With the recent — and likely upcoming — mergers of legacy carriers, and the recent cash call by British Airways, we see the airline industry as a classic red ocean, but with plenty of innovation potential through the perspective of Blue Ocean Strategy. In fact, over the past several years, we’ve posted several thought-provoking tid-bits on this industry — see related links below. Not surprisingly the recent launch of Pet Airways caught our attention. It is a timely and relevant example of turning a red ocean market space into a blue ocean: Pet Airlines Blue Ocean Strategy-like approach capitalizes on access capacity (planes not being flown) for operational cost savings, while focusing on the high-growth pet industry and driving lifestyles for differentiation and creating new demand — or ‘Pawsengers.’
From Yahoo! News:
For owners the big difference is service. Dogs and cats will fly in the main cabin of a Suburban Air Freight plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Pets (about 50 on each flight) will be escorted to the plane by attendants that will check on the animals every 15 minutes during flight. The pets are also given pre-boarding walks and bathroom breaks. And at each of the five airports it serves, the company has created a "Pet Lounge" for future fliers to wait and sniff before flights.
The company will operate out of smaller, regional airports in the five launch cities, which will mean an extra trip for most owners dropping off their pets if they are flying too. Stops in cities along the way means the pets will take longer to reach a destination than their owners.
Related links:
The ‘bare’ essentials of reaching new buyers
Global Crisis — The Comic Angle: Airline Industry
Blue Ocean Strategy Path 1: Look Across Alternative Industries
Blue Ocean Strategy: Washing over Malaysia
[Image via AP/Yahoo!.]
