Airlines should rethink their cabin branding, replacing economy class with “connectivity class” or “cinema class,” according to Teague principal brand strategist Devin Liddell.
Speaking at the Passenger Experience Conference in Hamburg, Liddell urged airlines to be more creative in designing and naming their products.
“There is a tremendous opportunity to get out of the constraint of thinking about seat classes just around space and start thinking of them in terms of ‘what do people want out of the flying experience?’ ” Liddell said.
He highlighted examples—such as Scoot’s child-free zone and Delta Air Line’s innovation class—which uses LinkedIn to pair up passengers with other experts in their field.
“Even from a naming standpoint, where do I want to sit? Do I want to sit in economy class—which is more or less an apology or a friendlier version of ‘have not’ class—or do I want to sit in innovation class? We already know that passengers value connectivity more than the window or aisle seat, so why are we not doing more to make a bigger deal out of connectivity class?” he said.
Other examples include a “cinema class,” which is driven by the latest movie releases and technology, as well as a “guaranteed bin class,” where passengers would be given priority storage for their hand luggage.
Liddell also encouraged airlines to form partnerships with major brands. One example would be airlines teaming up with luxury hotel chains for their airport business lounges. “It’s all about making things work better for the passenger. When we do that, passengers love it.”
