'The New Image' Trend with the airlines

[SFly]

Well Monarch has flown its new livery, Britannia too. But my post regards MyTravel.. .. .Most people agree that MyTravel and Britannia have taken steps back with their new images. (I would describe it as the worst decision any airline has made since . . . well, you get the point. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Embarrassed]" src="redface.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> ). .. .I know it is just an interim scheme but don't you think Airtours would do one hell of a lot better to settle for this?--. .. .<a href="http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=225790" target="_blank">Interim scheme</a> . .. .Combines that horrible new name which I suppose is now a necessary evil, with the well established old livery.. .. .Maybe I'll write a letter to the bloke in charge over there . . .. .. .Anyone agree?. . <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" /> . .SFly

[JB007]

Saw the MON A/c at LGW this afternoon, definatly well over due - looks good!. .. .With regards to AIH/MyTravel, I thought the new branding was the start of an image change...just a huge pity that they are now owned by a company called "MyTravel" - sounds more like a Co-Op travel agents than a large international tour operator!!! But, I actually like the new colour scheme... .. .Are they keeping "Kestral" as the callsign anyone know ?

[SFly]

Yes, the callsign will still be Kestrel (I think) . . . I believe the only 'structural' changes are going to be changing the designator from AIH to MYT.. .. .I still think they should keep the basic colors!. .. .SFly

[PAXboy]

This mania for trying to change image is SUCH a waste of moeny and management effort. Unless the change really signifies a change in thinking, it will soon be discovered by the pax. Are 'IT' pax interested in how the machine is painted? I doubt it!. .. .I have said it elsewhere - the My Travel design on the tail fin looks like a toilet <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" />

[A Very Civil Pilot]

Several million to image consultants to come up with a new name but whenever they are mentioned in the news you hear:. .. .Consignia- formerly known as the Post Office,. .Chorus- formerly known as British Steel,. .MM02- formerly known as British Telecom Mobile,. .. .Looks like we're going to get My Travel- formerly known as Airtours.. .. .What a stupendous waste of money it all is.

[Big Tudor]

Not always AVCP. I haven't heard anyone refer to British European, formerly known as Jersey European. And I definately haven't heard British Airways, formerly known as BOAC & BEA.. .. .Quite like the full MyTravel colour scheme though. The old AIH one was getting a bit dated.. .As for BY, someone should be shot. Couldn't get much more bland and uninteresting if you tried. Also smacks of being very easy to cover up if a/c are sent/used elsewhere.

[PAXboy]

The UK TV channel BBC1 has just got the same illness. The hot air balloon that they have used for five years is "old" and "not representative blah blah".. .. .So they have filmed a whole of new stuff and it starts this Friday. There goes some programming making money.. .. .Whilst they, naturally, are not changing the name of the channel, they are trying a new image. There is no end to this nonsense.

[SFly]

BT . . . dated, was it? Well the familiar Airtours/Going Places scheme has only been in use since 1995 . . . if airlines considered their images dated every 6/7 years and did a complete overhaul on them, most would go bankrupt very soon! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="tongue.gif" /> . .Incidentally, I have heard BEA formerly JEA used, and a lack of confusion is understandable because it was only one word changed, no different colors, etc. BA has established its self as BA of course, but when it was first concepted it wasn't that radical a departure . . . used basic BEA scheme, lost one letter, added fleet of BOAC aircraft . . . bob's your uncle, one instant national airline!. .. .Britannia, I suppose, have been very heavily leaned on by their new owners, TUI, and are going so far as moving most of their infrastructure and management to Germany from their 30-year base of Luton. They were probably forced into all this, but seem to be embracing it; however, when put next to the great new Monarch image, their change seems quite rediculous! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" /> . .. .And it is a shame about the BBC1 change isn't it? I thought the balloons over the landmarks was a great idea, good job BBC . . . and then, bang. People dancing. . .. .Sigh, <img border="0" title="" alt="[Embarrassed]" src="redface.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="rolleyes.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="mad.gif" /> . .SFly

[A Very Civil Pilot]

Big Tudor. .. .As Sfly ponted out, the change from JEA to BE was a 'logical' change in that one could see the link between the former and the latter.. .. .The Consignia, Chotus, My travel type change is less so, with no logical connection between the former and latter.. .. .Airtours is a well kmown brand in the IT market. I kmow that part of the reason behind the name change is to associate it with internet bookings, but it sounds more like a sub-division of Microsoft (My Computer, My Documents, My Favorites etc are what immediatly spring to mind)

[Boss Raptor]

Agreed!

'My Travel' branding & the new Britannia livery are bloody awful!

[Bally Heck]

As I took lunch today in a local hostelry I mused on this very point. The said hostelry, next to the main railway station traded very succesfully under it's 20 year old name/image. They changed it for reasons best known to the management. It didn't work and they are now back in the original incarnation. Another hostelry/nightclub did the same except that on returning to the original image, no one went back!

