Aviation Marketing Monthly - July 2020

AIRLINE MARKETING 86 2020 MONTHLY

Aviation Marketing Monthly

Issue

July

July 2018

easyJet Europening

latest developments in testing The The Delta Summer Wall Airline Safety Video round-up

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AMM - July 2020

Airlines and migrant deportations

AVIATION MARKETING MONTHLY - JULY 2020 Contents : 03 - Introduction 04 - The Touchless Travel Report

Touchless travel blueprint

unveiled for the post-COVID-19 world 06 - How Air Tahiti Nui became an iconic and profitable boutique airline 09 - easyJet Europening

22 - Destinations are starting to push for testing

Canary Islands - Arguing for TBT

(“Test Before Travel�)

Hong Kong Dubai Maldives Hawaii Iceland

What about airports?

12 - Feature - How are other airlines announcing their reopening?

Wizz Air - Say yes to flying

Lufthansa - Happy to See You Again

British Airways - Looking forward

to welcoming you back

Emirates - Dubai is Open

Air Transat

S7 Airlines

S7 and Thai Airways give points for

staying at home

30 - Why airlines need to be proactive about TBT

19 - Is testing the key to unlocking air travel? A special supplement 20 - Airlines are taking sanitation seriously.

But the virus is still spreading

The elephant in the room:

Airlines spread the virus

39 - Sustaining loyalty in a COVID world

33 - What the industry needs - Speed, scale, low cost, accuracy 34 - Effective testing solutions are on the horizon 38 - Africa tomorrow - Reinventing resilience in travel, hospitality and aviation

41 - The latest developments in sanitation and bio-safety

AVIATION MARKETING MONTHLY Produced by Simplivisible, on behalf of SimpliFlying Simplivisible Ltd, 27 Old Gloucester St, WC1N 3AX SimpliFlying Pte, 152 Haig Road, #13-04, 438791, Singapore, www.simpliflying.com 2 | Editor AMM- -Dirk July 2020editor@airlinemarketingmonthly.com Singer,

INTRODUCTION Like much of the airline industry, we’re back after an involuntary break of a few months.

And as the world’s only marketing magazine devoted to the aviation industry, we’ve taken the gap to make a few changes.

First of all the name - we were never only airline focused, which is why Airline Marketing Monthly is now Aviation Marketing Monthly (AMM).

We will also be broadening our reach to talk about more than just marketing campaigns.

This comes as the new SimpliFlying Launchpad looks to accelerate the development of products and solutions that will help the aviation industry up and running again in areas as diverse as sanitation and touchless travel.

As a result, we’ll be talking more about some of these solutions and the so-called ‘new normal.’ In this issue, we’ve featured the report on Touchless Travel that SimpliFlying produced in partnership with Elenium Automation.

We also have a feature on testing. More and more destinations are making testing an entry requirement, and there’s a real need for a cheap, accurate test that can be done on the spot, quickly and at a large scale. With many authorities viewing air travel as the main spreader of the virus, we’d go as far as to say that airlines need to get on board with testing for there to be any kind of sustained recovery.

Our cover feature goes to easyJet. While lots of airlines have run ‘we’re open again’ campaigns, easyJet’s Europening project takes it one stage further by showcasing local business across Europe who very much want to welcome tourists again. We were also impressed by the airline’s cartoon mask project, to make mask wearing better for kids - and of course their parents.

Finally, do you want more aviation news beyond this magazine? Be sure to sign up for our regular newsletter on aviation and Covid19. And if you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me.

Dirk Singer - editor@airlinemarketingmonthly.com

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AMM - July 2020

THE TOUCHLESS TRAVEL REPORT Touchless Travel Blueprint Unveiled For The Post-COVID-19 World SimpliFlying’s latest report called “The Rise of Touchless Travel”, details almost 30 different areas in the passenger journey that are expected to go touchless, to restore confidence in flying after COVID-19. The report is powered by an innovator in touchless technologies, Elenium Automation.

The next time you go to an airport, don’t expect to touch anything other than your own mobile phone. From arriving at the airport to collecting your luggage, the future of air travel in the COVID-19 world and beyond will be automated, touchless and more convenient than it has ever been.

SimpliFlying’s new report shows what touchless travel will look like, detailing 29 areas of the passenger experience that are set to change. The report is produced in partnership with Elenium Automation.

The aim of the report is to act as a blueprint for airlines and airports worldwide. Many of the solutions detailed are Live now, with others in the final stages of development.

The different areas of travel going touchless include: - PPE vending machines when you arrive. Examples of airports that already have these include Dubai and Las Vegas.

- Kiosks and terminals that measure your vital signs and connect you to a Doctor via video if needed. Developed by Elenium Automation, these terminals are being piloted

by Abu Dhabi Airport right now.

- Touchless check-in and baggage drop. Biometric recognition eliminates the need to scan boarding passes. With the use of Elenium’s BagDNA, each bag is then uniquely recognised in three seconds without the need to use any form of bag tags.

- Touchless airport security involves advanced body scanners, as well as bag scanners that remove the need for you to remove items such as liquids and place them on trays.

- Touchless shopping where you order via apps, digital vending machines and virtual ‘shopping walls’. Passengers will be recognised via biometric data, and can also have the shopping delivered direct to their hotels or homes.

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AMM - July 2020

- Contactless boarding, like ‘bingo boarding’ pilot at London’s Gatwick Airport, where you are individually called up when it is time to board, instead of crowds milling around the gate.

- No more seat-back pockets, with both safety cards and food menus being displayed on the seat-back screens and accessible digitally via your phone. This is a solution in development now by IFE company PXcom.

- Self-cleaning lavatories, such as those developed by Boeing in 2016, where ultraviolet lights disinfect 99.99% of germs.

Finally, upon arrival passengers can expect to see touchless immigration and customs procedures, and baggage notifications, again to stop crowds congregating around individual baggage reclaim belts.

According to SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam.

“As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Ideally, it would not have taken the tragedy of the global pandemic for the industry to embrace touchless technology wholeheartedly, but I’m convinced that the end result will in many ways be better and more seamless all around,” “We thought there must be a better way, so we started by building kiosks, bag drops, and boarding gates and trying to make them as quick as possible with the whole idea that somebody checks-in in five seconds, drops off their bag in five seconds, and boards in five seconds”, says Elenium Automation CEO Aaron Hornlimann.

