations – it’s about anticipating their needs and crafting experiences that resonate on a personal level. The launch of this new brand campaign is a true testament to this and our ethos of providing incomparable superior customer experiences.”

Meanwhile, Thierry Antinori, chief commercial officer at Qatar Airways, commented, “Featuring pioneering AI capabilities unseen elsewhere in the airline industry, our latest campaign not only showcases the innovative spirit driving our brand, but also encapsulates our customer-centric approach, helping to turn every journey into an adventure. After all, there’s no limit to how far a dream can take you.”

Lastly, Babar Rahman, senior vice president of global marketing and corporate communications at Qatar Airways, stated, “With this latest campaign, we have been able to encapsulate our vision as an industry leader in innovation. Crafting an immersive brand experience where everyone can be the stars, has allowed us to create uniquely personalised connections with our audiences, ensuring every moment is truly unforgettable.”

Hong Kong –  International airline carrier Cathay Pacific has partnered with Publicis Groupe Hong Kong to launch a new campaign promoting the upcoming Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens event. 

Titled ‘That’s What We Call A Seven’, the campaign features a film that documents the life of Eric. Eric starts to rate his everyday experiences and realises that nothing has lived up to the exhilaration he once felt at the Hong Kong Sevens and that life hasn’t been the same ever since. 

The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is one of Asia’s most popular annual sporting events and the world’s first truly global rugby tournament. With nail-biting matches, the event is always expected to be a costume-crazed, fun-filled spectacle, with every year being bigger than the last. 

This year, with Cathay being one of the event’s co-title sponsors and official overseas travel partner, the airline is committed to delivering a world-class rugby festival. Cathay promises an enhanced Sevens experience for fans around the globe by offering a suite of flight, ticket, and accommodation packages. 

As part of the promotions, the campaign will also extend to out-of-home advertising, social, and in-stadium activations and giveaways. 

The local activations transform the idea of the campaign film into an actual rating system. People can rate the people, places, or experiences that they feel also achieve a perfect ‘7’ by collecting and giving out Cathay’s series of collectible badges. Each badge is inspired by the most captivating aspects of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Sevens. 

Edward Bell, general manager of brand, insights, and marketing at Cathay, said, “We loved the idea of playfully reminding people of how epic the Hong Kong Sevens are—so epic, everything else in life, big or small, pales in comparison. From Cathay’s in-flight hospitality to the spectacle of the stadium and the tournament’s world-class rugby warriors, each element comes together to create a perfect score. Now that’s what we call a seven.” 

Meanwhile, Christopher Lee, executive creative director at Publicis Groupe Hong Kong, shared, “It’s human nature to rate stuff, which gave us a funny thought: what if coming to Hong Kong to watch the Rugby Sevens could ruin all other experiences for you? If you ask us Hong Kongers, no other event can rival its greatness; it’s a perfect 7 out of 7.” 

India – Air India, India’s global airline, today unveiled ‘Safety Mudras’, a new in-flight safety movie that blends safety instructions with India’s vibrant culture. The video features a dancing style that is on display and provides a particular safety lesson, imparting important knowledge in an interesting and culturally relevant way. 

The video, which was created and produced in partnership with Prasoon Joshi of McCann Worldgroup, Shankar Mahadevan, and Bharatbala, is carefully designed to impart vital safety information, engage passengers, and highlight the richness and diversity of Indian culture.

Indian folk art and classical dance have been used as teaching and narrative tools for ages. The latest in-flight safety film from Air India blends safety instructions with eight different dance forms from throughout the nation: Bharatnatyam, Bihu, Kathak, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, Ghoomar, and Giddha.

A young female passenger is shown in the video being warmly greeted by an Air India cabin staff member, and her attention is brought to the Air India “Vista,” a golden window frame that was revealed last year as a key component of Air India’s new global brand identity. A beautiful cultural display opens up before her as she glances playfully through the ‘Vista’.

The video, which features music by singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, urges viewers to experience a combination of culture and safety. This project, which took place over the course of six months, required the creators to journey throughout India and visually capture the essence of the nation through captivating places.

Modern in-flight entertainment screens on Air India’s recently launched A350 aircraft would be the only place where passengers may first view the safety movie. It will gradually be installed on further Air India planes.

