A great way to fly — will SIA's brand be affected by its new dining service and tours?

“A great way to fly” has been Singapore Airlines' (SIA) marketing tagline for decades and few around the world would argue that it has not lived up to that.

But how can SIA keep this brand promise relevant as it grapples with the worst crisis since its founding?

Covid-19 has taken a drastic toll on the entire airline industry and SIA has not been spared.

Operating from a little red dot, SIA does not have the luxury of a domestic travel market to generate revenue, unlike other airlines from some larger countries.

Its recent move to cut jobs was not surprising given the scale of the crisis.

With the sector unlikely to see a return to pre-Covid business levels any time soon, the national airline has unveiled a couple of initiatives to engage customers and to generate some revenue.

First, Singapore residents will be able to enjoy SIA signature meals by dining inside an A380 double-decker superjumbo jet dubbed “Restaurant A380” or have the signature meals delivered to their homes.

The second initiative is guided tours at the SIA training facility where guests will be able to interact with pilots and cabin crews or try out the flight simulator at an extra charge.

From a business point, both plans seem logical and carry little risk to SIA.

However, from a branding perspective, will they affect its well-established tagline of being a great way to fly?

Or will SIA be better served branding-wise by its initial idea to launch flights to nowhere, which has since been dropped?

A GREAT WAY TO DINE?

Let’s first look at the initiative to turn an A380 jet into a fine-dining experience on the ground at Changi Airport on Oct 24 and 25.

A three-hour lunch in economy class will set you back by S$50 and the price shoots up to S$600 for those who want to dine in the first-class suites.

While diners can sign up for a pre-dining tour to get a rare peek at areas of the jet usually not accessible to passengers and also enjoy entertainment on the KrisWorld system, the focus will be largely on the dining experience and the signature meals that are served on SIA flights.

After all, the inflight meals offered by SIA has been nominated by The World Travel Awards as some of the best among all Asian airlines.

The concept also allows some customers to get a taste of dining in its suites or Business Class without paying for a ticket that usually costs an arm or a leg.

Interestingly, for the home-dining experience, SIA offers only a First Class or Business Class option, with seven packages starting at S$258 for two and going up to S$888 for an “all-inclusive experience” for two which comes with “exquisite tableware and luxurious amenities”.

It is unclear how long the home-dining service will run and if SIA will extend the A380 dining experience beyond the two allocated days in October.

I guess much would depend on the public response and whether Singaporeans are willing to pay these prices for the novelty.

However, if the dining initiatives run for a prolonged period of say a year or two amid continued border closures and travel restrictions, there is a danger this may shift the perception of the brand.

For customers, will SIA’s promise change from “A great way to fly” to “A great way to dine”?

However great a dining service SIA offers, it makes up only a small portion of the entire travel experience.

As for the tour of its training facility, it may enhance brand engagement and interaction.

This is a good means to showcase how it trains its world-class crew and to generate interest to attract potential talent to join SIA in the future.

Given this, SIA can sustain itself as a career aspiration brand despite recent job cuts to tide the business over this current period.

Nevertheless, this combination of dining on-board a stationary A380 “plane restaurant” and tour plan does not come close to reminding customers what it feels to experience a great way to fly.

After all, SIA is a five-star airline, and not a Michelin-starred restaurant. This may somewhat risk diluting the brand promise that it has built up over all these years.

A sample of SIA's home-dining experience. The author asks whether the dining initiatives might lead customers to see SIA’s brand promise change from “A great way to fly” to “A great way to dine”.  Photo: Singapore Airlines.

HOW ABOUT FLIGHTS TO NOWHERE?

Now, let’s examine SIA’s aborted plan to launch flights to nowhere. This is very similar to the concept of cruises to nowhere.

This plan may seem risky and novel, but other airlines such as Royal Brunei Airlines, EVA Air, ANA and Qantas have implemented it successfully. 

They had sold out seats for all of their flights to show that it makes business sense.

From a branding perspective, this concept would encapsulate SIA’s brand promise much more thoroughly.

A point of contention is that such flights are not environmentally friendly and leave an unnecessary carbon footprint.

Is this fair?

As reported by The Guardian, there are by far many industries such as energy, farming and agricultural, manufacturing and construction that produce significantly more carbon emissions than air transportation.

Besides, SIA has championed environmentally friendly practices and implemented many initiatives such as having a fleet of fuel efficient aircraft to minimise its carbon footprint.

Flights to nowhere would allow customers to enjoy the flying experience on board an SIA plane, where the entire gamut of elements that stimulates all the senses of a passenger will be activated. This is where the SIA brand promise will be brought alive to touch each passenger.

Passengers will be able to enjoy the personable SIA signature service by the cabin crew, the innovative entertainment system, the fine details associated with the quality facilities within the plane and of course their signature dining experience. 

Not only that, they will be able to admire the great landscapes from the sky.

This will brilliantly remind customers what it means to have an outstanding flying experience with SIA.

So from a branding perspective, there is merit for SIA to revive its flight-to-nowhere plan.  

The flights can be limited to a small number and marketed with a premium pricing to cater to those yearning for SIA’s full brand experience after being deprived of overseas travel for some time.

The dining and tour concepts can remain and the relatively lower costs compared to the flights to nowhere will signal the significant value attached to the flying experience.

All in, offering flights to nowhere alongside the on ground dining and tour options will better preserve SIA’s brand promise, while promoting its dining that make the flying experience truly memorable.

Who says we cannot have the cake and eat it? “A great way to dine” can very well be at the heart of “a great way to fly”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr Lau Kong Cheen is a senior lecturer in marketing at the School of Business, Singapore University of Social Sciences and his research interests include branding and consumer behaviour. He was formerly a brand consultant with more than 10 years of industry experience.