Coinciding with the release of the Touchless Travel Report, the SimpliFlying Launchpad accelerator is accepting applications from innovative startups that are ready-to-deploy technologies and solutions to help kickstart travel.

“We’re working with innovators to bring their solutions to aviation, by guiding them through the complexities of the industry and helping them pilot at leading airlines and airports. As a result, our latest report isn’t a series of predictions. Rather, it’s a blueprint of what airlines and airports need to do now, with most of the technology listed being either already ready or very close to going Live,” adds Nigam.

To download a copy of the report, click here.

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AMM - July 2020

HOW AIR TAHITI NUI BECAME AN ICONIC AND PROFITABLE BOUTIQUE AIRLINE

By Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying

The airline industry is a very competitive one. The traditional airline models – legacy and low cost – don’t always succeed, as we can see in the aftermath of any global crises. Air Tahiti Nui offers a glimpse into an alternate business model – a boutique airline that is also profitable.

In good times and bad, airlines often struggle to turn a profit. Air Tahiti Nui is a boutique airline that has carved a profitable niche for itself – one that’s deeply ingrained its Polynesian culture across touchpoints. Post-COVID-19, the aviation industry needs to look beyond traditional business models to thrive and Air Tahiti Nui provides a promising alternative. I travelled to Tahiti to find out.

The result is this mini-documentary that we are releasing today based primarily on interviews with key executives.

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What It’s Like To Fly Air Tahiti Nui After a long late-night trek through the security and retails shops at Los Angeles Airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal, both the kids (and us too!) were exhausted. It totally did not help that there were five or six international flights boarding from the same gate areas to cities ranging from Singapore to Hong Kong. The kids were now cranky. But as we squeezed through the crowds, we were pleasantly surprised to see the bright and cheerful uniforms the Air Tahiti Nui ground crew were wearing. After getting bussed to the aircraft, we finally boarded an aircraft adorned with tattoos!

As we stepped into the Tahitian Dreamliner, our stress melted away. The unique fragrance of a tropical flower emanated

from the cabin. Instead of the typical sterile feel of an aircraft cabin, we encountered brightly coloured seats that resembled the ocean in some ways. As we passed through the galley, we noticed a huge decal of a beach in Bora Bora. Upon being seated, a flight attendant in a bright orange floweradorned uniform brought us a basket of “tiare” flowers and handed one to each of us. The kids were smitten.

Interestingly, this is the same flower that is visible on the tail of the airline’s aircraft.

We felt we had been transported to Tahiti already! That’s what boarding a boutique airline feels like – the brand identity literally translates into the customer experience.

None of this is a fluke. And all of it helps makes Air Tahiti Nui profitable.

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configuring its brand new Boeing 787s, it chose to pursue a 2-2-2 configuration. This is non-intuitive since most airlines these days prefer configurations that provide direct aisle access to all passengers.

The executives at Air Tahiti Nui though had done their homework. They knew that most of the premium passengers flying into Tahiti couples who are on a once-in-alifetime trip to French Polynesia.

Flying next to each other to them is more important than having direct aisle access.

They could charge higher fares while maintaining a higher density cabin. That’s a rare combination, and certainly, one that drives profits.

Non-Intuitive Approach To Driving Profits

Air Tahiti Nui Powers The Local Economic Engine

Most passengers have three choices to fly from the US to Tahiti – United Airlines, the low-cost long-haul French Bee and Air Tahiti Nui. It’s only the latter that you can expect people will pay a premium to fly, because of how differentiated the in-flight experience is. In fact, when the airline was

Air Tahiti Nui plays a major role in the economic development in French Polynesia to make sure that Tahiti stays connected with mainland France, but can also exploit regional opportunities to bring tourists from Asia, the Americas and the South Pacific to remote Pacific islands.

AMM - July 2020

In fact, the airline was recently awarded the State contract to maintain essential service between Papeete and Paris when all airlines had cancelled flights in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19. That resulted in the world’s longest non-stop flight and also some very creative routings via Guadaloupe in the Caribbean, making the route completely domestic! The fact that Air Tahiti Nui is deeply integrated with the local ecosystem matters to be able to win this type of contract as it is easier for the airline given its small structure and local base in French Polynesia to offer the best service and prices to operate flights to and from Tahiti.

The Mana When I was in Tahiti doing the interviews, meeting the Tahitian people and generally experiencing the islands, there was something unique that I couldn’t put my finger on.

Later, I found out that it’s called the “Mana” – the essence of Tahiti. I realized that it’s something that the airline truly brings through in its brand, customer experience and operations too. The Mana can be exemplified by something I noticed when I first landed in Tahiti from Los Angeles.

We landed at dawn. As we walked into the rustic terminal building, there was a man sitting before immigration, playing the ukelele. The kids woke up when they heard him play and we gathered around, not in a rush to exit. Shortly, our cabin crew walked past us and one of the male crew members decided to put his bag down and climbed the stage.

He then joined the man playing the ukelele and they all sang together. I didn’t have a word to describe it then, but I guess this is Mana. Air Tahiti Nui brings Mana to the world.

It’s what makes this boutique airline so successful and loved.

Air Tahiti Nui offers an alternative to the traditional airlines – it shows us how a boutique airline can leave a mark on its people and the world.

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AMM - July 2020

easyJet Europening

A lot of people looking to fly at the moment, especially for leisure, will have three key questions: What safety and sanitation procedures are in place? Crucially - where can I actually go? But also, and this seems to be forgotten by many airlines - what can I do when I get there?

So, what kind of businesses are open? What are the social distancing rules? Can I go to a cafe or to a beach? Getting the answer to these questions right, tells someone travelling to a destination that s/he can still have a holiday experience.

After grounding its fleet over April and May, easyJet started flying again in June. Like other airlines, easyJet rolled out a ‘we’re open again’ style campaign, complete with videos about enhanced sanitation procedures and (e.g.) compulsory mask wearing.

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However, unlike most other airlines, easyJet’s campaign puts the focus on the individual destinations. In particular small businesses who desperately want to welcome tourists again following several months worth of lost income.

Developed by advertising agency VCCP, easyJet’s “Europening” campaign features a series of creatives where “Europen” signs are in front of businesses across Europe, What makes the campaign noteworthy though is the social media element. easyJet says it is opening up its social channels to small businesses across Europe who are looking forward to attracting visitors again.