Speaking about the safety video, Prasoon Joshi, chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup, said, “Tasked with the challenge to create a concept that keeps passengers engaged, embody Indian culture and elevate the Air India brand globally, we went to great lengths to poise the essential and the evocative. Indian classical dance forms have one unique dimension – storytelling. And that is what made me think of this idea of using these Indian dance forms to deliver the safety instructions for air travel.” 

He added, “I am fortunate that this idea found resonance with the fantastic Air India team. And, with a longtime friend and ever brilliant Bharatbala who really made this thought possible. It’s indeed a matter of pride for McCann to work with Air India.” 

Meanwhile, Shankar Mahadevan, singer and music composer, expressed, “I am very happy I got to create the music for the safety instruction video for Air India. With the new chapter of Air India, their safety instruction video too is pathbreaking and very culturally rich. It is a combination of the various dance forms from India – with the dancers demonstrating the safety briefing actions by way of mudras. The music changes as per the dance form as well. Cheers to Air India for creating something that has never been done before, I am very proud to be a part of this.” 

Furthermore, Bharatbala, Indian film director, producer and screenwriter, stated, “Having previously worked on projects that showcase the cultural diversity of India, this nuanced opportunity from Air India, enabled me to present our timeless classical and folk-art forms with a contemporary vision. We are an ancient country but with a modern outlook. And for India’s leading global carrier, Air India, to communicate a safety mandate in this manner brought even more responsibility on me to create a spectacle.” 

“Filming across the beautiful landscapes and monuments, giving each dance form its place of pride, is truly an enriching experience. This journey enables the passengers to experience India visually, musically, and emotionally on a grand canvas. This film will be etched as one of my special creations and I hope will be an added feather in the rich legacy of Air India. Welcome on board!” Bharatbala added. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysian aviation and travel services group and parent company of AirAsia, Capital A, has recently announced that it has entered into a non-binding letter of offer with AirAsia X Berhad (AAX) for the proposed disposal of its aviation businesses, which makes up AirAsia Berhad (AirAsia Malaysia) and AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AirAsia subsidiaries in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Cambodia).

The strategic move is aimed at streamlining the group and facilitating a business-centric valuation of the separate entities, potentially unlocking greater value to shareholders, and aiming to create a pure play entity that aligns with market preferences. 

In a press release, AirAsia stated that it is confident that by separating the aviation business from Capital A, the non-aviation businesses within the group, which we feel are currently undervalued by the market, will also be recognised for their intrinsic value and potential. 

Capital A’s companies, including Teleport (logistics), Capital A Aviation Services (MRO and Inflight), and MOVE digital, will also be raising capital, offering shareholders an uplift on their Capital A shares, complemented by shares in the enlarged aviation group under proposed shares distribution. 

Following the sale of the aviation business, Capital A shareholders will become shareholders of the two listed companies.

With the completion of the aviation disposal, Capital A is committed to presenting a comprehensive PN17 regularisation plan by June 2024. Furthermore, Capital A is dedicated to transparent communication and will provide all stakeholders with detailed information throughout this process.

Regarding this, Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A, said, “All businesses across Capital A have been thriving and we are ready to grow. We need to raise funds for business expansion, but gaining access to capital has been challenging due to Capital A’s Practice Note 17 (PN17) status. We have been engaging committed investors who have expressed a strong preference for a pure aviation play.”

Talking about the disposal, Fernandes mentioned, “To address this and to ensure a robust financial injection, we are strategically pursuing the sale of the aviation business to AAX to create an aviation pure play, consolidating both long and short-haul airlines under the AirAsia brand, subject to the negotiation of a definitive share sale and purchase agreement and its completion.”

“Following the disposal, the aviation business is poised to benefit from focused management and a well-defined strategic direction, which will boost the aviation business’s capacity to seize growth opportunities, expand market share, and ultimately achieve enhanced profitability,” he added.

Singapore – According to the most current YouGov Surveys data, three out of every five Singaporean customers (61%) are members of at least one airline loyalty program. 

Singapore Airlines/Scoot KrisFlyer emerges as the preferred loyalty program, with nearly half (48%) of respondents members, much outnumbering Emirates Skywards (8%) and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (6%), which rank second and third.

