(You can download excellent powerpoint slides about blue ocean strategy HERE ). Singapore Airlines (SIA) is avoidable known as one of the greatest brands in the global business world. This company from the lion country is also known as one of the best flight airlines in the world, whether in the financial aspect also in the customer satisfaction rank, beating the other famous airlines such British Airlines, Fly Emirates, and Qantas.
And as the previous, the Singapore Airlines surprising the world airlines public when they held the premier launch several weeks ago, for the jumbo jet Airbus A 380 – a giant airplane product with the two multistoried seat along the cabin; a spectacular product, a masterpiece of the factory, the Airbus consortium, to compete the eternal rival, Boeing from USA.
The Singapore Airlines successes story maybe a narration of the genius business strategy and the world-class management practice. Then, what the management lesson that we may take ?
By the deep exploration, we found at least three point that we can learn from the Singapore Airlines successful story ; the touch of the excellent service, the continuity innovation, and the technology superiority.
The first aspect is about the service process (especially the experience at the airplane cabin) which always been presenting excellently by the entire cabin crew for the entire passengers. That’s the series service being personified in the Singapore Girl figure: a figure of a beautiful girl in the oriental scent, elegant and friendly, warm and full of empathy, in Malay batik uniform designed by Pierre Balmain, the French haute couture designer. In each of their advertising campaign, the SIA consistently accentuate the Singapore Girl aura as the excellent personal service symbol. In the other words, the Singapore Girl figure has been represent as the icon of the service guarantee and the exciting and unforgettable flight experience.
Beneath, behind the elegant performance figure, the SIA gives thousands hours systematic training to their entire cabin crew. At the modern and luxurious training center, the SIA constantly educate and trainee their cabin crew- including the Singapore Girl – in order to fulfill the world class airlines service standard. That’s why the SIA always get the number one chart at the customer satisfaction survey about in-flight service observed by the independent institution. (You can download excellent powerpoint slides about blue ocean strategy HERE ).
The second aspect that supports the SIA glorious is their effort to always innovate – particularly about the in-flight services. The SIA is the first airlines that introduce the personal system of the entertainment system and video on-demand for every seat. They called it Krisworld. They also the first airlines who introduce the seat configuration that able to perfectly extended so that we can sleep comfort upon it. And now, by the A 380 giant jumbo existing, they introduce the first suite class in the commercial airlines world – a class that designed exactly as the five star hotel room, completed with the private compartment (imagine, it would be cool to have a honey moon on this suite – on the eight hours flight Singapore – Sydney…)
The third aspect has became the SIA successful point; a strategy to always use the new airplanes. In the world commercial airlines industry, SIA known as the airlines with the youngest airplanes age rates (the SIA sold their airplanes after they are in average 8 years usage; compare to the domestic airlines who fly their airplanes until even 20 years usage). This strategy used for two purposes. The first is to have a low cost operational, because to maintain the younger airplanes is more efficient and cheaper rather than to maintain the older airplanes. In the long terms, this pattern has concluded the extraordinary low cost for the SIA financial aspect.
The other purpose of the young age airplanes usage is to build a reputation as the superior airlines company. The modern airlines image reflects straightly because the entire SIA airplanes are always the newest series – whether produced by Boeing, such as the 777 series (and soon the 787 series) and the Airbus production. Their smart strategy is the SIA always tries to be the first flight on the sky of each jumbo jet produced by Boeing or Airbus (like the one on the first flight of the giant airplanes Airbus A 380). The goal is obvious: as the first flight, they can have the widespread publication from the vcarious global mass media (think, which media who did not issue the first flight process of Singapore Airlines with Airbus A 380?). And this free publication is a great positive bless for the SIA image persisting as the pioneer of the airlines company.
Using those three strategies point – the excellent service, the continuity innovation, and the technology superiority – Singapore Airlines is always tries to provide the unforgettable flight experience. And by the Singapore Girl figure beside us who always friendly, who does not want to fly across the sky with them ?