Those businesses are being encouraged to use the #Europening hashtag. easyJet is then reposting the best posts on its own platforms.

Recent examples include a coffee shop in Berlin, a quirky souvenir place in Athens and a patisserie in Paris.

This is a great campaign that works on a number of different levels. As we mentioned, it reassures people booking easyJet flights that their holiday will actually still look and feel like a holiday, with the ability to enjoy themselves in the destination.

It of course allows easyJet to support local businesses in the destination, while also giving the airline a range of free user generated content to repurpose on its platforms.

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AMM - July 2020

easyJet Face Masks

CrewCam

At the same time, easyJet announced that it would be making comic book style ‘lion’ and ‘pilot’ masks available to younger passengers.

Finally, as well as producing a number of different videos showing the new onboard procedures, underpinned by a ‘Europe with Confidence’ pledge, easyJet got its cabin crew to record ‘CrewCam’ videos on the first day that they returned to work.

The masks have been produced by Irish artist, Will Sliney, who is best known for his work on Marvel Comics Star Wars and Spiderman series.

This comes as easyJet, like other airlines, is requiring passengers over six to wear face masks on board at all times. The airline says that these comic book face mask covers have been designed to ease the experience for both kids and parents. easyJet does not say exactly how many masks are being produced, except to talk about “thousands” being available at select routes.

According to Will Sliney, “as a parent myself, I know how tricky traveling can be, so I hope these fun fask mask covers can help make things easier for parents too.”

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This will have served a number of purposes.

Beyond safety and sanitation videos it put a human face on the brand. Related to that, it also showed easyJet cabin crew getting to grips with the new way of working, with the message to passengers being - this is different, but manageable, and you should feel confident about flying again.

FEATURE - HOW ARE OTHER AIRLINES ANNOUNCING THEIR REOPENING? In the previous piece, we’ve talked about easyJet’s “Europening” campaign. What are other airlines doing to announce that they are open for business again? Here we present a selection.

Wizz Air - Say yes to flying Unlike other European airlines, Wizz Air never really stopped during the pandemic, and for a time was actually Europe’s largest airline.

Wizz Air has also continued expanding, including to Abu Dhabi, with flights to a range of destinations in Central and Eastern Europe.

In the video, a series of (mainly) millennials are shown wearing masks, but saying “yes” to a variety of different travel experiences, from an Erasmus (student) reunion, to a romantic trip to Rome.

Like other airlines, Wizz Air has produced videos and marketing collateral trying to reassure passengers and showing what the ‘new normal’ of flying will look like.

This includes a video entitled, ‘Say yes to enhanced health and safety.’

It’s worth saying that the average age of a Wizz Air passenger is 37, and so still firmly a millennial. ‘Say yes to flying’ is pitched very much at that demographic.

The most recent video by Wizz Air called ‘Say Yes to Flying’ (click above for the video), has a cheerful and aspirational tone and

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portrays travel and flying as something that can still be fun.

AMM - July 2020

Additionally, Wizz Air, like other LCCs, is engaged in some heavy price promotions to get people on board their aircraft and flying again.

Lufthansa - Happy to See You Again Lufthansa has released an optimistic video entitled ‘Happy to See you Again’, which invites people to rediscover and remember what they loved about travel.

The campaign has been extended to social media, where the #HappyToSeeYouAgain is being used across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

While ‘Happy to See You Again’ has an emotional pull to try and get people flying, Lufthansa’s Homecoming Guarantee arguably might be more effective in getting people to book.

As we were writing this, Austria announced that it would be requiring arrivals from fellow EU countries Bulgaria and Romania to quarantine, due to a spike in Coronavirus cases. That’s an illustration that things can change quickly and you might find yourself in a destination after which the quarantine doors shut.

Lufthansa’s return flight guarantee applies across the group and for flights to and from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and says that Lufthansa will bring them home, “if necessary also by a repatriation flight.”

At the end of June, Lufthansa said half of its fleet was back in the air, and by the end of October, over 90 percent of all originally planned short- and medium-haul destinations and over 70 percent of the Group’s long-haul destinations will be served again.

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British Airways - Looking forward to welcoming you back

British Airways’ reopening efforts were somewhat hampered by the UK Government introducing a 14 day self-quarantine rule for June, which was then relaxed for a number of countries in July.

A dedicated microsite has information and a series of videos on what the new travel experience with British Airways will be like, from what to expect to the airport, to new on board procedures.

In contrast to the Lufthansa reopening campaign, BA is adopting much more of a practical, even low key approach.

That focus on practical information continues on the airline’s social media channels, where route maps show where you can now fly from (e.g.) LCY and LGW, along with information on price promotions, newly reopened destinations and of course details about the airline’s flexible booking policy.

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AMM - July 2020

Emirates - Dubai is Open Emirates’ home of Dubai reopened for tourists from select countries on 7 July (a negative Covid19 test certificate is still needed for entry).

A video showcases the fact that ‘Dubai is Open’ and seeks to show tourists that they can do many of the things they used to enjoy pre the Pandemic.

At the same time, the ‘Dubai is Open’ message is being amplified via the sports shirts of major soccer / football teams that Emirates sponsors, including Olympique Lyonnais, Arsenal (London) and Real Madrid, ensuring that millions of TV viewers worldwide see it.

The airline’s football sponsorships was also leveraged via a video where stars of the various teams recorded a message for school pupils who had to deal with a very unusual school year, which has seen many of them missing physical school for months.

The players involved included Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard and Toni Kroos, England Cricket Team member Eoin Morgan, and Beth Mead from the Arsenal and England Women’s International teams.

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AMM - July 2020

Air Transat Canadian airline Air Transat is restarting select international services on July 23rd, including to the UK and Carribean.

Air Transat’s ‘opening’ announcement so far has been almost all about safety and sanitation, as opposed to destination content, such as ‘Traveler Care’, the airline’s new passenger procedure.

Previously Air Transat had run a series of social media destination posts (for example, of Tulum in Yucatan) under the hashtag #BrightenEveryDay, asking people to tag friends and family members who they’d like to travel with once the pandemic is over.

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AMM - July 2020

S7 Airlines Russia’s S7 announced its return to flying by uploading a video showing a series of travellers flying pre the Pandemic (hence why they are not wearing masks!).

