Yol Gidenindir !

Well done, Turkish Airlines... and thank you. By the way, the flight of Hezarfen from the Galata Tower to Üsküdar was the first intercontinental flight ever ;)

Being a sponsor of an event, team, organization, or NGO doesn't mean paying a certain amount of money and placing your logo either on a backdrop, brochure, or jersey. You have to leverage your brand by utilizing this sponsorship wisely and create a buzz among your target audience. Here is an excellent and cheerful example by Emirates. They are one of the sponsors of the Portuguese team Benfica, and look at what they have done in Lisbon before a game. Well done!

Current Market Outlook by Boeing

Mobile phones and tablets are fast becoming the perfect way airlines and airports can keep continuously connected with their passengers, from the moment of booking to boarding the aircraft. Have a look at the article published in Routesonline >>>

British perspective about their rivals and shifting of the growth center of the aviation industry... "Britain faces a tough decision. More people are flying and airports are edging towards capacity. The UK needs extra runway capacity in the southeast, but where? Politicians arrive at a solution: to set up a commission to identify a location. ... Heathrow briefly lost its status as the world’s busiest hub for international passengers this year, when Dubai took the top spot with 18.4m travellers in the first quarter. Dubai’s numbers dipped again during building work, but it has announced plans to increase capacity to 200m passengers annually. Dubai and other Gulf airports such as Doha and Abu Dhabi have expanded to meet demand, and many see them as the hubs of the future. Turkey is set to be another, with a six-runway airport being built at Istanbul projected to be able to handle 150m travellers a year." You can read the full article at FT

Iceland’s flag carrier Icelandair released a new safety video this week that doubles as a tourism ad for the increasingly popular destination. The video espouses the usual safety warnings but uses the country’s remarkable scenery as a backdrop for the directions .  To read the full article please visit Skift.com It is the newest and I think one of the best additions to themed safety videos. A nice combination of destination marketing and safety on board. I really like it...

Turkish Airlines has decided to discontinue its award-winning* Comfort Class service in 2013**, but its rival Lufthansa is going to launch its Premium Economy service by the end of this year. First of all, I may say that it looks like LH did its homework well, and this trial is far more promising. In general, I believe that the most challenging part of this new segment is pricing. From a passenger point of view, I am ready to pay extra for additional space, better seat comfort, and food on a long-haul flight, but this price difference shouldn't be more than 50% of the regular economy ticket. Lufthansa asks for 1199 € for a premium economy ticket between Istanbul and New York, while the Economy Class is 595€, and Business Class is 2675€. Lufthansa has also launched a microsite to promote this new service. It is very simple and sophisticated, easy to navigate, and to the point. A perfect example of new product marketing. Visit  http://premium-economy.lufthansa.com to experience the

Turkish Airlines has launched a new global communication campaign. There are two videos about this new concept; Widen Your World. I liked the first output of this new communication; 'Kobe vs. Messi - The selfie shootout' commercial. I also suggest you have a look at Turkish Airlines' Widen Your World site and watch the video there.

Here is the list of bests of our industry; Over 50m Passengers Singapore Changi Airport Group - Winner  Amsterdam Airport Schiphol – Highly Commended  Dubai International Airport – Highly Commended  Soekarno-Hatta International Airport  Suvarnabhumi International Airport  Between 20-50m Passengers Copenhagen Airport - Winner  Incheon International Airport – Highly Commended  Munich Airport – Highly Commended  Kunming Wujiaba International Airport  Sheremetyevo International Airport  Vienna International Airport Between  4-20m Passengers San Diego International Airport - Winner  Auckland Airport – Highly Commended  Brussels Airport – Highly Commended  Athens International Airport  Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport  Under 4m Passengers  Darwin International Airport - Winner  Kilimanjaro International Airport – Highly Commended  Shannon Airport – Highly Commended  Ekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport  Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany)  Destination Tourism Australia - Winner 

Last year we organized World Routes in Abu Dhabi, and that was a fantastic experience for all of us. You may read my related post here; World Routes 2012 Abu Dhabi . This year around 300 airlines, 750 airports, and over 100 destinations are currently heading to Las Vegas for World Routes, the 19thWorld Route Development Forum, to discuss the future of air services across the globe in more than 8,000 pre-arranged face-to-face meetings and three high-profile conferences. The world’s most important commercial aviation event of its kind will take place on 5-8 October 2013, co-hosted by Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. Visit the World Routes 2013 page to follow event and read the latest news...

