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IFSA plots potential in Korea A group of airlines bent on expansion and improved service in an increasingly competitive but flourishing environment spent two days discussing what spells success in the Asian markets as the International Flight Services Association held its second Asia Global Leadership Conference September 20 – 22 on South Korea’s Jeju Island. A selection of speakers and panelists, some providing updates from their presentations at last year’s gathering in Tokyo gave delegates the substance; while a hospitable Korean Air and conference sponsors took the group of a whirl of social events that ranged from visits to a tea farm to a trip up a steep hillside on the windswept island’s shore. Two hundred delegates from 25 countries and 79 companies attended the event. Several of the region’s airlines participated in panel discussions and representatives from Boeing and Airbus updated guests on progress of the 787 and A380. “It’s a better time for our industry,” said Alan Anderson chief engineer at Boeing, as he started his presentation on the new jet. “We have great things going on as airlines recover.” Anderson gave visitors rundown of the features of the new widebody sold out through 2011. The aircraft is built with a number of interior innovations, including larger windows that give every passenger a view of the horizon, a system that raises humidity for more comfort, an LED lighting that can set the mood in the aircraft. Anderson also hinted at future developments, among them a stretched version of the 747. Though she faced pointed questions on the future of the A380, Isabelle Devatine-Lacaze, ground operations senior engineer at Airbus said that although the project faced another delay for electrical modifications of approximately six months, “it is an industrial issue and has nothing to do with the product itself.” Airbus has been through a number of trials recently on the A380, including simulated flights of seven, 10, 12 and 15 hours with aircraft on the ground. Devatine-Lacaze filled the group in on a number of options on the A380. The lingering question of turntimes was addressed. She said airlines can choose several ways to cater the aircraft. If both the upper and main decks are catered by truck, the aircraft can be fully equipped for a flight in 36 minutes. If airlines choose to bring trucks only to the main deck and make use of the aircraft’s lift, catering can be completed in 84 minutes. From Australia, Keith Yates of the consulting firm Performa urged airlines to stay “engaged” and invest their time and energies in pleasing passengers. His message: profits have returned to the region, and an eager group of passengers are again seeking out airlines that can provide comfort and service. He said passengers are “asking for just a little more, and they’re getting it.” Edward Plaisted CEO of Skytrax updated the group on the methodology and the outcome of the yearly audits conducted by the UK based aviation research organization. Though the company picks top airlines in several categories, Plaisted said which airline is the world’s best “is impossible to answer with any honesty.” However Plaisted exhibited a list of airlines that the company considered among the top in passengers satisfaction. A large number of the carriers were in the Asian region. For airlines in the United States and elsewhere to earn a place among them, Plaisted said a more consistent level of service was needed. Look for more coverage of the IFSA Global Leadership Conference in the weeks ahead and in the pages of the November-December issue of PAX International. |
