I’m not sure what to make of this 1time eNewsletter that arrived in my inbox (I never seem to remember subscribing to half of the newsletters I receive, but anyway that’s off the topic). It sold itself on the slogan “life’s short, go on holiday”. Huh? I guess they’re trying to be humorous? Maybe a stab at trying to occupy some of Kulula’s cheeky differentiation strategy? But I have a number of comments about this:
Firstly, 1time, get your own brand. Secondly, is playing on people’s fear of death really going to sell seats on your airline? With a subject like “Holiday deal to die for” and a mention of a death certificate, it’s kind of ironic that a 1time plane had to make an emergency landing just the other day. Bad timing? Fact of the matter is that life might just be cut short if you do fly those horridly out-of-date planes you own, 1time.
It’s concerning. Let’s just think of it this way. What is the one thing that a consumer is most concerned about when travelling via airplane? Any guesses? Well, in my opinion it’s safety. When one of your planes’ engines blows up (1 November 2010, read that story here), and your cabin crew freak out more than the passengers, and you follow that incident with a marketing campaign about “Holiday deals to die for”, it kind of surpasses any humour and just becomes kind of sick. Let's not forget the "precautionary" landing in Bredasdorp (12 April 2010) and the landing gear emergency landing in Durban (23 June 2010). I think you're forgetting the lesson learnt from the crisis of Nationwide airlines. Their profits plundered rendering them bankrupt and forcing them to close. Why? Because their customers began to see their planes as unsafe. Watch this space 1time - you're fast on your way to becoming the next consumer behaviour case study.
Good luck 1time. After 1 too many times rattling my way back to Cape Town on the tin cans you call your fleet, I sure as hell will never be flying with you again.
P.S. Cherry on top was the R60 compensation voucher given to the passengers in the last incident. I don't even have the words to comment further.
