Again, please accept my apologies for being gone so long. There has been a lot of work and family stress over the holidays, plus I have been down with what has turned out to be a viral infection in the middle ear. After a round of prednisone I am feeling better. There is less pressure, and my hearing is coming back. This has kept me from flying and I miss all of my friends at United.
Last fall United brought back the "Friendly Skies," in their advertising that is. Print, television, radio and internet advertising now carry the tag lines of "flyer....friendly," "land in more places....friendly," "work and play....friendly," "staying a step ahead....friendly" and for those of us watching the Winter Olympic games United is also "team USA....friendly." Along with the tag line will be a drawing of what looks like a route map with one of the route lines in the shape of a smile before the word "friendly." We are all then invited to "Fly the Friendly Skies." You can check it out at the United Hub at hub.united.com.
This is good news as it is the first time since the merger that this senior management team, largely made up of executives from Continental Airlines, has recognized that there is a United Airlines. At the outset, Mr. Smisek and his team brought with them an off-putting arrogance that this new airline will be nothing more than a larger Continental with the United name slapped on the planes. That arrogance has turned away customers and disheartened employees. You cannot let 90 years of quality, innovation and memories just go away with a journal entry on some ledger.
The "Friendly Skies" slogan was dreamed up back in the 1970's by the Leo Burnett agency in Chicago. It was brilliant, and just those two words gave United Airlines a brand identity that no other airline could replicate. Back then, when the airline industry was still regulated by the government, carriers could not compete by lowering fares, it was their service reputation that drove the customer's choice. The "Friendly Skies" campaign put a unique spin on marketing a service driven business. Television and radio jingles invited customers to "Fly the Friendly Skies." United employees would say "Thank you for Flying the Friendly Skies." United did not just offer non-stop 747 service, they offered 747 "Friendship" service. It was a magnificently simple way of offering something special for the customer, and when you flew United it did make you feel special. That all changed when Mr. Tilton came in and some bone-headed suits in Marketing put the "Friendly Skies" in storage, citing them as being out-of-date and not keeping with the times. There was also the sad fact that while under Mr Tilton's leadership, United's reputation for service was in the crapper. How can you advertise "Friendly Skies" when they really are not that friendly.
Then came the merger in 2010, and for the last 3 years Mr. Smisek and his team from Continental appeared to remain steadfast in their position that that this new United would be just another Continental. I do not think they were prepared for not only the loyalty and dedication of United employees and the pride they had for their airline, but the loyalty and pride that United customers had for their airline. To be an elite member of the Mileage Plus program was something to brag about. That kind of loyalty carries with it an almost immeasurable value to the business; however, when you discount that loyalty, the value diminishes at a rate that far exceeds the time and effort it took to build it. More than anything, the value behind "Friendly Skies" campaign was how it so successfully tapped into that pride and loyalty.
It remains to be seen if bringing back the "Friendly Skies" now will pay off, but it is nice to see them again. Yes, United continues to rank last in many customer service surveys, but Mr. Smisek will tell us that it is all a result of merger-related growing pains. It will take time for improvements in service quality to take hold and translate into new business and better survey results; but for right now, these "Friendly Skies" are a sign that this management recognizes that maybe there was and still is a United Airlines. Mr. Smisek, you let the "Friendly Skies" back in, why not take another baby step and bring back the tulip?
Last fall United brought back the "Friendly Skies," in their advertising that is. Print, television, radio and internet advertising now carry the tag lines of "flyer....friendly," "land in more places....friendly," "work and play....friendly," "staying a step ahead....friendly" and for those of us watching the Winter Olympic games United is also "team USA....friendly." Along with the tag line will be a drawing of what looks like a route map with one of the route lines in the shape of a smile before the word "friendly." We are all then invited to "Fly the Friendly Skies." You can check it out at the United Hub at hub.united.com.
This is good news as it is the first time since the merger that this senior management team, largely made up of executives from Continental Airlines, has recognized that there is a United Airlines. At the outset, Mr. Smisek and his team brought with them an off-putting arrogance that this new airline will be nothing more than a larger Continental with the United name slapped on the planes. That arrogance has turned away customers and disheartened employees. You cannot let 90 years of quality, innovation and memories just go away with a journal entry on some ledger.
The "Friendly Skies" slogan was dreamed up back in the 1970's by the Leo Burnett agency in Chicago. It was brilliant, and just those two words gave United Airlines a brand identity that no other airline could replicate. Back then, when the airline industry was still regulated by the government, carriers could not compete by lowering fares, it was their service reputation that drove the customer's choice. The "Friendly Skies" campaign put a unique spin on marketing a service driven business. Television and radio jingles invited customers to "Fly the Friendly Skies." United employees would say "Thank you for Flying the Friendly Skies." United did not just offer non-stop 747 service, they offered 747 "Friendship" service. It was a magnificently simple way of offering something special for the customer, and when you flew United it did make you feel special. That all changed when Mr. Tilton came in and some bone-headed suits in Marketing put the "Friendly Skies" in storage, citing them as being out-of-date and not keeping with the times. There was also the sad fact that while under Mr Tilton's leadership, United's reputation for service was in the crapper. How can you advertise "Friendly Skies" when they really are not that friendly.
Then came the merger in 2010, and for the last 3 years Mr. Smisek and his team from Continental appeared to remain steadfast in their position that that this new United would be just another Continental. I do not think they were prepared for not only the loyalty and dedication of United employees and the pride they had for their airline, but the loyalty and pride that United customers had for their airline. To be an elite member of the Mileage Plus program was something to brag about. That kind of loyalty carries with it an almost immeasurable value to the business; however, when you discount that loyalty, the value diminishes at a rate that far exceeds the time and effort it took to build it. More than anything, the value behind "Friendly Skies" campaign was how it so successfully tapped into that pride and loyalty.
It remains to be seen if bringing back the "Friendly Skies" now will pay off, but it is nice to see them again. Yes, United continues to rank last in many customer service surveys, but Mr. Smisek will tell us that it is all a result of merger-related growing pains. It will take time for improvements in service quality to take hold and translate into new business and better survey results; but for right now, these "Friendly Skies" are a sign that this management recognizes that maybe there was and still is a United Airlines. Mr. Smisek, you let the "Friendly Skies" back in, why not take another baby step and bring back the tulip?
I am sorry to see such a great program as United's Mileage Plus program become so devalued. Not sure how UA sees this as service to their most frequent fliers as well as their elite spenders.
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