You’ve asked for Wednesday posts to come back, and now they’re going to – in a limited way. Some of you love trip reports while others hate them, so I’m going to designate Wednesday as “trip report day.” If I have a trip, I’ll post the report on Wednesdays. But now I’m opening it up to others who have particularly unique experiences that I think others might like. Today, I’d like to introduce Geoff. He lives for hunting down some of these more exotic experiences, and today he brings you the Emirates A380 in First Class. Let me know what you think.
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Many people have a special vice or indulgence – something about which they care far more than the average person and which, quite irrationally, they value well above its objective cost. For some it’s a fancy car, or scoring a prime table at a hip restaurant or having the latest fashion fad. Mine is flying in a premium cabin.

Over the years, with a lot of planning and tactical earning and burning of frequent flier miles, I’ve flown in some fantastically spacious lie-flat beds, gotten free massages in exclusive high-end lounges and raised my champagne tolerance to impressive levels. But Dubai-based Emirates Airlines upped the ante exponentially for travel sybarites like me when they announced their fleet of new Airbus A380 aircraft was going to have showers in First Class.

Found only on the highest-end private aircraft, a shower on a plane is a serious luxury because of the high fuel cost of carrying around all that extra water. So far none of the other carriers that have taken delivery of the A380 have chosen to install them.

Thankfully, not having a reason to go to Dubai nor mega bucks wasn’t an obstacle keeping me from this unique in-flight experience. Emirates flies the A380 on several shorter non-hub routes like Hong Kong to Bangkok and Sydney to Auckland, where First Class tickets can be had for hundreds instead of thousands of dollars.

A rational purchase? Hardly. Worth it for a three hour flight? Maybe not in other circumstances. After all, I’d have to get half way around the world to do it. But come on, a shower on a plane??!! Has to be done at least once I told myself.

And so I was in Hong Kong a few weeks ago, eager to see how Emirates First Class stacked up to others I’ve flown, and if showering on a plane took premium air travel to a whole new level…

Emirates 385 Lv Hong Kong 915p Arr Bangkok 1115p
HKG: Gate 62, Runway 7R, Depart 3m Early
BKK: Gate E4, Runway 19R, Arrive 2m Early
Airbus A380-861, A6-EDI
Seat 2A, 14/14 F Suites Occupied
Flight Time 2h28m

The Emirates airport lounge didn’t open until 6:15, which meant that even though I could check-in early at the HK Airport Express station, I couldn’t start the champagne flowing until then. The train ride out was uneventful and the immigration and security process was quick, despite the lack of a special lane for premium passengers. I got to the lounge early and sure enough the lights were off. So I headed back down to the main level to take advantage of two of HKG’s great features: views of big airplanes and free WiFi. I found an area with comfortable lounge chairs looking out over the busy ramp and a sliver of runway, and kept myself occupied until the lounge opened at 6:15 sharp.

I was welcomed into the spacious facility, where a large staff was still setting up the buffet and other serving areas. I staked out a couch and table and headed over to see what was on offer. The drink station had an ample selection of wine and spirits. I was greeted by an attendant who asked what I would like and then poured me a glass of champagne.  I started at the appetizer section of the buffet, helping myself to a ramekin of fancy mixed nuts, some upscale cheese and crackers and some fresh fruit. Soon enough I was back for a refill and the attendant topped up my glass while I perused the entrees which included satay, stir-fried noodles and baked tuna. It was good by lounge food standards and there was a diverse selection to accommodate a broad array of cultural and dietary preferences – important because in looking around it was quite a diverse group of fellow passengers.

One small nit to pick with the set-up is that unlike the nearby United and Singapore Air facilities, there was not a separate area for First Class passengers (Business Class and Emirates top frequent fliers all share the same big space). It wasn’t a huge deal, but the main room did get quite busy and loud as departure time approached.

The attendants did a good job of circulating to pick up used plates and glasses and offering drink refills. I went up thinking I might sample one or two of the several very good looking desserts but exercised some rare self-control. I chatted briefly with the desk agents to confirm the flight was still on time and then ducked in to use the facilities. As I exited, the vigilant bathroom attendant headed inside to straighten up, something I then noticed happen after virtually every occupant.

