How Do New Airline Routes Get Created?

In Washington DC, speed dating is starting to become popular again. Go to a restaurant, pay a fee and get to spend a few minutes each with 15+ girls. Its a great way to meet someone.

www.prosinthecity.com

In Vegas, this week, airline executives and airport representatives participated in a 3 day's of speed dating known as World Routes Conference. USA Today reports:

"Airport executives from across the world were here this week hoping to strike it big, not at gambling, but at speed dating. 

No, the airport executives weren't in Las Vegas to meet a new spouse – but they were looking for new partners – as in airlines. And the effects from those Vegas speed dates could eventually be felt at an airport near you. 

It's all part of the annual 19th annual World Routes conference, a forum that pairs airport and airline executives. The purpose? Airports get to make their case to airlines for why the airlines should add or expand flight offerings at their airports."

www.usatoday.com

Airlines buy tables and have 20 minute meetings with representatives from various airports. The event had aviation and tourism representatives from 140 countries and 750 airports big and small. An airline could have up to 50 meetings over the three days.

The results of such introductions can be substantial. For instance, some might have wondered how Oakland got Norwegian's 787 Dreamlines. It all started with a date:

One airport that successfully used Routes to win a spot in Norwegian's route network is California's Oakland International Airport. Norwegian announced just last month that it will begin flying from Oakland to both Oslo and Stockholm on the carrier's new Boeing 787 Dreamliners starting this May.

The success of the marriage between Oakland and Norwegian happened at a similar event 3 years ago:

So Oakland and Norwegian first met at Routes in Berlin back in 2010, the beginning of three years of conversations that finally led to September's announcement that Norwegian's Dreamliners would soon by flying to Oakland. 

[John Albrecht, Oakland International's Aviation Marketing Manager]  says Oakland's successful courting of Norwegian "had its origins at Routes," though he bristles just a bit at the speed-dating analogy. 

"It's a little bit more sophisticated than speed dating," he says. "There's a lot of work that goes into it. We actually put a pretty good amount of analytic thought into proposing a market and what market we think is viable.". 

To the point, Albrecht says Oakland made its first contact with Norwegian Air Shuttle nearly three years ago after the airline began looking at widebody planes that would allow it to add long-haul routes to destinations such as Asia or North America."

I always wondered how new routes get created. Little did I ever think it started with a speed date in some convention center.....

Happy Speed Dating Airline Executives?
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Different Travel Deals Based On Your Browsing History?

I've heard in the past that when searching for airfare or hotels that sometimes if you clear the "cookies" out of your web browser that you can often get a different price because the website will not know that you are not a new "visitor" searching for that specific flight or property.

Well an article in yesterday's USA Today  shows that many airlines and hotels use this practice on a regular basis. They take the data from your web history and use it to see if you are a frequent traveler and then price accordingly. The difference is not startling in most cases, but it's still noticeable and adds up over time, I would imagine. The bigger problem is that it could be considered by some as a form of discrimination because it offers a similar product for a different price based on a set of circumstances that are unknown to the buyer.

But the most shocking part is that there is a move to allow airlines to collect more information to give passengers, "easy access to all of the options to add value to their travel plans." Through collection of demographic information and flight information they say they could fit a travel experience and extra options to a traveler's preferences. But privacy advocates warn that this could amount to a different pricing scheme based on previous purchases, travel profile and other data such as age, nationality, marital status, etc.

I'm not usually someone who minds when a website takes my data and gives me more specific info...I know that makes me strange, but I find it fascinating when I am looking at a pair of glasses or a hotel in a certain city and then suddenly I start seeing ads for that...it just shows how good marketers are becoming. But when it worries me is when you could potentially pay a different price just because of that search history. Will be interesting to watch this issue develop.  

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Best New Airport Amenities in 2012

USA Today has an article in today's paper on the best new amenities in airports around the country, and I have to say it's an interesting list.

Here's what they believe are the best new features:

1. Yoga Rooms
2. Return of Landlines (DEN is offering phones with free domestic calling and 10 min. of free international calling)
3. Booze to Go (At Las Vegas of course)
4. Better Food (Read: Healthier Food)
5. Airport Loyalty Programs (Points for buying food/items at the airport)
6. Local Shops
7. TSA Pre-Check


Some of these are interesting developments that are encouraging airports to become a picture of the community that they represent with lots of local shops and food. I've noticed that there is a much more "local" feel to many airports these days to help welcome people through the airport so it's not the same five fast food restaurants over and over again.

For frequent flyers Pre-Check has to be the best development. The increasingly cumbersome security process is starting to become a little easier when you can keep your shoes and jackets on, laptop in the bag and walk straight through. 

You have to wonder if next year will bring an even bigger emphasis on increased free wifi and more electrical outlets as people are more and more distracted by their devices at the airport.

What do you think is the best new airport amenity for this year?