The video asks S7’s social media fans to remember what they loved about travelling pre Covid19, and announces that the airline will be flying again with the message of: “Travels that everyone was waiting for! All this time we dreamed of sunbathing on the beach, jumping into the pool, taking a walk along the streets of new cities, finding ideal locations for selfies and climbing mountains to look at the stars. Travels are back! Over 100 destinations”

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S7 and Thai Airways give points for staying at home Early on in the pandemic, S7 ran one of the most innovative lockdown campaigns we’ve seen, when they awarded loyalty miles for people to stay at home.

Under S7’s Fly at Home promotion, by joining the airline’s loyalty programme and checking in (via your phone location) every day, you received 100 free miles a day.

As well as being great PR for the airline, it almost certainly will have resulted in more people signing up to the loyalty programme, at a time when almost no one was flying.

Several weeks later, in late April Thai Airways launched an almost identical campaign, when it announced it would be giving out three million miles to loyalty club members.

The mechanics were more or less the same as S7’s - you had to give your location via an app to prove you were at home.

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AMM - July 2020

IS TESTING THE KEY TO UNLOCKING AIR TRAVEL? A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

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AMM - July 2020

AIRLINES ARE TAKING SANITATION SERIOUSLY. BUT THE VIRUS IS STILL SPREADING Last month, two people who were knowingly infected, one from Manila and one from Kuala Lumpur, flew into Hong Kong. Fortunately, Hong Kong is a city that has mandatory testing on arrival, and the two were caught before they mixed with the local population.

Gary Leff covered this in a post on View From the Wing, headlined, “People are testing positive for COVID-19. And flying anyway.”

Gary’s post also mentions a case of pharmaceutical company Biogen firing an employee who travelled while having the virus from the United States to China.

The employee used over the counter medicine to keep her temperature down and therefore evade any temperature scanners.

At the same time Emirates made the news for bringing passengers infected with COVID-19 into Hong Kong, and then separately into Perth.

The Hong Kong example involved 26 people transferring from Pakistan (where there has been a spike in cases) through DXB and onto Hong Kong.

Meanwhile six people with the virus were on the Perth flight. To put that into perspective, those six people represented a two thirds increase in Coronavirus cases in Western Australia.

Like other major airlines, Emirates has excellent biosafety procedures. This includes mandatory face masks, thermal scanners at DXB, social distancing when boarding, and of course the cabin crew wear PPE equipment.

Nevertheless, infected passengers still managed to make it to Hong Kong and Australia, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to guess that there are many more (on all airlines) infectious passengers still travelling who are never detected, especially if they are asymptomatic.

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AMM A guide - July on testing, 2020 from AMM

The elephant in the room - airlines spread the virus Which brings us to the elephant in the room: Airlines have been - and still are - unwitting and unwilling conduits of COVID-19.

from the UK - of course by air. Like everyone else arriving in the country, the two went into quarantine.

Before there was wide awareness about COVID-19, the disease went from China to Europe, through normal commercial flights.

However the pair were released early for compassionate family reasons and drove for 650km from Auckland to Wellington before being diagnosed.

A BBC investigation even claims that Iran’s Mahan Air spread COVID-19 throughout the Middle East and beyond as flights to China, including to Wuhan, seem to have continued into March.

For example, the BBC reports that the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Lebanon was on 21 February from a woman returning on a pilgrimage from the city of Qom, and that she flew back to Beirut on Mahan Air. Mahan Air is not typical of other major airlines, for one thing the airline is alleged to have links with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

However, as the Emirates examples show, it doesn’t matter how good your HEPA filters are, or how stringent the face mask rules at the airport and on-board. People are still getting through.

Even New Zealand, which was Coronavirus free for 24 straight days, suddenly had two new cases on June 16th. How? Thanks to two returning New Zealanders coming back

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AMM A guide - July on testing, 2020 from AMM

If airlines are seen as spreaders of COVID-19, it’s not a surprise that some Governments are taking a tough line on their return.

On June 30th, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacina Ardern said calls to reopen the country’s borders were “dangerous.”

Meanwhile the Scottish Government was initially out of step with its UK counterparts in authorising air bridges. Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that “we have to guard against importing cases of the virus here”, before eventually agreeing to green light a list of 57 countries.

Finally, as we were putting this issue together, there was controversy as Hong Kong introduced mandatory testing for arriving airline crew members, who had previously been exempt. The city had seen an increase in cases of COVID-19, and airline crew were obviously seen as a gap by which the virus could get into Hong Kong, given that passengers are already being tested.

DESTINATIONS ARE STARTING TO PUSH FOR TESTING More and more destinations are introducing testing as an entry requirement. In the case of Hong Kong and Iceland, the test happens when you land.

In the case of Dubai and the Maldives, the requirement is for the test to be done before travel (TBT). The Canary Islands are also advocating TBT on a global scale.

Canary Islands - Arguing for TBT (“Test Before Travel”) The Canary Islands has been one of the innovators when it comes to preparing for tourism during the pandemic and beyond.

After attending a webinar hosted by TravelMedia with Cristina Del Río Fresen, Leader of the Islands’ Global Tourism Safety Lab, we followed up with a number of questions.

This comes as the media reported the Islands’ regional President Ángel Víctor Torres, talking about a mouthwash style test, to be administered on arrival.

According to Cristina del Río Fresen: “Our world proposal is that people should fly COVID-free, avoiding the spread of contamination in the current pandemic.

We call it TBT: Test Before Travel.

“Before departure, being healthy would be the only requirement, no matter your country or the place where you live or the one you wish to visit. A previous test could confirm your availability to fly and make it safer for the world, and especially the tourism sector.

“It means that everybody should be tested before going abroad, so the tourist destinations are able to offer a better experience.”

Cristina del Río Fresen told us that though the Spanish Government had as yet not agreed to tests as an entry requirement, the regional Government had indeed contacted a number of possible test providers in Europe, Israel and Japan.

The front runner may well be one from Japan, which is a saliva PCR test that would cost around €45 and take half an hour for the results to come back.

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AMM A guide - July on testing, 2020 from AMM

The regional authorities are also looking at providing incentives, such as vouchers to be spent on the islands, to offset any testing costs.