Though boarding had yet to be announced, I was eager to survey the scene at the gate so I headed down a bit early. Our plane was being fueled and bags were loaded while inside it was as chaotic as you would expect for an aircraft that holds 500 passengers.

At the appointed hour the floodgates were opened, my boarding pass was scanned and I made my way into the jetway, past the door for coach and up the inclined ramp to the upstairs entrance for Business and First Class passengers.

There was a flight attendant waiting at the door and the typical pre-flight flurry of activity in the galleys and aisles. She welcomed me and after seeing my seat assignment in First, had one of her colleagues show me to Suite 2A.

Between the shiny wood and chrome and all the bells and whistles in the suite, my first impression was of sensory overload — but in a good way. There was a lot to take in and figure out.

The FA stowed my jacket in the built-in closet, and I was impressed by the vast underseat storage area, fitted with a thoughtful strap that allowed me to stash my rollaboard off to the side standing up, instead of on its side and extending into my legroom. Another flight attendant was by to take my pre-departure drink order as I started to familiarize myself with the seat controls and entertainment system…

…And the mini-bar, and the vanity mirror and built-in amenity kit. And the contents of the Goodie Basket.

Realizing that it’s a lot to process, there’s a hefty “Emirates A380 First Class Suite Guide” booklet to explain how it all works.

For the most part, things were clean and looked new on this less than one-year-old aircraft (delivered May 2010), the one exception being the carpeting inside my suite which showed several stains. The seat itself was comfortable, and the leg room was ample enough for my 6’4” frame, but it wasn’t as wide as others I’ve flown. (According to Seatguru.com it is 23 inches wide, noticeably narrower than the likes of Cathay Pacific, Singapore and even United with seat widths of 30” and up.)

That said, the suite did feel very private; thanks to the high sidewalls and layout the only sign I could see of another passenger in the full cabin was the legs and feet of the person in the middle seat one row ahead of me. That’s a definite plus in my book when traveling solo. I also liked the individual air vents in the suite, allowing the passenger some control over the temperature.

A glass of Dom 2002 arrived. It was nicely chilled, in a proper flute and hit the spot. After a few sips I walked up to the front area to see about reserving an early time slot for my shower, so that I wouldn’t be rushed with dinner. A helpful FA took my seat number and said that the shower attendant would come to get me in flight as soon as it was ready. (Yes, among the 24 FAs that staff an Emirates A380 flight there is one whose primary job is to look after the showers.)

As much as there was to keep me occupied at the seat, FAs were passing through almost non-stop offering magazines and newspapers, then slippers and eyeshades, then a piping hot refreshing towel the size of a large washcloth, and then Arabic coffee and dates. Between that unique touch and the announcements in Arabic (as well as English and Chinese) and the traditional hat and scarf that the female FAs wear, there was no mistaking that this was a Middle Eastern airline.

While I was taking in the scene another FA came by with a champagne refill and a small can of Pringles, to replace the one I had eaten from my Goodie Basket. Definite points for proactive service. Our purser then came by to introduce herself, gave me a warm welcome by name and the menu and wine lists, which were in a heavy, restaurant-style leather binder.

Billed as a “Light Meal”, there was a choice of salmon and caviar or lamb loin appetizer, followed by a salad, a choice of five entrees, a cheese course and dessert. Three of the entrees were Asian dishes and then there was a grilled lamb rack and a steamed veggie plate to round out the offering. None of the choices jumped out at me, but I went with the “Chinese style roast chicken with plum sauce, stir-fried noodles and mixed vegetables” figuring that to be a safe, if not particularly elegant, follow-on to smoked salmon and caviar. The wine list was upscale and diverse though there wasn’t a real high-end Premier or Grand Cru bottle as I’ve seen on other airlines.

I selected the tail camera channel on the Entertainment system and enjoyed that unique view as we pushed back from the gate a few minutes early. I counted at least four cabin crew in the aisles collecting the drink glasses and Goodie Baskets and otherwise preparing the cabin for takeoff.

