I talk a lot about Air New Zealand. After flying around 200000 kilometers with them last year, and being well on my way to doing more than that this year, I speak from experience. So.. here’s a couple of examples why.
Take a flight within New Zealand on AirNZ and you’re not greeted by a crusty safety message – rather you’re entertained by some authentic Air New Zealand staff, airbrushed for the occasion:
But it goes further than that – just the other day Air New Zealand announced a proposed alliance between themselves and budget Australian carrier, Virgin Blue. A magazine here in New Zealand wrote an editorial criticizing the move and suggesting that service on Air New Zealand would be downgraded if the alliance went ahead. Rather than releasing a boring press release, Air New Zealand decided to have some fun with their response. The following is Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe giving a quintessentially Kiwi response to the magazine’s assertions:
So, yet again, congrats Air New Zealand – you guys really understand engaging directly with customers and harnessing the power of the network.
Oh and just to balance my parochialism somewhat, a bit of credit where credit is due. Southwest do a pretty good video themselves….
