AirAsia sees brand value in Asean flag

[Naim 6]

This is innovative, exploiting the ASEAN brand.

 

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AirAsia sees brand value in Asean flag

 

By: BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA

Published: 30/03/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Business

 

The brand value of the Asean flag is about to be exploited by a private company. The budget carrier AirAsia believes that the trading bloc's flag, featuring 10 paddy stalks, is something that can create a good brand identity and a sense of belonging among nearly 600 million consumers in the region.

 

AirAsia is now aiming to turn itself into an ''Asean'' carrier, replacing the Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian flags on the planes of its three affiliated airlines.

 

Ironically, the move comes at a time when the effectiveness of ''Visit Asean'' as a regional tourism slogan is being debated.Consultants recently recommended that the group adopt ''Visit Southeast Asia'' instead.

 

AirAsia has received approval from the Asean directors-general of each state to paint the Asean flag, marque and slogans on its planes and other products.

 

Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said the low-cost carrier group was qualified to carry the Asean identity largely because its operations extend across the 10 member states.

 

The flagship AirAsia, is based in Malaysia. Together with its sister carriers, Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia, it covers more capitals and cities in Asean than any other national airline in the region.

 

''So they can rightly claim to be an Asean carrier,'' said Dr Surin. ''I believe AirAsia wants to sell the potential of Asean, be identified as an Asean firm and raise the profile of Asean in the world, which is good and should be supported.''

 

The AirAsia group currently operates 114 routes covering 64 destinations.

 

While cockpit and cabin crews on each of its airlines are dominated by nationals from the countries where they are based, the group is now taking steps to ''Aseanise'' its onboard services.

 

For instance, the Malaysian cabin crew on AirAsia X, the long-haul operator, greet and send off passengers on Kuala Lumpur-London flights with a Thai-style ''wai''.

 

''We want to Aseanise pilots, cabin crews, languages, entertainment. We are starting a new trend,'' said AirAsia X chief executive Azran Osman-Rani.

 

''We want to make our customers feel we are their airline as well. I don't want them to think they are taking a foreign airline. That is why we want to make our crew more Asean.''

 

He added that, from a business perspective, ''the sexiness of Asean is 600 million people''.

 

However, the Asean identity does not mean that AirAsia airlines will abandon the national flags under which they are registered by each government.

 

Dr Surin said Asean would like other big corporations in Asean _ PTT, Siam Cement and Charoen Pokphand in Thailand for example _ to associate themselves with the Asean identity.

 

But he added that Asean would only welcome companies that have a business presence in most, if not all, of the 10 Asean states. No fee is imposed.

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviati...e-in-asean-flag

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

I think AirAsia got inspired by the many European carriers which incorporate the EU flag on their aircrafts. Most of South East Asian airlines can be considered as an ASEAN carrier because their operation covers most part of the region (e.g. MH serves all ASEAN countries except Laos).

 

But again, all those carriers failed to create a buzz like what AirAsia did with this one and even managed to get the ASEAN Secretary General to do some marketing for them. Very innovative indeed.

[affendi osman 0]

I agree with what Azizul had said, but those carriers failed because of the name, they carry country's name, i.e. Malaysia Airlines, THAI, Garuda Indonesia, Singapore Airlines etc. Like AirAsia, the name doesn't reflect any country. So, they can create sense of belonging to all ASEAN countries.

[Mohd. Helmi 0]

I agree with what Azizul had said, but those carriers failed because of the name, they carry country's name, i.e. Malaysia Airlines, THAI, Garuda Indonesia, Singapore Airlines etc. Like AirAsia, the name doesn't reflect any country. So, they can create sense of belonging to all ASEAN countries.

 

Not necessarily, by carrying a country name they can still carry the Asean flag. Why not?

 

In Europe a lot of the airlines there fly the EU flag along with carrying a country's name and the flag of their home countries.

 

For example the following airlines fly both a national flag and an EU flag:

Austrian Airlines

CSA Czech Airlines

Finnair

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

LUXAIR Luxembourg Airlines

Air France (have the Euro stars that are found on the EU flag on a strip of blue on the tail, no full French flag)

Brussels Airlines (sure it does not carry the name of a country, but it's Belgium's flag carrier)

 

 

There are ones that don't:

Lufthansa

SAS Scandinavian Airlines

Iberia

British Airways (which actually doesn't even have the full Union Jack on it's planes)

Alitalia (same as BA, no flag at all)

TAP Portugal

 

It would be nice to see the ASEAN flag on TG/MH/SQ/GA/BI/VN, creates a sense of ASEAN unity and identity.

 

 

 

 

[flee 5]

Historically airlines have been flag carriers. Even in the land of opportunity, they still had Pan Am carrying their flag. However, new generation airlines are increasingly owned by private entrepreneurs - as such they are neither government owned nor funded. AirAsia is one of these new generation airlines. They are looking to be innovative to gain some competitive advantage. It is not surprising that they want to be the first airline in ASEAN to fly the ASEAN flag!

[Sri Ramani K. 0]

just to bring up an old topic, apparently they're going strong with this. one a/c will be repainted into a new livery which further reinforces AK's stand as an ASEAN carrier.

[Radzi 2]

Mystery finally solved. But does any AirAsia operates to Myanmar?

[Sing Yew 1]

Mystery finally solved. But does any AirAsia operates to Myanmar?

 

Yes they do. From Bangkok to Yangon.

[KC Sim 2]

Note that on 3 August 2009, 9M-AFA was re-delivered to AirAsia wearing a "TRULY ASEAN" livery and it operated a morning flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore this morning.

 

KC Sim