Having had one previous ride on the A380, I knew to look forward to the takeoff roll, with the immense thrust being put out by the four engines working to get the beast airborne. It’s also longer than you’ll experience on most other aircraft – a full 45 seconds I counted this time before the front wheels left the ground. The seatbelt sign came off 6 minutes out and before I knew it a flight attendant was by to offer some more champagne and to tell me that the shower attendant was setting up for me. I half-jokingly asked if she was sure there was no turbulence coming and was promised a smooth ride.

Not long after came the magic words I’d been waiting for: “Sir, your shower is ready. Please come with me.” I fought to suppress the grin on my face as I was ushered into an airplane bathroom like none I’d seen before.

Many times larger than a standard lavatory, it was trimmed in blond wood with gray suede-like upholstery on the seating surfaces and discreetly covering the toilet.

The interior wall had a huge mirror as well as a monitor showing the moving map channel from the entertainment system. I was given a primer on how the shower worked as well as a safety briefing so that I knew where the oxygen mask would deploy and where the call button was if I needed any assistance. But most important was the “Remaining Time” gauge, which shows how much of your allotted five minutes of shower water is left.

I was very impressed by how clean everything seemed. There was not a scrap of paper on the floor or anything out of place. The glass surfaces were all gleaming. The shower itself was nicer than many I have used in airport lounges, not to mention some hotels. The towel provided was big, white and fluffy and there was every type of bath gel and lotion you could need.

I hung up my clothes on the provided hanger and gingerly stepped in. A sensor requires the shower door to be fully closed to start the water, which makes plenty of sense but puts you in the awkward position of being inside at first spray, without knowing what temperature to expect. Huddled close to the wall, I hit the magic “on” button and hoped not to be scalded. Unlike my shower at home it was pleasantly warm right off the bat. The water pressure was also great. I took a few moments just getting my bearings but then remembered I was working against the clock.

By the time I hit the off button, I was in the red zone with just over a minute of water left. I didn’t wash my hair, but if I hadn’t been messing around taking pictures I probably would have had enough time. I got out, dried myself off and saw the altitude reading on the monitor of 11,500 meters. Dude, I just took a shower at 37,000 feet! A pretty darn good shower at that.

Duly refreshed, I decided it was only fitting to check out one of the other unique features of the plane: the bar/lounge at the back of Business Class. It took a bit of hopping around service carts and FAs to get all the way to the back. The large area included couches on both sides by the windows and several standing areas in the middle where multi-tiered trays of finger food were set out. The alcohol was fairly upscale, as was the vibe. Seatbelts were tucked into the couches, enabling you to ride out turbulence without having to be antisocial and go back to your seat.

The bartender looked happy to see me as she had only one other passenger to look after. She fixed me a drink, very carefully measuring and pouring out a single shot. There was a fair bit of clamor coming from the rear galley where several FAs were stowing dinner items and sending out dessert and coffee to a constant stream of their colleagues working the aisles. The three of us chatted and I think the surreal-ness of showering and then drinking at the bar on the plane finally began to hit me. (Or was it the vodka?) In another Rare Moment of Self Control I turned down a drink refill, and went back to my seat for dinner.

My dutiful flight attendant must have seen me come back as she swooped in with a linen tablecloth to get me set for dinner. The tray table is massive – which is cool in one sense, but unless I missed something the design doesn’t leave you a way to get up from the seat when it is deployed. (On other airlines the tray slides or pivots, or the aisle-side armrest slides down allowing you to get up.)

She was then back with a food tray… and some bad news. Somehow despite my having ordered the caviar appetizer, they were now out of it and only the lamb choice was left. She was apologetic and nice enough about it, even offering a double helping of the lamb if I wanted it. I declined and then was offered an ample bread basket and chose garlic bread, which was served warm.

The tray was crammed with a lot of stuff, including a bread plate, a small side salad, and various accoutrements. It was a nice presentation, but it always feels classier to me when they bring and place the items individually instead of serving them all at once on a tray.

But that was not to be my biggest gripe with the meal. The lamb was tough, the salad was… just a salad. The chicken with noodles entree was so lame I asked for more garlic bread. It made the lounge food seem great by contrast. Admittedly it is a short flight so maybe they scale back on the catering budget. All I know is that I’d be very disappointed if this is what they serve on longer flights.