Here Cristina del Río Fresen says that this could be ready in the Autumn, as the Government is currently evaluating it: “Our idea is to offer a bonus to spend in the destination (in restaurants, bars, excursions) so at the same time, we will be able to activate our local economy.”

That in itself is an interesting idea, and could be one way in which airlines and destinations work together to make any extra travel costs (in the form of TBT) an easier sell for tourists - get travel vouchers to the value of your test. That money goes back to local businesses, so everyone benefits.

Cristina del Río Fresen told us that it’s of course important that any ‘Test Before Travel’ is properly validated, including the use of a digital health passport underpinned by blockchain technology.

The Islands are already running a pilot project with the UN World Tourism Organisation involving the HI+ Card app, which is developed by a local Canarian company.

A diagram on the HI+ Card website shows the passenger scanning his or her phone at various stages of a flight from check-in to arrival, and passing different COVID-19 checks. The HI+ Card uses blockchain and is GDPR compliant.

Finally we asked Cristina del Río Fresen, what difference it would make if an airline were to commit to introducing TBT for all passengers. She replied that initially the industry had not been receptive due to the cost, but recently opinions had started to change:

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AMM A guide - July on testing, 2020 from AMM

“Airlines are afraid of losing some clients because of the price of the test, but it is just the opposite. We developed an international poll (31.600 respondents) and 75% confirmed they prefer to travel being tested in advance.

The safety perception grows...they could increase their routes and their clients.

“I am pretty sure that the travel industry will change in the next few months. TBT will be as usual as any other airport control, and even easier. There are more countries every day asking for this requirement, it is important for all destinations, nobody wants new cases.”

Hong Kong All arriving passengers (and now flight crew) are tested on arrival. For passengers the procedure is to go to a neighbouring exhibition centre, take a test and wait for up to eight hours for the results to come back.

Journalist Laurel Chor gave an excellent description of what the procedure is like in this twitter thread.

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AMM A guide - July on testing, 2020 from AMM

Dubai Dubai welcomed its first tourists on July 8th, on a Flydubai flight from Kiev. Alongside the efforts by its home airline, Emirates (which we talked about earlier in this issue), Dubai is running a campaign to make tourists feel reassured called “Ready When You Are.” At the same time, Dubai has introduced entry requirements, which include testing.

Arriving passengers need to produce a test certificate (proving they don’t have the virus) taken 96 hours before departure, or they will be tested on arrival. They need to have health insurance, and to download the official contact tracing app.

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AMM A guide - July on testing, 2020 from AMM

Maldives The Maldives similarly require you to have a test done before boarding a flight to the island. In addition, tourists need to show a booking at a resort which has a “safe tourism license.�

To get such a license (at a cost of $50,000), a resort needs to set aside 10% of rooms for quarantine, to have a doctor and nurse on site, to have appropriate staff training and to have a crisis plan in case of an outbreak.

The Maldives is not a budget destination, and no doubt resorts will pass the cost onto visitors. However, most will probably be happy that the islands are being so stringent.

After all, it works for incoming tourists (who don’t want to be infected), as well as for locals and staff who work within the industry.

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AMM A guide - July on testing, 2020 from AMM

Hawaii Being cut off from the Continental United States, Hawaii has of course been keen to keep its Coronavirus rate under control - and lower than mainland US States. At the same time, the Hawaiian islands are reliant on tourism.

Plans are to reopen the islands on 1 August to anyone who has a test certificate, issued 72 hours before departure.

There is just one problem - according to Hawaii News Now, concerns have been raised about availability of tests on the mainland, as well as the spike in Coronavirus cases.

Meanwhile, testing capacity on the islands itself has been cut in half due to fewer chemicals to administer the tests being sent to Hawaii. This is again directly linked to the increase in Coronavirus cases on the US mainland.

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AMM A guide - July on testing, 2020 from AMM

Iceland Iceland introduced mandatory testing on arrival on 15 June, and for two weeks the Icelandic Government picked up the cost. Anyone arriving would go to their hotel and wait for the result to come through. However, testing capacity was initially limited to 500 a day.

Capacity has now increased to 2,000 a day and the cost is met by the passenger. If you book in advance, it is 9,000 ISK ($63).

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What about airports?

A number of airports worldwide have set up Coronavirus test centres.

These include: Bangkok Airport Certain groups of people can now fly to Bangkok, and take advantage of a testing facility on arrival. According to Reuters the test takes 90 minutes and costs just under $100.

Vienna Airport VIE was one of the first to introduce a testing facility for arriving passengers. For a cost of €190, you can have a PCR test done with the results known “within a period of about three to six hours.”

Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt Airport operator FRAPORT is working with Lufthansa and German biotech firm Centogene in running a test centre at FRA. A standard test costs €59 and can take six hours, while an express test costs €139 and can be processed in three hours or less.

Centogene does say it can process up to 5,000 tests a day and has set up a mobile test truck in the airport grounds, meaning the results don’t have to be sent off to an external lab.

Centogene produced a promotional video about the test centre, which among other things features Fritz Keller, President of the German Football Federation, who says on the video that testing is the only way, until we’ve found a vaccine, to have some kind of normality in life.

A testing centre has also been opened at Munich Airport, though it seems to be more modest in scale than Frankfurt’s efforts.

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WHY AIRLINES NEED TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT TBT Passengers are still flying with the virus, despite the different sanitation checks developed by airlines and airports. Meanwhile, more and more destinations and airports are looking at testing.

We believe airlines should not only welcome testing before travel, but they should champion it, as it could be the key to unlocking an air travel recovery in the short to medium term.

Here is why: 1 - A vaccine is unlikely to be available on a mass scale until 2021. Testing however is possible now. And as we outline in our next piece, a number of cheap and fast testing solutions are almost ready to go.

2 - As the recent Emirates flights to Perth and Hong Kong show, even an airline with great COVID-19 safety procedures can still unwittingly fly infectious people around.

3 - Some passengers are knowingly flying while having the Coronavirus, and using over the counter medicine to beat temperature scanners. Testing would stop this. Then there are asymptomatic passengers, who show no symptoms.

4 - The aviation industry is seen by many Governments, and by some of the media, as one of the main spreaders of Covid19.

Right now the industry is putting a huge focus in ensuring staff and passengers don’t get

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infected on a flight. That’s very important - both during the pandemic and beyond. And many innovations like touchless travel are overdue anyway.