When asked which two major benefits they appreciate most as members of an airline loyalty program, more than half (55%) stressed the importance of redeeming their miles for discounted or free trips.

Approximately 38% of people consider seat upgrades to be the most important benefit, while 27% value airport lounge access, making up the top three most desired perks.

Travel savings on hotel bookings (20%) and more luggage allowance (18%) are the most popular incentives, outranking bargains on retail purchases (13%), priority boarding (12%), and dedicated customer service (6%).

Although the relative popularity of certain benefits is stable across genders, women have a significantly higher preference for redeeming miles for discounted or free flights (60% vs. 51%), while men prioritise airport lounge access (32% vs. 22%).

The most popular reward across various generations of airline loyalty club members is receiving discounts or redemptions on flight tickets, with Millennials indicating a particularly strong preference (62%). Furthermore, when compared to members of other age cohorts, Gen Z members of airline loyalty clubs are significantly more likely to value additional luggage capacity (23%).

When asked how they typically decide on foreign travel bookings, nearly half (47%) of airline loyalty program members said they start by researching possibilities among airlines with whom they have loyalty membership. 14% of this group said they generally limit their options to flights offered by those specific carriers.

Approximately one in every five people (21%) like to first look for flights that match their vacation plans before using their loyalty membership to narrow down the available possibilities. 

Nonetheless, 29% of respondents said their airline loyalty program membership has no bearing on their international flight ticket purchases.

Furthermore, men are substantially more likely than women to prioritise airlines where they have a loyalty membership at the start of their search for foreign flight tickets, with percentages of 51% and 41%, respectively.

Significantly, more than a third of Baby Boomers (35%) said their airline loyalty memberships have no influence on their selections to purchase overseas flight tickets.

Singapore – With the launch of its new travel campaign ‘Shall We Just Go?’, Changi Airport Group aims to show that one can enjoy the thrill of travelling without the hassle of planning every minute of the trip.

Featuring six enchanting mystery destinations, anyone who is ready to fly within 30 days can participate and the lucky winners will be whisked away to a mystery destination for the payment of just S$1.

Each of the mysterious destinations in the 12-week campaign is served by direct flights from Changi Airport within a four-hour flying radius. Competition participants simply have to indicate that they can take off in the next 30 days, and will be in the running for the draw.

With the campaign being open to all Singapore residents, two lucky winners will be selected every week, with one of them being a Trust Bank customer. Two more winners will be selected towards the end of the campaign and winners can choose their holiday destination from any of the six. Additionally, this prize package includes a pair of return air tickets and S$500 worth of Trip.com vouchers for accommodation.

Launched in partnership with travel agency Trip.com and Trust Bank, Changi Airport’s ‘Shall We Just Go?’ campaign features offerings by Trip.com, and travel solutions by Trust Bank to help the winners attain a worthwhile and meaningful travel experience. 

Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice president for air hub and cargo development of Changi Airport Group, said, “Here at Changi Airport, we believe that travel should be an exhilarating adventure. ‘Shall We Just Go?’ aims to capture the joy of spontaneity and anticipation of travel, blended with the ease of embarking on journeys without preconceived notions and meticulous planning.”  

“We see this campaign as the start of a movement aimed at promoting ‘simpler’ travel, leveraging the wide connectivity that Changi Airport offers as an air hub, affordable airfares, and the numerous lesser-known destinations in the region waiting to be uncovered for that unique experience you can call your own. The campaign also supports our airline partners and the myriad of destinations that they fly to,” he added. 

‘Shall We Just Go?’ is part of a broader campaign under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between CAG and Trip.com Group to spur travel. The MOU deepens the partnership between the two companies, tapping into Trip.com’s reach in the world’s largest outbound travelling market and Changi Airport’s strong connectivity to cities in the Southeast Asian region, many of which are popular with both Singapore and Chinese travellers.

Manila, Philippines – Philippine Airlines (PAL) joined forces with travel technology company Expedia Group to launch its one-stop travel website, PAL Holidays, that offers travellers a convenient and comprehensive platform for all their travel needs.

Powered by Expedia Group’s White Label Template technology, the all-in-one travel website is designed to help passengers effortlessly plan and book their entire journey with PAL.