It did at least end on a high note, with a mousse cake and a nice glass of Sauternes. Following that was the most elegant coffee service I’ve ever had on a plane, featuring a big proper coffee pot with accompaniments that included a plate of ginger cookies. I also had my arm twisted into sampling the Glenfiddich 21 year single malt.

The cabin lighting was turned down, revealing a cool feature on the ceiling resembling stars in the night sky. I could have dozed, but wanted to fully enjoy what remained of my time. I turned on the in-seat massage function but then quickly turned it off because it was so loud and vigorous.

I also had to try the seat in bed mode, and found it comfortable and long enough for me to sleep without having to curl up. The finishing touch was closing the doors to my suite, sealing me off from the cabin in my own cocoon. I must admit it created a unique sense of privacy and would no doubt help me stay asleep on a long flight.

As the engines spooled back to signal the start of our descent, I took stock of the day’s adventure. While there were a few on-board elements that could have used improvement, I give Emirates a lot of credit for raising the bar on First Class by installing the showers and operating them with such high standards. The actual shower on a plane was better than I expected. (The fun of telling people I took a shower on a plane wasn’t bad either.)

Although the best part of taking a shower on a plane isn’t taking the shower – it’s feeling (and smelling) good afterward, unlike pretty much everyone else coming off of airplanes. While less of an issue on this short flight, it is a big deal on overnight flights, especially for travelers going to straight to work at their destination.

Getting off the plane feeling decidedly invigorated, I wondered if the rival airline execs who chose not to put showers on their A380s have ever tried one.

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Geoff Fischer is an aviation and travel enthusiast currently living in Seattle who embraces his inner sybarite and enjoys the comforts of flying in a premium cabin

July Premium Traffic Shows Gains – BNET
It’s premium traffic monitor time again, and traffic is still in the tank. But it’s not quite as bad, so that’s good.

Delta’s SkyClub Promotion Slightly Misses the Mark – BNET
Delta offered club access to some elite members for a day. Good idea, not great execution.

Guest Posts From My Favourite Bloggers : Brett Snyder – The Cranky Flier – Flying with Fish blog
I wrote a guest post for Fish about the recently announced V Australia/Emirates codeshare.

US Airways and Delta Raise More Money – BNET
Airlines are raising money left and right these days. Might as well do it while they can.

United Goes Back Into Mini-Expansion Mode Domestically – BNET
Don’t look now, but United has started adding new flights and new cities once again. That’s always encouraging, though I do wonder about some of these.

Virgin America’s Improved Second Quarter Performance Details – BNET
Now that the government data is out, we can take a look at Virgin America’s performance in greater detail. Not too bad, but there’s still work to do.

Last week, I had the chance to chat with Patrick Brannelly, Emirates VP Passenger Communications and Visual Services. The topic? Onboard mobile phone use. This should spark some pretty interesting debate.

Patrick was very encouraged by what he’s seeing on Emirates so far, and he thinks much of the anti-phone hype is just that . . . hype. Does that mean that the rest of the world should adopt it? It’s obviously quite a complicated subject, but I must admit that seeing how it’s being used in real life makes me less averse to the idea in general.

You can decide for yourself.

Cranky: Hi Patrick, thanks for taking the time to talk with me about mobile phone usage onboard today. I understand that you’re seeing some very good response to the program.

Patrick: Yes, we are. We now have it on 37 or 38 aircraft and we launched it over a year ago. We’re seeing about 35% of people switch their phones on – sometimes as high as 65% of known passengers. These are people who switch their phones on. Some who switch it on can’t roam or don’t have roaming agreements, so not all can use it. In the last year since we launched, over a quarter of a million people switched a phone on on an Emirates flight. We’ve never had a single complaint. People like to message. There’s been a lot of use of SMS.

Cranky: What aircraft types are those 37 or 38 aircraft?

Patrick: The Aeromobile system is on a number of aircraft types – the A330, A340-300, and also the 777s. I believe it’s on 5 aircraft types and we’re installing about one a week.

Cranky: Will it be on the entire fleet?

Patrick: That’s the plan. We have seen some complaints of people not being able to use their mobile phone on the plane, so we want to make sure they have the service.