But there also needs to be a focus so that infectious people don’t fly in the first place.

Tackling that point head on - that aviation spreads the Coronavirus around - would do a lot in persuading Governments to relax entry rules and would rebuild trust.

5 - Having infectious passengers on a plane causes disruption and makes people less willing to fly. Here’s a recent case from the Channel Island of Jersey.

According to the Jersey Evening Post, the second flight into the island (from London Gatwick) after it reopened showed an asymptomatic passenger on board.

Not only did he have to go into quarantine, the 15 passengers (20%+ of everyone on board) seated nearest to him had to isolate as well.

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Imagine arriving and being told that because you sat two rows away from someone who had the virus, you now have to go into quarantine, disrupting your life for two weeks.

This kind of thing reduces consumer confidence in flying. In contrast, testing before anyone even checks in would greatly increase it (and the Canary Islands poll of 30k+ respondents seems to back that up).

6 - The past few months have seen incidents of Coronavirus air rage from passengers angry at being on crowded flights. Then American and United are currently under fire for again selling the middle seat. Indeed, one US Senator now wants to introduce a bill banning airlines from filling it.

Here is how to make that go away: Test everyone before they fly. Then you can’t complain about the fact that there is someone sitting next to you. After all, you, and everyone else on board, has been tested.

7 - It reassures your staff. Cabin crew will know that they are working on a flight where everyone tested negative for the virus. Meanwhile, airlines like American would have nothing to fear about cabin crew tests in Hong Kong. They will have been tested anyway, 8 - Finally, it will boost, not reduce revenue.

As our interview with Cristina del Río Fresen showed, destinations are starting to ask for TBT (test before travel) anyway. Right now that means going to a private clinic and having a test done at a minimum of $60 using the Frankfurt Airport example, though $150+ is more typical in most Western cities.

Many people will not bother, meaning airlines lose passengers.

A better alternative is to administer the test at the airport (meaning it’s ‘safer’ for everyone as it’s done just before departure) at a reasonable price. And as the Canary Islands suggested, airlines could work with the destination to offer vouchers to be spent on arrival to the value of the test cost.

That way everyone wins. Everyone feels reassured. New routes open again for airlines.

And if vouchers are offered, the net cost to the traveller is zero.

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WHAT THE INDUSTRY NEEDS SPEED, SCALE, LOW COST, ACCURACY So what should the industry be looking for when it comes to testing? Tests should meet four key criteria: they should be fast, cheap, accurate and be able to be done at scale.

Speed If you are going to administer a test before check-in, you need to get the results back within 30 minutes - ideally less. It’s not realistic to make people wait around for longer (and you run into problems with waiting space). Even Bangkok’s ‘fast’ test takes 90 minutes.

Cost The €59 standard test at Frankfurt Airport costs less than other testing solutions, but still represents €236 for a family of four. Especially for leisure travel, it’s too expensive for many. The cost has to be low enough that an airline can easily add it as an extra, without it being off putting.

Accuracy Emirates tried to introduce a 10 minute test in April, only to have to withdraw it after it was found to be inaccurate. Any test needs to be validated by an independent and reputable third party a scientific body or a University - and of course accredited by the relevant regulatory authorities such as the FDA or European Medicines Agency.

Capacity Frankfurt’s 5,000 a day test capacity is impressive but it still only represents less than a third of people who fly from the airport every day in normal times.

Then as we detailed, Hawaii is having problems even getting enough chemicals for testing, due to the Coronavirus spike on the mainland.

As a result, any viable solution has to be available on a mass market scale.

Then there are other issues that need to be overcome.

For example, any test should be supervised by airline staff, you can’t have large teams of medical personnel on call at all times.

Finally, it needs to be an antigen, not an antibody test. As the National (UAE) says, there is some confusion between the two, with people at one medical centre in the UAE being given the latter when they thought they were being given the former.

In layperson’s terms, an antibody test says if you have had it (and have a degree of immunity), while an antigen test says if you have got it now.

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EFFECTIVE TESTING SOLUTIONS ARE ON THE HORIZON The good news is that there are testing solutions in development right now that meet the criteria we mentioned in the previous piece.

SimpliFlying is currently producing a comprehensive guide on the different solutions in development for airlines, to speed up the adoption process. However, here are just some that we are aware of: Air Canada and Spartan Bioscience One airline which is already looking at mass testing is Air Canada. On July 8th, the airline announced that it was teaming up with Ottawa biotech company Spartan Bioscience “to assess how best to deploy Spartan’s portable COVID-19 testing technology in the aviation sector.”

Spartan Bioscience is best known for developing the “Spartan Cube”, which it says is the world’s smallest DNA analyzer.

According to Business Traveller, testing is done via a “non invasive swab” and the results are back in under an hour - that’s longer than what we think is needed (30 mins or less), but still shorter than other solutions available right now.

Spartan Bioscience’s COVID-19 tests are still subject to approval by the Canadian regulatory authorities.

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BioSURE antigen self test UK company BioSURE is best known for developing a quick and easy to use HIV self-test, which has been available to buy for 5+ years.

BioSURE has now teamed up with fellow UK biotech firm Mologic to develop a COVID-19 antibody self-test.

The test itself comes from Mologic, while the delivery mechanism is BioSURE’s and works much in the same way as its HIV self-test.

Quite simply you take a pin prick of blood, add it to a pen type unit and get the results back in ten minutes.

This test is available now, and is awaiting approval from different national regulatory authorities.

As well as a self-test for consumers, BioSURE offers a ‘cassette’ version for testing by professionals. This doesn’t need to be medical staff, airline employees could be trained remotely in the use of the tests. The tests have also been independently verified (by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine among others), to be accurate As mentioned these tests are antibody tests and so won’t satisfy local authorities on arrival.

However, they could be valuable for companies to administer to staff - to know who has had the virus and has a degree of immunity.

BioSURE told us that a cheap and quick antigen test is currently under development.

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Israeli research projects

There are two quite groundbreaking testing projects in development right now in Israel.

Israeli company Nanoscent has received close to $1 million from Japan’s Sumitomo corporation to develop a scent based test. Viral infections could be detected in as little as a minute, and the accuracy rate is 90%+.

According to the Times of Israel, Nanoscent already has letters of intent with two airlines.

