If you are interested in seeing some of the latest innovation in Air/Rail Experience we are hosting several events throughout the year including our AirXperience event at Heathrow 17-18th September> & our Rail Experience World event In Amsterdam 13-14 November>

According to African Aerospace, Lagos-based Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN), is at EBACE in Geneva and is set to announce it has signed a representation agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to promote and sell the luxury jets in the West African country. EAN – which opened the first fully integrated FBO, maintenance and hangar facility for business aviation at Murtala Mohammed Airport,is tasked with seeking and developing profile-raising opportunities for Gulfstream. Ahead of today’s formal announcement EAN said it will also advise Gulfstream about prospects’ individual requirements and will provide feedback about Nigerian business aviation activity. EAN’s CEO/MD Segun Demuren will be managing the relationship and facilitating communication between Gulfstream, EAN and customers. “We are extremely pleased to have been asked by Gulfstream to work with them in Nigeria and look forward to further developing Gulfstream business in the region. Large-cabin, long-range jets are very popular with Nigerian owners so I anticipate that we will be extremely busy. The signing of the agreement demonstrates Gulfstream’s commitment to its vision for expansion in Africa and we look forward to playing our part,” says Demuren.

Read the full article here

African Aerospace is a proud sponsor of Aviation Outlook Africa 2013 happening on the 25 – 26 of June 2013

Who’s topping the stocks list this year? Which airlines are people investing in? TheStreetRatings produces a list of the top rated stocks daily. These airlines hold the highest value in the industry. The airlines below are rated by their value-focused model. Read on to see who investors are favouring…

This list is updated as upgrades and downgrades occur. See the original source here.

What do you think? Any surprises here? Let us know your thoughts.

JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline™ and has campaigned to make every New Yorker love them back. T5, JetBlue opened their state-of-the-art terminal at New York’s JFK airport on October 22, 2008. The terminal has definitely lived up to its promise to be “the latest and greatest in airport experiences”. T5 offers free Wi-Fi, 24 food and beverage outlets and 27 retail shops – and we’re not talking about your run-of-the-mill Auntie Anne’s, Subway or stereotypical airport bar. The food selection at T5 really makes the passenger feel like they are in New York, incorporating quintessential varieties like New York style pizza, sushi, Mexican, Spanish tapas and more. This month, JetBlue is opening the Airspace Lounge, where travelers can access “complimentary food and drinks, showers, and business services including free Wi-Fi, power outlets at every seat, the use of MacBooks and Windows PCs, and dedicated workspace areas”. The lounge will be open on a pay-per-use basis so all JetBlue (and partner airline) travelers can take part in the experience.

Delta has also put in significant work (and an investment of $1.4 billion) into the renovation of their JFK and LaGuardia terminals. Partnering with Lippincott, Delta converted a historic cast-iron building on in SoHo into a mini-airport terminal so customers, new and old, could visualize the tech-empowered transformation without traveling to an airport. The pseudo-terminal showcases Delta’s new $4 lunch menu by Award-winning Chef Michelle Bernstein, check-in kiosks where travelers can check or book flights, a preview of their Sky Club lounge, and the airline’s simulated Sky Deck outdoor terrace. Terrapinn’s Enterprise Team went on a site-visit this afternoon and we were greeted by our Delta hosts with coupons, sodas and information about the pop-up. We unfortunately missed the opportunity to receive Shake Shack coupons, but will make sure to find it in T4 next time we travel. Additionally, Delta recreated the traditional vending machine by including Beats headphones, travel mugs, electronics charges and more.

No matter what, the customer is winning here. From my perspective, the millennial generation tends to purchase airfare based on cost rather than loyalty. I can’t tell you how many Spirit flights I’ve been on with 95% of the passengers under the age of 25. Our parents tend to maintain their loyalties with their legacy airlines, where they have gathered points for years and feel most comfortable. On the other hand, with low-cost airlines increasingly adding outrageous fees which prevent traditional low-cost travel, legacy carriers like Delta and JetBlue have the opportunity to capitalize with better customer experience. In any case, nobody hates a 10% off flight discount, $4 lunch options, free Coke products or free pilot wings. I’m interested to see if and how these promo events translate into customer acquisition and retention, but more on that later.

Learn about new and innovative customer engagement strategies at this year’s Loyalty World USA, featuring speakers from Avis Budget Group, Nissan, Kraft Foods, Gilt Groupe and more. And in the mean time, check out some of our photos from the #T4XDelta pop-up terminal!

P.S. The Enterprise Team here at Terrapinn is extremely upset that we didn’t know about the Delta launch sooner. We saw people leaving with Shake Shack coupons, free luggage, AppleTVs, etc. You probably regret it, too.

Thales and Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) Company of South Africa – long standing partners in Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems – have announced the recent signature of several significant major contracts.

Thales has undertaken to replace the legacy ATNS ATM system with the state-of-the-art Thales TopSky-ATC and to install the newest Thales 970s Radars at the Wakkerstroom, Potgieterus and Rhodes sites. The contract also provides for a support and maintenance agreement for all existing ATNS radar sensors and TopSky-ATC systems.