Cranky: But you say you haven’t seen any complaints from passengers about people using their phones?

Patrick: No. I think it’s a little bit of journalistic hysteria. Nobody likes to be sitting next to someone who is jabbering away, but there are a lot of natural self limiters to prevent that.

1. It is roaming. People speak less when the price is a little bit higher. These calls are still via satellite so it does cost more.




2. At any time on a long haul aircraft, roughly about one third of the people you’re trying to call are asleep. We are seeing almost zero calls on night flights.




3. It is only allowed five calls on an aircraft at a time. I heard a US Senator or someone say he didn’t want to hear 100 calls on a plane at the same time. That wouldn’t happen; it’s impossible right now.




4. We have TVs on every seat, so passengers are watching programs with their headphones on and not listening to phone conversations.

Cranky: Are you seeing certain geographic areas getting more usage than others?

Patrick: Asia is turning out to have a lot more text messages as a percentage. If you go to Asia, a place like Japan, the use of a phone in a public place is very persona non grata. They like to text.

Cranky: But are there certain flights where you’re seeing more usage than others?

Patrick: Oddly enough, we’re seeing a lot of voice traffic before you get into countries that are more expensive to roam into. People are trying to make the call before they land. But one thing to note, even on the most heavy use flight, we’ve only seen three concurrent calls at one time. We rarely see two concurrent calls, but we do.

Cranky: Really? So you’ve never even hit the limit. Interesting. What about specifically on flights to the US? What has usage looked like?

Patrick: I don’t believe we have actually flown the system to the US. The reason for that is that the US is served with very specific aircraft types. None of the 777LR or A380s have that yet.

Cranky: But you could use it on US flights if you wanted to, right?

Patrick: It would be switched off on US flights. Even if we wanted to use it over the US, it would have to be disabled because the US uses a different system. It can’t be used without additional equipment and we haven’t installed that.

Cranky: But you could use it for the rest of the flight that isn’t over US airspace?

Patrick: Well, we could for part of it, but it doesn’t work above 82 degrees latitude, over the poles where some of our US flights go. We would like to be able to use it to and from flights from America but there has been talk that it may be prohibited, but we’ll resist that.

Patrick: One thing that’s being missed here is why has Emirates done this. We’ve had phones on the seatbacks and they have been used over the years. We see sometimes 40 to 50 phone calls on a flight to New York and never a single complaint. What this is about is more convenience. Passengers know the numbers, they can get billed to their phone and it might be cheaper than using the seatback phone. It’s about freedom. They have the freedom to choose more things. Some people will speak on the phone and speak loudly, but they’ll do that today on a seatback phone.

Cranky: Do you think this will work on flights anywhere on any airline or do you think it’s success is specific to Emirates which flies longer haul flights to countries that may have more expensive calling agreements?

Patrick: I think over time it’s bound to come down in price. Even if it stays at the same price, it’s deflationary. That’s given us tremendous freedom. I think this will work on any flight. People don’t just speak on their phones; they text, they email, they download applications on their iPhone, etc. This is all about allowing people to live normally when they’re traveling anywhere.

One of the most important things is if you’re traveling in an emergency – maybe you’re traveling with someone who is not very well – you’re on a 7 hour flight and you’re stressing about that. Having the freedom to diffuse the situation and calm you down is very important. It’s almost a human right. You should be able to communicate.

Cranky: Wait, did you say you can download applications? Do you have internet access via phones now or is it just voice and text?

Patrick: At the moment, it’s SMS and voice. We need to upgrade some of the other avionics on the aircraft, and very soon we’ll be offering GPRS data. I have GPRS data on my BlackBerry, and I can surf the internet. I can’t watch YouTube, but it keeps me in touch. I know what’s going on in the world. We’ll have that working on some planes within a year. Whether or not you can download an app, I’m not really sure.

You should be connected at the airport, you should be getting wi-fi for free, like airlines like JetBlue give. This is what it’s all about. In the future, people will be 100% connected 20 years from now. This is just about what happens in between.

Cranky: So what about onboard internet. Are you looking at putting a system onboard?

