Perception Tactic use in the Airline Industry

I came across a couple of articles that describe some new trends in the airline industry. Some of these trends are good and some are bad for the consumer but generally perception has allowed airlines to maximize profit and improve passenger experience.  New technology advances have paved way for the concept of interior mood lighting. Airlines are modifying their aircraft to have mood lighting in the cabin. Mood lighting is an interior lighting system where calm and neutral lighting is seen throughout the aircraft. Calm blue lights, purple lights and orange or yellow glows simulate a different time of day during flight and can streamline the boarding and inflight experience process. 

Iceland Air Hekla Aurora Livery

Mood lighting has been said to relax passengers, reduce jet lag and actually simulate time changes. I felt this relates to the topic of perception when the stimuli of colour and vision affect consumer patterns.  Iceland air recently reconfigured a flagship aircraft with this technology and called the aircraft Hekla Aurora. The aircraft was even painted with a stunning northern lights livery. For Iceland, this technology was used for a unique purpose for simulating northern lights, which is commonly seen within the remote northern country. For Iceland air, mood lighting was a way to incorporate the natural beauty of Iceland and create a consumer experience based on the visual display. I visited Europe last year and unfortunately, for me, the aircraft did not have mood lighting and I experienced jetlag for the first time.

Hekla Aurora Northern Lights Interior

While mood lighting has advantages, they are a downside to some practises. Airlines are secretly making the standard economy class seat much smaller than the standard norm in the past. Airlines do this to accommodate more passengers, increase revenue and decrease operating cost per passenger. While it benefits airlines, it may not benefit passengers in some cases. An article I found mentions that a Boeing 777 300 ER which is a commonly used passenger jet is more commonly configured with 10 abreast seating (3-4-3) as compared to the original 9 abreast (3-3-3). The seat pitch (distance between seats) is also being reduced by putting less padding on the seats and making them thinner. I remember flying to Europe last summer and I actually was on a new American Airlines Boeing 777 300 ER when I flew back to North America. I was seated in economy class and the configuration was 10 abreast. I am 6 foot 2 and I did find it uncomfortable. I don’t think passengers of a smaller stature would be affected but I’m not a huge fan of this trend. It’s interesting how marketers are using a few tools with a basic understanding of perception and changing a whole interior to maximize profit.

Market Demand Changes for 10 Abreast seating

Sources: 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-22/airlines-add-mood-lighting-to-chill-passengers-out

http://www.icelandair.ca/hekla-aurora/

https://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2014/12/30/nippon-airways-cautiously-enters-high-density-economy-seating/