Over the past decade African air traffic has increased exponentially with South Africa being one of the busiest airspaces in the continent. As a result, improved air space management, advanced technologies and system modernisation, are needed to meet future challenges of scalability and operational costs faced by both ANSPs and their industrial partners.

Commenting on the strategic importance of the project, Patrick Oszczeda, VP Southern Africa and CEO of Thales South Africa, said: “South Africa is emerging as one of the fastest growing and complex ATM regions in the continent. This technology acquisition will allow ATNS to deploy a truly future proofed technology capable of not only dealing with the issues and challenges of Africa today, but also capable of growing and adapting as the airspace becomes more complex. We are proud to be associated with ATNS, especially as we explore new partnership strategies, which we believe will unlock ATNS’s full potential for growth and other avenues of development.”

to read full article click here

The Aviation Outlook Africa conference will be happening on the 25-26 June 2013. It will be bringing together airlines, airports and all commercial aviation stakeholders together to discuss insights uncovered by this report and other important issues affecting African Aviation To get more information email Tendi at Tendekayi.Mutandagayi@terrapinn.com

Some of the perks of working on an event called AirXperience is that you get to hear about these new innovative ways airlines are looking to enhance the passenger experience. Very rarely you also get to experience them yourself! One of those occasions happened today when my colleague Victor and I got to visit the cuddle class tour van Air New Zealand are current driving around London to promote their new skycouch.

This to me seems like a great marketing tool, the staff are promoting a competition to win a flight to LA which of course brings people on board and then they are asked to tweet with their hash tag to win the flight, this really builds up a great buzz around the competition and the new service.

As you can see from the picture my colleague Victor seemed very happy with this new offering, the technology and design behind the Skycouch is relatively simple. Using the space in front of the seat to convert it into useable sleep space with a flip up leg rest. Other airline seats have offered a variety of leg rests (although not usually in economy) but this was the first one I’d seen that makes use of multiple seats next to each other.

Pessengers can then upgrade from one or two seats to have the whole row and take advantage of that joined-up space that gets somewhere close to that of a sofa. The fewer seats you upgrade from the more it costs — not surprisingly as you are effectively getting more seats for your money.

What do you think about this new experience? is it just a gimmick or will this catch on with other airlines?

Come join us at our AirXperience show at the Sofitel Heathrow 17-18 September where airlines will be showcasing innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience. Click here to visit the website>

AirXperience World is part of the World Low Cost Airlines Congress Click here to find out more about attending the World Low Cost Airlines Congress>

Michael O’Leary and Willie Walsh aren’t two people you’d necessarily put in the same team- as Michael says in the video, he thinks BA’s fares are too high and Mr Walsh thinks Ryanair’s service is too low. But now they’re standing together to fight the air passenger duty tax that they both agree is damaging to the industry.

Both will be speaking at the World Low Cost Airlines Congress. To find out more, click here.

Yes apparently so, you heard correctly- GOOD budget airline policies that actually benefit the passenger, not punish them.

We’re all very aware of the “extra” costs incurred when we’re trying to save by flying with low cost carriers. Jaunted have listed three of their favourite favourite LCC policies:

- Air Asia

For their consideration of those who had paid extra and to those who hadn’t.

- Tiger Airways

For their early safety requirement sessions, leg room and first call on storage space.

- Easyjet

For their flexibility through the flexi-fare scheme.

For more information on each of the favoured policies, click here to see the original article.

What do you think? Are there any policies in particular that you think work for the passenger? Let us know your thoughts.

AirXperience will further discuss how to improve the passenger experience. Click the banner below for more details.

Aviation is one of the largest and most profitable industries in the world. But is it the most equal? From the once male dominated boardrooms, women in all industries have made their mark.

However, in looking for the top women in aviation, we were still surprised to find so few. Those we did find are outstanding in their field and have made great contributions to the industry- but why
aren’t we seeing more women in the world of aviation?

Download the E-Book here >

Find out:

• Who the female industry leaders are
• Which companies they work for
• Their achievements

We may have missed some that you think are equally as important as those listed and for that, we welcome and are open to debate.

Download the E-Book here >

Let us know your thoughts!

Click here to download a presentation by BOC Aviation on the dynamics of fleet structures in a volatile market.

Aviation Outlook Asia 2013 is Asia’s C-level conference for the world’s most dynamic aviation market. It congregates the region’s full-service and legacy airlines to learn from regional and global players and discuss new business strategies to thrive in Asia’s aviation industry. Be part of an unparalleled networking platform where best practices are shared, new ideas are explored and partnerships are established!

Held for the 6th year, this event will host over 300 aviation attendees, including emerging aviation giants in the regions of Southeast Asia, Indochina and North Asia. Key executives from international airlines will also be here to look for solutions to drive business growth and continue prospering in the Asian market.

Do you provide a product or solution which helps to propel the Asian aviation industry forward? Do you want to showcase your product or solution to 300 aviation attendees? If so, contact Francesca McKee at +65 6322 2325 or francesca.mckee@terrapinn.com to find out more on how you can leverage on this opportunity to reach out to these leaders in the aviation space in Asia