Customer choice

Airbus is hoping passengers will seek out its Airspace cabin and proactively buy flights because they are operated by Airbus products, but how many passengers actually know which aircraft type they are flying on?

“It is essential for us to have the Airspace by Airbus name out there. We want passengers, when they book, to check for an Airspace cabin,” Airbus SVP-marketing customer affairs Francois Caudron said, speaking at the Airspace launch in London. “Our dream is that passengers will go on a website, see that it is the Airspace cabin and buy their ticket.”

My view is that, unless an aircraft looks VERY different - for example a turboprop, a double-decker like the Airbus A380/Boeing 747, or Concorde – then passengers pay very little attention to the metal tube that they are flying on. Think back to your last taxi, bus or train journey. Can you remember the make of the car, bus or train?

In broad terms, you need to recognize a positive experience, connect that with the aircraft type, decide to actively seek it out and then remember that the next time you book, if the airline actually operates that type. How likely is that when most passengers only see an air bridge? And how does the aircraft type stack up against other deciding factors, like schedule and price?

Air travel – particularly long-haul air travel – is a bit different because the time spent on the aircraft is considerably longer than a short hop across town. Savvy business travelers, or people who know their stuff can make an educated guess, but aircraft types can easily be substituted for operational reasons, so the type is never guaranteed. The airline simply promises to get you from A to B.

Then there’s the issue of mixed fleets. Do airlines really want a distinguishable experience between their two long-haul types, when they are looking to offer a consistent product and brand image?

Finally, there’s the age-old question of who “owns” the customer (the answer is, of course, the customer). We’ve seen the airlines and airports fight this one out over the years, but now it seems aircraft manufacturers are getting in on the act, specifying minimum seat widths and now marketing to the end-user, rather than the airlines who buy their kit.

This is partly a push by Airbus to make its products a talking point on social media, but frankly airlines are more interested in promoting their own brand, than getting their supplier’s sub-brand out there.

I asked Caudron from Airbus whether he hoped airlines would display the Airspace logo on board. “Yes, that is part of the plan,” he replied. When I asked whether they would pay airlines for this marketing work, he laughed and said: “I don’t think so. Do you get a discount when you buy a BMW for carrying their logo? Come on, let’s be serious.”

But BMW is a consumer brand which people do buy for the logo, whereas Airbus is a business-to-business supplier. Caudron was quick to stress that Airbus is not looking to step on its airline customers’ toes. “We have created this product to enhance an airline’s own brand, not to interfere with it. It’s their decision. It’s a tool we provide; they can choose to make active use of it.”

He explained that airlines will be able to personalize the all-white Airspace base structures with brand-specific lighting, whereas passengers will feel the Airspace brand in the cabin cross section, seat width, feel and use of light.

Airspace includes 95% of the cabin design elements first used on the A350, although it will officially be launched as a standard base cabin on the A330neo in 2017. The final 5% of the concept, introduced directly on the A330neo, will then be reintegrated into the A350 and, ultimately, all Airbus’ commercial aircraft products. The cabin will also be available for retrofit.