PAL Holidays offers a convenient location for passengers to book all their travel essentials, including their PAL flights, hotel accommodations, transportation, and other travel activities. This means that travellers can tailor their preferred itinerary without the hassle of having to juggle multiple booking websites.

The partnership between PAL and Expedia Group will also allow travellers using the new platform to access over 900,000 properties worldwide. The global travel platform brings with it a wide selection of accommodations that fit a traveller’s preferences and budget.

In line with this launch, PAL Holidays will also feature exciting promotional deals and exclusive offers aimed at encouraging travellers to explore more destinations with their loved ones.

The launch of PAL Holiday marks a significant milestone for the airline in its commitment to enhancing the travel experience of its valued customers. The new site is now live in the US, Canada, Australia, and the Philippines.

Bud Britanico, VP for Sales at Philippine Airlines, said, “We are thrilled to introduce PAL Holidays, our new one-stop booking platform that simplifies and enhances the travel planning process for our passengers. By partnering with Expedia, we are confident that our customers will enjoy unparalleled access to a superior range of great offers for hotels, experiences, and transport that can go together with the Philippine Airlines flights that they book. PAL Holidays reflects our dedication to providing exceptional travel experiences, and we look forward to serving our customers in a more convenient and efficient way.” 

Meanwhile, Greg Schulze, senior vice president for strategic travel partners at Expedia Group, also shared, “We are thrilled to team up with Philippine Airlines for PAL Holidays. We share the same vision of transforming and easing the way travellers plan and book their journeys. With our combined expertise and service, we are excited to offer a seamless travel platform that will be of great help to travellers.” 

Singapore – Cathay Pacific airlines has announced key changes to its management roles across the Southeast Asian region. 

The appointments span from Cathay Pacific’s regional office in Singapore with new key roles, to new country managers in Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Cambodia. 

Cathay Pacific’s regional office in Singapore will see the appointment of Jonathan Ng, regional head of customer travel and lifestyle, Southeast Asia, replacing Ray Fung, who is now head of lifestyle strategy and partnerships in Hong Kong. Prior to his current role, Ng was seconded to HK Express as general manager, corporate planning, he was part of the transition team following the acquisition of the low-cost carrier by the Cathay Group.

Adding to Singapore’s regional office is Ashish Kapur as the regional head of cargo, Southeast Asia, replacing Siddhant Iyer, who will take on the role of head of cargo markets and customer solutions in Hong Kong. Prior to his current role, Kapur was the area manager for Cathay Pacific in Northern Europe, where he oversaw the entire Northern European operations and managed the teams based in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia.

Notably, Dominic Perret remains the regional general manager for Southeast Asia, where he is responsible for all commercial, operational and support functions across the seven countries that Cathay Pacific operates in across the region. 

For the new country managers in Southeast Asia, Cathay Pacific has appointed Tony Sham as the country manager for Indonesia, replacing Matthew Choi, who is now general manager of corporate planning for HK Express. Prior to his current appointment, Sham worked as regional head of customer travel and lifestyle for Northeast Asia in Tokyo.

Vishnu Rajendran steps in as the country manager for Philippines, replacing Donald Morris, who is now country manager of Korea. Rajendran was area manager of the Middle East, and was also acting country manager for South Africa & the Indian Ocean, as well as Acting Country lead for Sri Lanka & Maldives.

Robbie Blackwood joins as country manager for Malaysia & Brunei. Based in Kuala Lumpur, he replaces Roger Li, who is now a cadet pilot with Cathay Pacific. Blackwood has gained experience in key areas for Cathay, including cargo, customer experience, and people (HR).

Nicolas Masse also enters as the new country manager for Vietnam & Cambodia, based in Ho Chi Minh City, Masse replaces Jason Choi, who is now regional head of customer travel and lifestyle, Northeast Asia. Prior to this, Masse was Cathay Pacific’s country manager for Korea.

Lastly, Keri Lui remains as the country manager for Thailand, based in Bangkok.

Singapore – Changi Airport Group has extended its partnership with global professional services Accenture for the next three years to further transform operations and enhance the experience for travellers visiting Changi Airport in Singapore. This partnership began in 2019 with the establishment of a digital factory, known as DIVA — for digital, innovation, ventures, and analytics — designed to enable CAG to develop, experiment and launch new digital products and services.