Patrick: There are a number of solutions out there. In terrestrial America, you have the GoGo product which has been well received. But you need to have a lot on the ground and that’s not possible over water or probably in Europe. We want them to have free, or very cheap, we want them to have free internet. It has to be easy to use. You don’t have to swipe credit cards and all that stuff. I don’t think travelers are prepared to pay $24 for a two hour session. We’ve done things like free wi-fi in lounges worldwide. People say, “you could make money, you could charge with this,” but that rubs us the wrong way. This is a service.

Cranky: Back to onboard mobile, let’s talk details of how this works. Do you or does Aeromobile (the mobile provider onboard) charge a fee for use or is it just what the networks charge?

Patrick: The way it works – it’s just like another country. Aeromobile has roaming agreements with about 150 operators worldwide – there are 900 total – and that determines how much the phone company is charged. The phone company can charge the customer whatever they want. We know one phone company that’s charging less than they’re paying and another that’s charging a 300% markup. Check with your operator. If you get ripped off, you’re likely to change service providers. Emirates are not in this. We will not make profit out of this. This is a service and we are not interested in making a profit out of it.

Cranky: So then you get one bill from your mobile phone provider at the end. But do you know if Aeromobile has agreements with US carriers?

Patrick: I don’t believe they have agreements with the major US carriers. [Further research found that no US carriers currently have an agreement with Aeromobile. I understand that Aeromobile simply isn't prioritizing US carriers because this doesn't operate on US flights, but they will get there eventually. Apparently, there is some demand. More than 400 US carrier subscribers tried to turn on their phone last month.]

Cranky: Great, thanks for taking the time to chat, Patrick.

You know that scene in American Pie where Jim wakes up after losing his virginity to the girl from band camp and exclaims giddily, “I was used. Cool!”? Well, that’s sort of how I felt yesterday morning when I woke up to see USA Today’s interview with JetBlue CEO Dave Barger admitting that his talking to me about the Long Beach situation was not inadvertent. In this case, being used is a good thing, and I’d say other airlines should be taking notes. Let me explain.

The interview (which was very complimentary toward my blog – thanks, Dave) shows that JetBlue takes blogs and other new media outlets very seriously.

My sense is that really – not just in America – but the world there’s what’s known as mainstream media. But, new social media, it’s there. It’s real-time.

I think when there was a challenge to the blog – not my comment, but somebody else’s regarding (blog author Snyder’s credibility as) a “professional” – I think that’s a very, very harsh comment. I mean it’s (The Cranky Flier) real.

And you know what? That’s smart. Look what it’s done for them in Long Beach. They have put the issue of terminal improvements back on the front burner. But this isn’t about just saying something to a blogger and hoping it gets picked up. There’s a lot more to it than that.

I have had a good relationship with JetBlue’s PR team ever since I reached out to them with a question when I was just a fledgling blogger a couple years back. They’ve always been quick to respond with helpful information, something that isn’t always easy to find from other airlines. For JetBlue, it’s even bigger than just responding to blogs. They’ve extended their influence to a much broader area by responding quickly with Twitter to anyone out there who needs information. And responding quickly helps them to shape the story.

Now this doesn’t mean that everything I write about them is rosy. Far from it. I went through my past posts and I’ve actually given them two Cranky Jackass awards (one, two) and almost given them a third. And let’s not get started on the whole “controllable irregularities” issue or the early customer bill of rights stuff. But their willingness to engage quickly undoubtedly helps them to avoid some of the bad press that might otherwise come their way.

For example, when I flew them last weekend up to the Bay Area (trip report coming eventually), I sent a couple tweets about the TVs not working. I received a direct message back quickly asking about it and requesting that I follow up with them if I haven’t received any compensation for the problem. It’s a brilliant use of new media to further their cause. Not only have they placated me as a traveler, but they’ve turned a potential ugly piece of my trip report into a positive outcome.

Of course, they aren’t the only ones to do this. Southwest does an excellent job as well. They were probably the first to understand the importance of quick response in a world where there are no old media-style deadlines. Things get published to the rest of the internet as soon as they’re ready to go. The sooner you can give good information, the better chance you have to shape the discussion.

