By Updesh Kapur/Doha
Media often spike press releases because they are boring, long, contain self-congratulating messaging and have little content deemed of any news value.
Journalists receive scores, if not hundreds of press releases daily. If not read, the press releases that land on their desks are binned, spiked or deleted depending on how they are received.
In order to tell a specific story, the press release will focus on selected messaging yet will raise questions by some who read them thoroughly looking to find the hidden agenda and that all-important exclusive angle to expose something that the sender does not want to make public.
In my years as a writer, I have seen countless releases that are poorly written to the extent they fuel so many questions about what is actually being concealed. Or the releases have gone through diligent checks, yet still have errors or misjudgment of what is being portrayed.
Last month, one particular release caught my eye. It was well written, but the context in which it was issued is certainly bad timing.
US airlines and their Gulf peers are embroiled in an escalating spat over the ‘subsidy row’ in which the Americans have been accusing this region’s key players of receiving billions of dollars of government financial support that is unfair and stifles fair and equal competition. This row is building with the Gulf carriers arguing the US is afraid of competition, have been offering shoddy service and can’t compete effectively in an open market.
The press release I refer to alludes to the onboard offering by United Airlines and enhancing the customer experience of one of America’s biggest carriers. It may not seem obvious, but once reading between the lines, questions how much they really are not in touch with market conditions.
The intro wording of the press release goes like this, verbatim: “United Airlines this spring will give United Economy customers on long-haul international flights an all-new, high-quality in-flight dining experience, designed to offer travelers flavorful, complimentary meals with more substantial portions, complimentary beer and wine and a new option to purchase premium snacks. The airline will introduce this significantly upgraded food and beverage experience June 1 on trans-Atlantic flights; service between the US and Argentina, Brazil and Chile; and most trans-Pacific flights.”
Let’s break this down.
First: “An all-new, high-quality in-flight dining experience” – this suggests that United hasn’t been offering high-quality meals. Onboard food on flights, as we know, is among the most criticised element of inflight service.
Second: “Designed to offer travelers flavorful, complimentary meals with more substantial portions” – oh dear, this suggests the current onboard food is neither tasty nor appetising. And it says let’s give the food free without charging and goes on to infer passengers really have been getting a raw deal being served small portions.
Third: “Complimentary beer and wine and a new option to purchase premium snacks” – wow, free drinks, but you have to buy higher quality food, demonstrating that the airline can give away cheaper food without charging.
Fourth: “The airline will introduce this significantly upgraded food and beverage experience June 1 on trans-Atlantic flights; service between the US and Argentina, Brazil and Chile; and most trans-Pacific flights” – the words ‘significantly upgraded’ clearly show not enough was being provided before.
United goes on to say: “United will expand the primary complimentary economy meal to a hearty three-course service, beginning with a beverage and snack of cheese and crackers, baked whole-grain bruschetta chips or Kiri cheese spread and crackers, followed by a generous main course served with refreshed salads and artisan bread.”
Fifth: The above shows United showing generosity like never before with a three-course offering that clearly points to its lack of kindness until now.
United further says: “The choice of main course includes home-style turkey meatloaf in spicy barbecue sauce, served with sweet potato mash, mixed vegetables, an artisan ciabatta roll and amaranth mango salad; tuscan ravioli with roasted red pepper sauce, served with a petit artisan ciabatta roll and mixed-grain salad; and udon noodles with stir-fried vegetables and ginger soya sauce, served with a petit multi-grain baguette roll and apple wheatberry salad, topped off by the final course where customers can enjoy a premium dessert, such as gelato, sorbet, ice cream or mousse.” Sixth: What can one say, but mouth-watering indeed.
But it’s the following that struck me the most.
“United will offer beer and wine at no charge in United Economy on intercontinental flights with multi-course meal service, and each customer will receive a complimentary bottle of water to stay refreshed throughout their flight. Additionally, customers may purchase half-bottle premium wines, and United will continue to offer spirits for sale.” Seventh: This is indeed a reversal of policy by not charging, though only for selected drinks. If United really is trying to appeal to its customer base by giving them the choice they deserve, and both win and retain rather than lose loyalty, it needs to implement measures in full rather than adopting a half-hearted approach.
United signs off by saying: “The airline will also introduce snacks for purchase in United Economy on long-haul international services. Along with enjoying complimentary meals, customers will be able to purchase packaged snacks and snack boxes throughout their flights through the airline’s Choice Menu Snack Shop.” Eighth: Once again, a half-hearted approach for a perceived full-service airline is not good strategic planning. Either charge for everything or not at all.
Has United really woken up to the market or is it a failed attempt to a knee-jerk reaction? Can it earn loyalty through passengers’ stomachs? In a world where airlines are increasingly resorting to celebrity chefs designing inflight menus and carriers introducing new concepts frequently to give regular flyers, in particular, more choice to keep them loyal, the meaning of upgrading service is taking a new context in the current competitive environment.