Through the extended partnership, the two organisations will be leveraging innovative technologies such as extended reality, machine learning, Internet of Things, and edge computing to enable Changi to seamlessly engage travellers at various touchpoints, from before they arrive at the airport to after they leave. There will also be knowledge and skills transfer to the CAG team.

Adopting a customer-centric approach based on rapid prototyping, both organisations will be jointly designing and rolling out new digital products across Changi, which includes a new loyalty platform that will enable customers to earn points for both spending and travelling, redeem loyalty points across channels in one place and provide more redemption choices, encouraging customers to stay engaged and connected. By integrating data from various sources, the platform will allow Changi to understand its customers better, as well as enable the company to provide them with highly personalised communications, experiences, and offers.

Moreover, Accenture will be implementing a centralised identity and access management solution to help improve data security and privacy. This will eliminate the need for customers to sign in through multiple accounts to access different applications.

Jean Hung, group senior vice president for Enterprise Digital Ecosystem & Business at CAG, shared that in this next phase of their digital transformation journey, how they deliver the unique Changi experience, whether offline or online, to their customers remains key. 

“Our vision is to build deeper relationships with our customers and strive to serve them even better through innovative and interactive digital solutions. We are happy to extend our collaboration with Accenture, who has proven to be a valuable partner with the ability to combine innovative design capabilities with technology and industry expertise,” said Hung.

Meanwhile, Wee Wei Ng, Accenture’s country managing director for Singapore, said they have been working closely with CAG to implement digital enhancements and infuse a culture of experimentation. 

“As the line between the physical and digital continues to blur, organisations have the opportunity to address issues like trust, sustainability, safety, responsible access and use, diversity and more, helping set the stage for the future. We see many new possibilities to bring even more immersive collaborative, personalised and meaningful experiences to CAG’s customers,” she added.

Divyesh Vithlani, senior managing director and SEA market unit lead at Accenture, commented, “We aim to leverage emerging technologies such as Web3 to help Changi connect its customers, partners and their workforce to give everyone greater choice and control over how they work, live, play and learn while building a greater sense of community and culture. Facilitating knowledge and skills transfer to Changi’s employees will also enable Changi to be more self-sufficient to achieve better business outcomes.”

Singapore – In the spirit of celebrating a decade of flights, Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), has partnered with The Pokémon Company (TPC) to provide customers with one-of-a-kind travel experiences through its new ‘Pokémon Air Adventures’ project.

Commencing 9 September 2022, the aircraft, named ‘Pikachu Jet’, will operate two scheduled flights per month, with the first two routes set for Tokyo and Seoul, in time for the September and year-end holidays for our customers. Fares for flights from Singapore – Tokyo (Narita) start at S$333, while Singapore – Seoul start at S$231 (one way, inclusive of taxes).

The ‘Pikachu Jet’ aircraft is a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a capacity of 375 seats, comprising 35 seats in ScootPlus and 340 seats in Economy. Flight routes will be reviewed periodically and adjusted based on customer demand. Besides Tokyo and Seoul, the ‘Pikachu Jet’ will also be rostered on other routes operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as part of regular airline operations, though these may be susceptible to changes due to operational and maintenance needs. This means that some customers may find themselves travelling on the exclusive themed aircraft even if they had not specifically booked to fly on one of the marketed routes, adding an element of surprise and delight to their Scoot experience.

According to Scoot, the partnership with TPC marks another milestone for Scoot as the first ASEAN airline to launch an exclusive livery as part of the ‘Pokémon Air Adventures’ project. This is also a first for the SIA group while for TPC, the last international co-operated themed flight was 20 years ago.

Leslie Thng, Scoot’s CEO, shared that at Scoot, they are constantly pushing boundaries to bring delight and a dose of Scootitude to their customers. 

“Through this strategic partnership with TPC and hugely popular global franchise, we seek to engage our customers with unique travel experiences, creating unforgettable moments and memories while connecting them with much-loved destinations across our network,” said Thng.

Following the sales launch, Scoot and TPC will also be hosting a joint event to unveil the exclusive aircraft livery and reveal more detail about the scheduled flights and inflight experience. Customers and fans of Pokémon can also look forward to a new range of collectibles exclusive to the partnership that can only be purchased during flight bookings on Scoot’s website and mobile app, and on board Scoot flights.