More and more airlines are starting to involve themselves with new media, but I’m not convinced that many of them know what they’re doing. I don’t need a bunch of tweets about a new fare sale to Zimbabwe, but I do need fast answers to questions and good access to the people who have those answers.

For all those airlines who still don’t think embracing new media is a good thing, well, there’s not much I can say to you except you should pull your heads out of your asses. But for those who are still trying to figure out the right way to embrace new media, let me offer some tips.

• Respond quickly – There are no deadlines in the world of new media. If someone sends you a note with a question, respond as fast as you can because that post will go up whether they have your comment or not. Even if you don’t have the info, write back to say you’re looking for it and they will likely wait. Of course, you can’t respond to everyone out there so . . . .




• Find the influencers – There are a million blogs out there and a lot of them are terrible. So you need to figure out which ones are actually influencers and focus on them. Influencers are those that are well-respected and have the ability to touch a lot of people. You’ll want to be most responsive to those you see as influencers. And remember, the list will change over time. But even beyond the influencers, there’s more you can do . . . .




• Use Twitter for good – I fully admit that I hate Twitter. I just can’t figure out how to use it to my liking, but customer service businesses that can benefit from offering real-time solutions to problems should be all over this tool. JetBlue and Southwest may have been early adopters, but others are catching on. Even United has started to use this to help people, and they’re slowly finding their groove. This is a great way to reach beyond the influencers to have a much broader impact, yet in a targeted way.




• Be more proactive – Some airlines are decent at responding to questions, but they aren’t good at reaching out on their own. I just received a note earlier this week asking if I would like to talk to an Emirates VP about their onboard mobile phone program. Of course I did, and now I’m writing up the interview for next week. (It’s actually very interesting.)

So is Emirates using me in some way to get a conversation going in the US about mobile phones onboard? I don’t doubt it. Did JetBlue use me to get things moving again in Long Beach? Probably. But that’s smart. Both airlines have opted to provide excellent access and interesting content, a blogger’s dream. This won’t always work out well. I might disagree completely and absolutely thrash something that comes out. But when airlines are willing to engage even after receiving bad press, it makes the relationship even more powerful for the future. An airline that cuts someone off for writing something bad will be hurting itself more than anything else.

Companies work to manage the media all the time, and now they need to start managing new media as well. JetBlue has shown that engaging the right new media outlets can have some major positive benefits. Hopefully other airlines will start to realize that they can do the same.

And when the rest of you guys do figure it out, you know where to find me.

US airlines have done an excellent job of holding back on capacity lately, and that has left them with at least somewhat decent results considering the state of the economy. But not everyone has been so disciplined. Emirates recently announced that it would grow 14% in 2009 despite some seriously worrying signs from its hometown of Dubai. Is this smart? Probably not, but who cares? It will likely lead to some great deals for travelers.

You would think the management team at Emirates would be getting nervous right now. Dubai’s economy is really getting hit hard. The Dubai stock market has plunged more than 75%, real estate prices have tanked, and jobs are disappearing. Just this week, the United Arab Emirates said it would buy $10 billion worth of bonds from Dubai in order to prop it up.

Considering that backdrop, Emirates seems like it’s from a different world. The airline still expects to take on 58 A380s, more than a quarter of all A380s ordered worldwide, and it placed an additional order for 60 smaller Airbus widebodies less than a year ago. During the airline’s fiscal year (which runs April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010), Emirates will take on a new passenger widebody every 20 days, including 7 A380s. Surrounded by a collapsing economy, where will they put these planes?

Many of those A380s were expected to be outfitted with massive numbers of Economy seats to shuttle workers between labor-rich India and Dubai, but now there will be fewer people going back and forth. And with fewer visitors coming to Dubai in general, demand will be dropping dramatically from that angle as well. They will apparently focus the new aircraft on “on routes where there is a greater demand from our customers. All of our new capacity will be deployed in markets where we see growth potential, particularly Africa and the Middle East,” though from what I can see, there will be increases to just about every region of the globe, including North America which will see increased frequencies in San Francisco and LA.

So what does this really mean? There is going to be tremendous price pressure on Emirates in the near future until the economy is able to catch up. Keep an eye out to see if any massive discounting happens. It’s likely only a matter of time, and it could make for some great deals.