Whether you are a parent or a business traveller, you will love this service! No more cry? For more information visit http://www.etihad.com/family

Defence Turkey - Turkish Primary and Basic Trainer Aircraft Hürkuş took off A nice detail: Registration of the aircraft is TC-VCH, in memory of Vecihi Hürkuş

A comparison between Airbus and Boeing, the two biggest commercial airplane companies on the planet...

Emirates airline is putting a smile on your face with its latest campaign...literally. Titled ‘Share a Smile’, it has created 29 videos in 14 languages of its cabin crew expressing quirky and unusual expressions and greetings from around the world. Emirates’ crew explain the meaning behind popular local phrases like ‘Don’t make an elephant out of a fly’ (Russian), ‘You’re so pretty it made a bang’ (Cantonese), and ‘You’re the cat’s whiskers’ (English). There is also a compilation behind the scenes out-takes video showing the fun the crew had making the films. This is the latest step in Emirates’ global brand campaign Hello Tomorrow... Click here to view all videos... Here is the Turkish one; You're a genie -  Cin gibisin

American Airlines, the very first airline I worked for two years between 1995-1997, has changed its legendary 40 years old logo...     I think the old one was better and could be modernized...

The high-tech drinks cart - SkyTender - can make more than 30 different drinks, including soft drinks, coffee, cocktails, and wine, at the touch of a button. A stocked trolley can prepare up to 290 drink servings. SkyTender recently made its debut on a flight from Cologne, Germany to Palma Majorca, Spain with the German airline WDL Aviation. For the full article, please click here ...

Abu Dhabi International Airport ( AUH ) has been named as 'The Best Airport in the Middle East' by Skytrax for 2012, leaving Dubai and Bahrain behind. This accolade was granted on the basis of passenger votes like all other Skytrax awards, Oscars of the aviation industry. To share the pride of this honor and spread the word, the airport has launched a campaign called ' Spin and Win with The Best The airport in the Middle East '. Basically, the campaign gives you a chance to win one of the products or services which paved the way to win this prestigious award. Whether you've got your heart set on the romantic capital of Italy - which is the latest addition to AUH's network- , the hope of winning millions, a year-long special airport privilege, or some retail therapy with a duty-free voucher, remember that you have 3 chances to enter the draw for the prize you desire. Flights to Rome Win a return trip for you and a companion to see the sights of anc

Welcome to World Routes 2012 in Abu Dhabi... The future is here. And in more ways than one – the 18th World Route Development Forum is the largest global event of its kind, determining the future of air services; while Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, is one of the most forward-looking, centrally located, and easily accessible cities on Earth. Hosted by Abu Dhabi Airports Company - ADAC and supported by official carrier Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, the 2012 event is targeted to attract over 2,750 delegates from more than 80 countries. For more information about World Routes 2012 - Abu Dhabi,  click here ... My role? You would think since this is an airline marketing event, corporate marketing's role would merely consist of giving support. You're wrong! Being the host means we dedicate all our departments - the whole of Corporate Marketing and Communications - to make sure this would be one of the most memorable World Routes events

Yesterday we had a special guest at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH)... Boeing's game-changer aircraft, B787 Dreamliner, was in AUH for a courtesy visit, as a part of the Dreamliner Promotion Tour. I was hoping to experience this aircraft as a passenger, but the opportunity to see it on the ground was also tempting enough. Aircraft was open to visit for two hours only. The first hour was reserved for Etihad staff and the second for ADAC staff, 50 people in each slot. ZA003 is the third B787 built by Boeing for test flights, and it is going to be retired after all these courtesy visits. In other words, it is not going to be in commercial service. Aircraft was still smelling 'new', which was familiar to me. In 2009, when we were doing a photo shooting for the re-branding of SunExpress , a brand new B737-800 was the venue chosen right after its arrival to Antalya from Seattle. I spent more than half an hour to check the Dreamliner's cockpit, crew rest areas, and e