Separately we are also aware of a breathalyzer test being developed by researchers from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In a video, Professor Gabby Sarusi specifically mentions that his machine would be suitable for airports as well as cruise companies.

A single machine will have a capacity of 4000 people a day, meaning that this is one solution where airports and airlines could test people on a very large scale.

Subject to FDA approval, manufacture of the machines is scheduled to start in September or October. Like Nanoscent’s test, Ben-Gurion University’s test delivers results in a minute.

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Japanese Saliva Test The Japanese Saliva Test is the one which caught the eye of the Canary Island Authorities.

Developed by Nihon University and Tokyo Medical University, the results come through in half an hour with no medical staff needed on site. Japanese company Shionogi has licensed the manufacture and distribution of the tests, with the aim of administering them to all international arrivals into Japan from the Autumn.

Other tests, including a ‘mouthwash’ Other rapid tests that we are aware of include, a ‘mouthwash’ style test being developed by researchers from the University of Marrakech.

Meanwhile, the US FDA recently gave the go-ahead for a rapid test from US Pharma company Becton Dickinson, where the results come back in fifteen minutes. Becton Dickinson is looking to produce two million a week from late September.

Two Irish companies are also involved in Coronavirus tests, this includes Hibergene, as well as MyBio, which according to the Irish Times has signed an agreement with German company MoLab to manufacture and distribute the company’s ten minute tests.

Finally, British biotech company GeneMe has developed a 30 minute test called ‘FRANKD’.

GeneMe says it is in talks with governments, airports, airlines, resorts, hotel groups and event management companies to distribute the test kits.

Multiple tests will sit side by side One reason why we’re working on a more comprehensive guide is that no one test and supplier can meet the needs of the industry, due to the huge number needed.

As a result, much like with vaccines, where several candidates are at an advanced stage of testing, multiple solutions will sit side by side. Just as Air Canada has chosen to work with Spartan, other airlines will sign agreements with other biotech companies.

Are you a researcher or pharmaceutical / biotech company with a rapid COVID-19 test in development? We’d love to hear from you, email - dirk@simpliflying.com

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AFRICA TOMORROW - REINVENTING RESILIENCE IN TRAVEL, HOSPITALITY AND AVIATION

Africa's travel & tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors are facing challenges unlike we've ever witnessed before. Africa Tomorrow has been developed in this time of uncertainty to unite the industry’s leaders and to encourage online networking for discussions on how we deal with the economic circumstances caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and what new partnerships are needed for all kinds of industry businesses.

This is not a webinar. 7,500+ decision makers have joined our virtual business conferences in April and May 2020 alone. We have taken our learnings from running Hospitality Tomorrow, our series of virtual conferences and applied them to a carefully tailored platform for Africa's travel, tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors.

Africa Tomorrow is brought to you by the teams behind AHIF - Africa Hotel Investment Forum and AviaDev Africa. Featuring 6 hours of essential insights delivered by 100+ speakers, networking opportunities with thousands of your industry peers, live videomeeting functionality and a virtual expo where you can meet some of the most innovative industry brands.

As part of the programme, Dirk Singer, editor of AMM will be moderating the session, ‘Rebuilding Traveller Confidence Post COVID’ at 1130 GMT on July 21st.

To find out more and to register, go to the Africa Tomorrow website.

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SUSTAINING LOYALTY IN A COVID WORLD: HOW AIRLINES CAN ENTICE AND REWARD CUSTOMERS, WHEN FEWER ARE TAKING FLIGHTS The aviation industry has been hit harder than nearly any other industry during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic and was recently declared by IATA to be having its worst financial year ever. Debates continue about how to make travel safer, cleaner, and more secure. Despite reassurances from airlines, much of the flying public is still weary of air travel. In a world with fewer flying, how will airline loyalty programs keep their members engaged and feeling rewarded? Two possible solutions lie in local destination holidays and airlines exercising flexibility. Ultimately though, how airlines communicate with customers during this time will be more important than anything.

Destination: Local As many across Europe, the US and Asia are looking to book summer holidays, airlines have to consider that local destination holidays will be a hot topic in the coming months and year. Be it due to government restrictions, border closings or just general caution, the mantra for summer 2020 is quite likely- stay local, holiday local. Therefore, it would be prudent for airlines to explore local rewards as a way for members to earn and redeem points.

Instead of advertising the Maldives on miles, maybe it’s a 5-star getaway to Manchester or a virtual Roman cocktail making experience from home.

Collaboration between airlines and train operators may also be on the horizon. Air France, recently given €7 billion of state aid, has been told to not compete with the high-speed train service TGV when the journey is less than 2.5 hours. Though this may lead to a decrease in passenger numbers on Air France flights, the airline should consider encouraging loyalty amongst passengers with train travel based rewards.

In the hotel sector, IHG has partnered with dozens of airlines to allow for accrual and redemption of miles at their properties. (A full listing is found here: Earn Miles with IHG® Rewards Club Partner Airlines) For those not flying at the moment but still looking to earn or burn miles, hotels- even in your own region- can be a viable option.

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Flexibility Flexibility is critically important to keeping loyalty programs relevant and attractive to customers. Many airlines have been extending status levels for members into the new year and lowering redemption thresholds. If you are looking for a roundup of changes, Conde Nast Traveler did an excellent job. British Airways has been the latest to make news in terms of flexibility, extending their Executive Club tiers by one year. Additionally, airlines are opening up flexibility in booking and re-booking policies and refund policies to allow for sudden changes and variances in passenger demand.

Many airlines are encouraging members to remain loyal by relaxing policies on how and where their miles are earned. American Airlines recently announced that it was changing the way members could earn Lifetime Frequent Flier Status, shifting the requirements from miles flown per year to a minimum-spend on their cobranded credit card.

Communication All of this means nothing if airlines are not communicating effectively. Skift reporter Brain Sumers recently quoted Nik Laming, former head of loyalty at Cebu Pacific, lowcost-carrier in the Philippines, on this very topic. Laming told Sumers, “Clear, concise and appropriate communication is the order of the day and certainly not blanket approach selling until the future is clearer.� Keeping members engaged starts with engaging with them in the first place. Transparency in policies and demonstrating an honest and heartfelt interest in taking care of customers goes a very long way in good times, not to mention during a crisis.