Passengers today face plenty of choices of which airline to fly with quality service, affordable fares and reliability combined counting the most.
But airlines need to demonstrate that the customer is the most important part of the travel component. Without them, there will be no airline.
Carriers cannot go half way when trying to build a relationship with customers. United used to offer complimentary wine in beer in the economy cabins through the 1990s, but began to charge for beverages on some long-haul flights by the early 2000s.
Last year it began charging for beer and wine on trans-Pacific flights, essentially ending the option for free alcohol in the economy cabin until the new policy begins on June 1.
Though it may sound harmless, United Airlines’ press release is an example of admittance to poor service levels which need to be ramped up big time to compete with global peers.
And such content will give the Gulf carriers more ammunition to vocally hit back at their US accusers, of which United is a leading advocate. It’s all about offering passengers better service, more choice and greater options.
The US airline industry has long borne the brunt of criticism for poor inflight cabin service and quality of onboard food. The moral of the story is don’t shoot yourself in the foot otherwise it will backfire.
As the world’s airline industry gets ready to meet for what is likely to be a hot-tempered annual meeting in Miami next week, the Gulf carriers will have enough ammunition to fire at their American hosts.
The CEOs of all six airlines – United, American, Delta, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways – have been vehemently expressing their voices in recent weeks through panel discussions, industry forums and interviews with leading international media houses to a debate that is unlikely to die down.
Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group in San Francisco, calls United’s latest changes a needed first step in bringing it into line with other global carriers.
“Their alliance partners as well as competitors offer an open bar,” Harteveldt says. “It’s a small thing, but United doesn’t want to lose a sale just because they’re charging people for drinks in economy and other airlines are not.”
“This is one of those moves that’s logical for United to make in order to be viewed as competitive,” Harteveldt adds, saying the airline has even more WORK to do if it wants to truly offer “an industry leading product.”
United’s economy-class drink and meal changes come amid a broader effort by the airline to up its game. For example, the carrier has revamped many of its hub terminals and has rolled out a new food menu at its frequent-flier clubs. United also has upgraded its meal service for first- and business-class passengers on flights within North America.
And US carriers have been rolling out passenger experience initiatives with great fanfare, with several noting they are using record profits, partially driven by lower fuel prices, to pay for the upgrades.
In December, Alaska Airline unveiled its Alaska Beyond concept, which includes a brand-new inflight entertainment system, new Recaro seats and improved food and beverage options.
US carriers are going to have to invest more in their cabins as they face more competition from the Gulf carriers, said Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum.
On Tuesday Emirates’ CEO Sir Tim Clark, a veteran British airline executive who is the guiding force behind Emirates’ rapid international growth, openly mocked the US carriers for their pitiful customer service. “Have you been on a US domestic flight?’’ Clark asked in an interview with The National, an English-language paper in Abu Dhabi, Emirate’s home country.
“It’s like travelling with a low-cost bus company. The terminals are full of frightened people sitting on the floors because they’ve no facilities, being shouted at by airline agents and cabin crew who are stressed themselves because of the working conditions.”
Yesterday, Akbar al-Baker, who has run Qatar Airways for 19 of its 21 years of existence, hosted a Washington, DC news conference at the posh Hay-Adams Hotel where he called the US Big Three “greedy” companies that provide “crap service” to their customers.
The reason they’re attacking is that the Big Three “can’t compete” with the extraordinarily high quality service for which Qatar and the other Gulf carriers are famous, al-Baker said.
Today, Etihad, Abu Dhabi’s second government-owned airline, will go after the Big 3 in a 19-page report detailing how the Big 3 (and the airlines they swallowed in consolidation over the last 15 years) have benefited enormously from government subsidies and supports of various types. Etihad puts the total at $71.5bn, including fuel tax waivers and government-backed financing at preferential rates. That dwarfs the $42bn in subsidies that the Big Three, in a January report, alleged the three Gulf carriers had received from their governments. The Gulf carriers vehemently deny that they’re government-subsidised operations even though they are government-owned companies.
Between now and IATA’s June summit, there will for sure be more fireworks.
But tempers will certainly flare in the fiery heat of Miami and the media will look forward to those invaluable sound bites to make the trip to Florida memorable and worthwhile.
On the surface, the hosts in Miami may well give a warm welcome to delegates from around the world, but the Gulf players need to prepare for a cold reception.
Hogan, outlining what he called “10 facts” about Etihad, sought to persuade the audience that theAbu Dhabi government’s involvement in Etihad was similar to the role that other states play in their hometown carriers.
“Our shareholder has provided equity and investment, they’ve invested and seen success,” he says. “That’s business.”
♦ Updesh Kapur (below) is a PR & communications professional, columnist, aviation, hospitality and travel analyst. He can be followed on twitter @updeshkapur
Gulf subsidy row hots up at Miami conference as Gulf carriers argue US carriers lack high levels of service.
