Yol Gidenindir !

Here is a nice work that shows the world's longest flights as of January 2016. Nowadays,  MEB3 airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad, compete for another title, the world's longest route. Qatar Airways is planning to launch the Doha - Auckland route (9.034miles/18,5hrs), while Emirates announced Dubai - Panama City link (8.588miles/17,5hrs). On the other hand, Singapore is planning to reinstate its legendary Singapore - New York flight (9.500miles/19hrs) with Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft. You may visit the following links to read a bit more about this new battle; Yahoo Finance , Skift , and Statista . I also heard that Turkish Airlines is searching for an aircraft to establish an air link between Istanbul and Australia, the only continent that TK doesn't serve. My personal limit for a comfortable and healthy flight in economy class is around 6-7hrs. In premium cabins, this is around 12hrs. The idea of spending 18-19hrs or even more in a flight where you have li

One of the best videos combining flight safety and destination marketing. Congratulations Qantas! I believe Turkish Airlines should do one, in a better way, and focus on genuine Turkish Hospitality.

A few months ago, I got an email from the Turkish Embassy Office of The Cultural and Information Counselor in Tokyo, Japan. They asked me to send them the latest visuals of the Istanbul New Airport project to share with a travel publication in Japan. Yesterday, I received the printed copy of the GlobeTrotter Travel Guidebook. Still, I have no idea what is written above or next to the visual of IGA, but it was nice to see it there. I can only read 2018, which is the opening year of the airport. Thank you, our friends!

Carolyn Russo, a photographer at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum (Washington, DC), spent the last decade training her lens on 100 towers in 23 countries. "Airport towers are symbolic," she says. "They are cultural greeters... they are choreographers." You may watch the video about her exhibition filmed by Allen McGreevy, edited by Bill McKenna at bbc.com When I was working for Abu Dhabi Airports Company, we were using the Arabian Dhow inspired ATC Tower of AUH , as a symbol of the airport. So I agree that the ATC Tower of an airport is more than a control tower. Meanwhile, results announced for Istanbul New Airport’s “Air Traffic Control Tower Design Competition”  Tower inspired by tulips  World-renowned figures competed to design Istanbul New Airport’s “Air Traffic Control Unit”. AECOM and Pininfarina won the competition with a design inspired by tulips, one of Turkey and Istanbul's symbols. Results are announced for Istanbul New Airport’s Air Traf

Well... I believe that Turkish Airlines would never let Barcelona sign with Qatar Airways. Along with that, what Qatar Airways did is far much better than the Turkish Airlines to utilize their sponsorship for a major European team. Qatar Airways + Barcelona Turkish Airlines + Manchester United (2011) Your vote? QR or TK?

Skift.com has found ten innovative trends that reveal a better future for the industry and are set to make air travel more pleasant for passengers in 2016 and beyond. Here is the list with my comments on each trend; 1. Launch of A350 Aircraft and 787-9 Dreamliners – I definitely agree on this. I had a chance to experience 787 of Qatar Airways back in 2013 and looking forward to flying with the A350. 2. Rise of Biometric Kiosks and Passport Apps at Airports – E-Gates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi were my favorite time savers while I was living in the UAE. This trend has to be supported by all parties. There is one issue to tackle; visas. 3. Improved Onboard Wi-Fi and Streaming Entertainment – As a sit back-relax-enjoy type of pax, I rarely watch a movie. I like the time spent on board, which gives you a break to think about anything. Therefore, I don’t care an improved Wi-Fi. 4. Apple Watch and Apps – Again, as someone who doesn’t wear a watch, I am not fond of Apple Watch. Apps are a di

Next week IGA, the company behind the Istanbul New Airport Project, is going to host the Airport Council International - ACI Airport Exchange event in Istanbul. In addition to the 6 regular specialist ACI Airport Exchange conferences, this year there is a special dedicated 'Istanbul New Airport Development Conference' which is entirely dedicated to the €10.2 billion Istanbul New Airport project , featuring key figures from the leadership, design, and procurement teams delivering this game-changing mega-hub. Have a look at the official event website and join us if you're interested.

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

Very interesting article to read by Jens Martin Skibsted and Rasmus Bech Hanse on HBR Blog Network. I share some parts of it to give you an idea... Back in the days when the internet was young, many believed that as it grew brands would become a thing of the past. ... This has clearly turned out to be wrong. In fact, the web has become dominated by, yes, a few big brands. Still, the notion that a bigger worldwide web means smaller brands is surprisingly resilient. Most recently Stanford professor Itamar Simonsen and author Emanual Rosen have argued in their new book Absolute Value: What Really Influences Customers in the Age of (Nearly) Perfect Information and in their recent blog post here that marketers need to reevaluate the idea that brands are critically important in consumer’s purchasing decisions. They claim: “brands are less needed when consumers can assess product quality using better sources of information such as reviews from other users, expert opinion, or information from

Each December, world design rankings ( WDR ) releases a list that positions countries according to the number of international juried design competitions and awards they have won over the last twelve-month period. Organized by the A’ design award & competition, the WDR aims to provide data and insights to economists and journalists regarding the art, architecture, and design industries and bring to light the annual contributions made to global design culture through advocation. 2013 saw 69 countries evaluated, with Puerto Rico and Iceland among them, debuting for the first time under a new section called ‘design business insights’ that scores countries based on their success in diverse design fields and categories, broken down into three additional tables (strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities) for each nation. The US is topping the table. Check the map and guess the runner-up ;) To read more and view the full list, please follow this link ...

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...