By Elizabeth Roscoe

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THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN SANITATION AND BIO-SAFETY Airlines are continuing to introduce sanitation and bio-safety initiatives to reassure passengers that they will be flying in a sanitary cabin environment. Here are some of the most recent developments:

Delta works with the Mayo Clinic Delta was of course the first major airline to make “clean” a long term brand attribute with the launch of ‘Delta Clean’ in April. Delta’s latest COVID-19 related announcement sees the airline working with the Mayo Clinic.

Delta says that the partnership will encompass three areas: COVID testing for the full Delta workforce, the establishment of an advisory council to assess Delta’s procedures, and customer health consulting.

The latter involves advising “Delta on best practices for customers regarding COVID-19 prevention, including the use of effective personal protective equipment, and guidance on how Delta can continue to provide a safe and clean travel experience.”

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Saudia teams up with disinfectant brand Dettol In May, United launched its ‘United Clean Plus’ Covid19 reassurance campaign with household disinfectant Clorox on board, as well as the Cleveland Clinic.

Now an airline outside the US, Saudia, has teamed up with a major consumer cleaning brand, in this case Dettol.

As part of the partnership, Dettol products, such as sanitizing wipes, will be used on board by passengers. Saudia and Dettol say that this will soon be extended to other areas including aircraft hygiene.

At the same time, Dettol will provide information and advice on keeping yourself safe during the pandemic.

Both the United / Clorox and Saudia / Dettol partnerships are great tie-ups for a number of reasons.

People who may be nervous about flying are greeted with a brand name they trust in their own homes and that they themselves associate with ‘clean.’

Meanwhile, it works for Dettol and Clorox as well. It reinforces their brand positioning as being the gold standard of cleanliness, and gives them a large amount of exposure at gates and on aircraft.

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Etihad ‘Wellness Ambassadors’ Recently in one of our newsletters, we shared a picture asking readers to choose from four airline uniforms that would make them feel the safest, from normal clothes to full blown Hazmat style outfits as recently shown by Qatar Airways.

The problem is that the latter approach could do more to put passengers off than reassure them. Hence, it’s interesting to see how Etihad has positioned its own Covid19 travel programme, using the pleasing and positive sounding word ‘wellness.’

According to Etihad’s SVP of Sales and Distribution, Duncan Bureau, Etihad is claiming to be ‘’the only Airline that will have “Wellness Ambassadors” on-board to look after our crews and passengers in relation to Covid19.’’

On the relevant Etihad webpage, the airline says that this ‘’specially trained team

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of Wellness Ambassadors’’....’’will be on hand to answer your questions and share advice on staying safe during your trip.

Our Wellness Ambassadors will also help to ensure that global health and hygiene regulations are being fully adhered to, to keep you protected when you travel.’’

The wellness ambassadors are underpinned by a range of other measures (branded as ‘wellness initiatives’) such as ‘’wellness kits’’ (basically hygiene and sanitation kits), a ‘refreshed’ Covid19 safe meal service and new sanitary seat covers and carpets on board.

Normally, when you think of wellness you think of something like a spa, or a health regime.

As a result, it’s an interesting use of branding by Etihad, that softens the new Covid19 sanitation regime that every airline is having to introduce.

Alaska Airlines - Yellow Cards In a June newsletter, we covered the case of US Conservative activist Brandon Straka, who was kicked off an American Airlines flight (and ultimately banned) for refusing to wear a mask.

Straka was sanctioned for arguing with the cabin crew, but as this Washington Post article says, it is unclear what exactly airlines can do against maskless passengers, as wearing a mask is not US Federal Law. Airlines are however starting to get tougher. The Washington Post notes that Delta now makes mask wearing a condition for boarding (there are some exceptions, such as for a cognitive or physical disability).

Meanwhile Alaska Airlines is adopting a yellow card approach - effectively handing out one warning, after which you could see yourself being suspended from flying with the airline.

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As Alaska Airlines said in a blog post: “Our flight crews encounter moments when some travelers disregard or disobey our mask requirement. It creates tension and anxiety for many of our passengers who do have their face coverings on. So, a change is needed.”

Underpinning Alaska Airlines’ tougher new procedures, passengers are also being asked to sign a health agreement during check in, which includes a commitment to adhering to the mask policy.

Passengers who have forgotten a mask will be handed one, and Alaska Airlines is also giving out hand sanitizer wipes.

As the airline says: “We realize a piece of fabric across your nose and mouth is probably not your ideal way to travel. But if we all take that small step while flying, we’ll be better off in the long run.” at gates and on aircraft.

Qatar Airways - Face Shields now mandatory Qatar Airways is currently using the tagline, “Travel safely with the airline you can trust�, and is therefore very much selling itself on its sanitation procedures.

Not only is Qatar Airways making passengers wear face masks, in a July 2nd announcement the airline said that it would now be introducing face shields as well at least in economy.

The airline says that all Qatar Airways passengers will be provided with a complimentary protective kit. Inside a ziplock pouch they will find a single-use surgical face mask, large disposable powder-free gloves and an alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel. Business Class customers will also be offered an additional 75ml sanitiser gel tube.

In May pictures emerged of Qatar Airways crew wearing what look almost like Hazmat suits. This has been softened with a new look - new disposable protective gowns for cabin crew that are fitted over their uniforms, in addition to safety glasses, gloves and a mask. The new branded gowns are personalised with Qatar Airways’ logo imprinted on the top left corner.

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Star Alliance, One World and SkyTeam - Dear Travellers

The three global airline alliances - Star Alliance, One World and Skyteam - came together last week to produce a video that outlines the steps the world’s major airlines are taking to keep passengers safe during the pandemic.

This includes mask wearing on board by passengers and staff, physical distancing (where possible) at airports, and the use of HEPA filters to filter the cabin air.

Separately coinciding with its 20th anniversary, SkyTeam announced SkyCare&Protect.

According to a SkyTeam press release, “SkyCare&Protect currently consists of 15 measures, based on five layers of protection that enhance personal safety at every step of the journey.”

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AVIATION BRANDS IN THIS ISSUE Air Canada Air Tahiti Nui Air Transat Alaska Airlines British Airways Delta easyJet Emirates Frankfurt Airport Etihad Lufthansa Qatar Airways Saudia S7 Airlines Vienna Airport Wizz Air

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