You may find it odd that I write an obit about an airline. After all the demise of Eastern, Pan Am, Northeast, Aloha, etc. never moved me to have even a second thought.
Then 2 weeks ago I had the occasion to fly ExpressJet to Monterey, CA.
This soon to be defunct airline flew only regional jets and served middle markets like Tulsa, El Paso, Fresno and Omaha. They have (had) clean planes, a simple frequent flier plan, affordable fares and – hold on tight – $1 beers.
They found a niche and did memorable things to exploit their position.
From their site they say:
Giving passengers a better flying experience isn’t rocket science–quite the opposite, in fact.
When we thought of our customers, we focused attention on making air travel as convenient and worry-free as possible. We focused on our customers’ time, convenience and comfort.
Sitting in a middle seat on other airlines isn’t especially comfy, but our jets don’t have middle seats. Our seats are leather with plush memory foam and are equipped with over 100 channels of complimentary XM Satellite Radio. And you don’t pay for the headsets, but you get to keep them.
We also offer a variety of complimentary beverage options, $1 beer and $3 wine or cocktails. Not to mention a variety of complimentary snack options.
They had clean and inviting advertising that said ‘they knew you wanted to spend time doing other things than flying’ (isn’t that the truth?).
Their in-flight crew was friendly and approachable.
In the case of Rogel (pronounced Ro’-Gel) the flight attendant crew was downright memorable.
In a past life, or future world, Rogel belongs on the theater stage. He played over the top on a very small 55 seat stage. He was flamboyant, outspoken, hardly shy, and efficient. His hair was slightly spiked and had highlights of bright red…or was it blue?
I heard him mention to another passenger that after the close of business for the airline on 9/1/08 he was headed for New York. Perfect.
In the case of ExpressJet they took a most unpleasurable event circa 2008 and made it very o.k..
Fun? No. More than bearable? Yes indeed.
Sadly, gas prices prices spelled the end for them. Or was it the $1 beer?
Your business likely has far fewer inherent challenges to reach the memorable peak than a start up airline.
Find a niche, stay focused, and exploit it.
If possible, hire a guy named Rogel.