ExpressJet has run a few really really poor newspaper ads over the past several weeks that basically tell you nothing. No destinations, no prices…nada. An airplane seat is a commodity for sale….no different than any other product. If you are new in a market, your ads must be very retail oriented. ExpressJet’s ads MUST tell the reader at least where the airline is flying, when it starts service, maybe even how often if flies and how much it costs..plus how to book, etc. These ads say basically nothing! They are institutional in nature……..”You’ll know us when you see us!…. and…”Everyone gets a window seat!”…that sort of junk….and a waste of time and money. They don’t sell a thing and seats need to be sold. NOW!

From a sales & Marketing perspective, this is a rookie error. I don’t know who is paying for this but they are basically wasting their money, especially just as the airline is starting service from Kansas City to three destinations today: Austin, Ontario and Tucson. Those are long trips from here. They are semi-transcons! Those flights will be 2 to 3 hours long. The service starts today but I didn’t see an ad announcing it in today’s paper. And today has lots of competition for local news. It is opening day for the Kansas City Royals for example. (….and my wife’s birthday!)

Second comment: I tried the ExpressJet website and punched in an itinerary roundtrip to Austin. The site was very confusing. It confirms different dates than I asked for and those dates are very lightly shaded while my requested dates are bold red. It would be very easy to book the wrong dates. I asked for the 2nd…it confirmed the 7th…that sort of thing. I tried it three times. It always did the same thing. It should tell me the 2nd is sold out…not that the 7th is available. I can get that informaiton later on in the booking cycle. What the hell happened to my request for the 2nd. It didn’t even acknowledge that it would fly on the 2nd. Again, this is rookie error stuff that should have been long ago purged from the reservation system. It sure looks like these guys are new to airline operations. Of course, we all know they aren’t but who is running the marketing, reservations and sales departments?

Ah…Marketing. So few understand its real importance and this looks like a textbook example of marketing taking a back seat to just flying. Sadly I predict: This airline is in for a tough ride.

Steve Forsyth in KCMO

Today, ExpressJet began maiden voyages under its own name from markets like Austin; Boise, Idaho; and Tucson, Ariz. ExpressJet, which mostly operates as Continental Express and Delta’s commuter affiliate, decided on the solo branding after Continental…