I think the problem may be the inability of these managements to discern between "style" and "fashion". There are for example in my town some stunning examples of Georgian architecture which manage to weather the fads of time and still look great. In the 60s/70s/80s some carbuncles were constructed which didn't even look good when they were built. The Britannia livery was a Georgian building which could have been tweaked to update it and would have been great. The new livery and logo could have been and probably was designed by a 5 year old.

Surely out there somewhere there is a person or organisation capable of making aircraft look sleek and dignified instead of looking like cartoons.

[Whalerider]

WAIT FOR IT - AIR 2 BOB are to have a new livery too !!!!! :)

[SFly]

Now consider this:

Airtours began repainting their aircraft less than 5 years ago. This is the thing: they did not complete their aircraft's changeover until March 2001 when the last 767 got the now familiar blue, yellow, red and green scheme. They were ready for a complete identity change in November that year. Think about it: No sooner do they finish changeover to one of the best identities in the business, do they, Less than one year later, start to change again.

Air 2000 began their repaints in 1997/1998. They have only had their scheme in place for a few years now. Now they are ready to change (albeit leaned on by First Choice/Unijet perhaps?).

Britannia had their image, believe it or not, for only about 10 years. IMHO, it looked a damn sight better than the rediculous tui livery that the director of the company obviously got from a watercolor painting from his 2 year old daughter. What was wrong with it? Could it not have been kept but improved like MON's? I don't fault Britannia for it; it was the German takeover that landed them in this subordinate state--moving away from Luton, etc. (By the way, OBYE has rolled from the hangar in the new scheme. It won't be long before all their 767s will have it because those gone on the Hajj were decal-ed up with semi-Garuda logos and now will need repainting in the BAL livery. Hmm, I don't think they'll be repainting them in the old livery only to repaint them light blue)

Meanwhile, Monarch has had the same scheme (more or less) for 30 years. Finally after a year of careful consideration and planning, they have emerged with a tasteful and good looking image that keeps their traditional, recognized, corporate identity while updating it and making Monarch shine above the now ludicrous and rediculous images.

Who has emerged the winner?

If the other airlines had not taken rash and, (let's face it) not well-thought-out decisions which are now costing them the price of a new widebody in repainting and rebranding, they could have their employees fly under an image to be proud of.

All Airtours/MYT Group plc's airlines have the familiar 'blue and colors' livery. Would it not have been easier to call the airline 'Airtours', a MyTravel Group company? After all, the Airtours Holidays name is still to be kept. That would have saved millions in rebranding. Think about it . . . Britannia, Air 2000 and Monarch are not owned by companies who have the same name. Britannia never tried to become Air Thomson. Air 2000 is not (allegedly) changing into First Choice Airlines. MyTravel Airways is the most rediculous thing to come out of this sector of the market for quite a while.

Are all these airlines trying to compete with JMC for colors that are ugly but stand out? Did Airtours really need to change less than 12 months after they finished their aircraft image rollover?

Never in the history of aviation have airlines changed their images completely so rapidly. Name one airline that got a new image then before they had time to draw another breath changed it. Even BA waited a bit before introducing their 'World' liveries.

There is no logic behind any of this.

And that's all I'm saying.

SFly

[Mister Slot]

SFly - agree with pretty much all you say, but Britannia introduced the striped livery in circa 1984. I make that eighteen years.

Bally Heck - well said. With regard to your closing remark - there would appear to such a person or organisation, i.e. the designers of Spotty M's latest paint job.

[Smudge's Lot]

SFly- the aicraft sent on the Hadj for Garuda had 'stickers' applied over the fin and fuselage for the Garuda 'look' and these 'stickers' were all taken off when the aircraft returned to the UK. So, they WILL NOT be repainted in the 'old' scheme as when the stickers are off, all you have left is the old scheme.
By May, there should be 3 767-300s in the new scheme!

:(

[TightSlot]

Forgive me if wrong, but I think that we may be missing the point. The UK charter carriers are part of vertically integrated businesses (less true I believe of Monarch) - The airline livery is not a discrete item, but part of the overall group image and packaging - therefore it is the group image tht determines the colour scheme applied.

Customers by and large don't know (or usually care) who they fly with, but do view the flight as being part of the product purchased i.e. a holiday/vacation and are reassured when they see the corporate logo and colour scheme carried through the experience.

Those carriers (such as Monarch who operate scheduled services) that have a lesser allegiance to a specific Tour Operator will consequently need to have a more distinctive livery, and it may be more important to their business results.

This is what I have always been told by the Marketing types in our org - doubtless I stand to be corrected, and knowing PPrune, probably will be so...

[Psr777]

Rumours abound that JMC will also be rebranded next year as Thomas Cook Airlines UK.:D :D :D :D