When it comes to bang for buck, Norwegian Airlines is the best airline I have flown between the United States and continental Europe. Expectations of a low cost airline should not be set high, but just an hour into their flight, I am already speculating as how they manage: their unique style of service provides a unique experience. The typical airline experience involves getting close to un-comparable flight prices, mediocre in flight entertainment and the option to eat when the flight attendants come by with a trolley. Here is the Norwegian Airline experience: comparing the price of every flight within the month and then offering variable service preferences, including choices of meals. Once seated, you notice the seat arm has nothing but a lonely button to recline the seat. However, when you look up to your personal screen stating “Touch your screen to begin” something feels very different. With a reasonable selection of movies and good TV shows to choose from, your personal flight tablet is loaded with several other apps including a 3D flight map that also resembles Google Earth. The treasure trove apps that excites my business perspective the most is the “Snack Bar” and “Duty Free” options, that allows you to order anything for sale on board directly to your seat (perhaps adding a passenger to passenger market place should be next 😉 ). Though the options aren’t serviceable at every given moment in flight, a small icon notifies me in the task bar when they are.
Truth be told, creating an instant gratification service like this is no new phenomenon, companies all over the world are doing it. Without a doubt Norwegian isn’t the only airline flying with this, but this is certainly the best true innovation within airlines I’ve seen. The service makes the flight experience unique to every passenger, not just those flying in business class. Meanwhile it makes business sense too given the wide variety of options, ability to personalize flight at a cost, and reducing costs and waste from those nasty airplane meals no one wants to eat anyhow. Coming at a lower cost for the flight tickets themselves, this can pose a threat to others in the industry. And this is where I can come to the point in all of this: a unique change in the user perspective of a product creates the ability to push into legacy markets. It’s exactly what Elon Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX are doing in their perspective industries. Like Tesla, it’s refreshing to see a new player in a legacy market, even if Norwegian Airlines doesn’t mean that it will tremendously change the world. Pushing into legacy markets takes innovating in the user experience in order to create a product that differentiates from the norm.
I’ve been in the Netherlands now for a couple days and I am settling-in nicely into Den Haag. More news on that front soon to come!
