The Song airline experience

Song air

Just returned from NYC on a flight from Song, the ill-fated Delta airlines experiment. Without much explanation Delta recently announced Song would be dismantled and its flights would become Delta air routes.

What follows is an experience designer’s critique of flying with Song.

Personality as experience. From the moment I sat in the waiting area for my outbound flight, I noticed a difference. The brand colors were not a combination of blue, red and white (colors used by almost every major airline) but an off-green. The waiting area displays had sarcastic jokes in them. And the overhead announcements were entertaining and made me want to smile at the staff ( a rare feeling for frequent travelers). This was reflected on the plane: the safety announcements were sung, not spoken, and the song changed every day. A personality for the ariline was chosen and manifested it in the design of everything, and in the choice and rewards for all staff (Begging the question: if your software/website was a person, who would it be? Who would you want it to be? How will you get it closer?)
Love vs. Annoyance . The risk of having a strong personality (or an experience) is that it’s subjective. In order to make something person A loves, you will always make something person B hates. Most brands chicken out and pick things that A and B accept, but don’t love. Assuming your target market has more of A than B, you’re ok. With Song, at first I thought I was a B. When onboard I was miffed at first by the relentlessly happy, cool vibe present in the onboard staff and all the materials (the safety warnings are done in song, and acted out by the air crew). But over the course of the flight, and the return trip I enjoyed it. I was being served by likeable real people, not robots. It was one of the most enjoyable flights I’ve had.
Television is the flight opiate. I’m a reader. I bring 3 books when I fly. The TV screen on the back of the seat in front of me was an immediate annoyance and I turned it off. But when I caught my neighbors screen with the ESPN Classic channel on, my eyes lit up. I spent most of the flight watching classic football games and the discovery channel (one of 20 available). Never has a flight flown by so fast. A movie of my choice was available via credit card swipe for $5. The in-flight menu had above average food at reasonable (for airports) prices.
The business confusion over style vs. experience. It’s not clear why Song was pulled: I haven’t found much analysis online other than reports of low ticket sales (but why?). Given the drops in experience quality across all airlines, and how unpleasant air travel can be for many, a service focused alternative (even at a price) seems a business opportunty. I fear that whatever the failures/mistakes were, good experience design will be lumped into the pile, and it will be some time before Delta, or anyone else invests in this way again.
Growing brands vs. making them. One guess about why Song is being pulled is their approach to brand. Good brands take time to develop: you can’t always buy your way – you have to earn it. Given the backing of Delta they might have taken on the new brand with the goals of a billion dollar big player in mind, which can lead to marketing distractions (such as a Song store in NYC) over things with direct impact on the bottom line. There was real value in what they offered, but the emhpasis on style and presentation (The Song name, non-traditional colors, general sassyness) over substance (pleasant flights, decent food, high quality service) may have confused potential customers on what Song’s advantages really were.

Song air

References:

Press release about the end of Song airlines.
Old interview w/ Tim Maples, Song marketing director.
Brand autopsy’s short critique of Song.

Which airline has the best overall experience? Why? (and if anyone finds other critiques or business commentary on Song, please comment).

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Posted Monday, November 21st, 2005 at 5:07 pm

in Design | 10 Comments »

David Heller - November 22, 2005 at 7:35 am #

Hi Scott,
Funny you should mention this about Song. BTW, probably the biggest reason that Song is being pulled is the bankruptcy of Delta. It is hard to keep pushing the new brand and doing a big cultural change when trying to restructure your debt.

So I’d like to compare jetBlue to Song (based on your writing). jetBlue is probably the IKEA of the airways at this point. While they have the same old blue/white/gray that you mention above, they turn it around. They live it. Their potato chips are even blue. Ok, i went to Cal, so blue is always a plus.

But it is just the service. From the web site, through boarding, through leaving, and even afterwards, I felt very well taken care of and appreciated as a customer. They have their gimmicks as mentioned above, but they don’t live on their gimmicks. The gimmicks are chosen in such a way as to be non-disruptive to the rest of the experience, and they are usually pretty optional.

What they do really really well is what you have to do:
Finding flights that are CHEAP!!!!! They pretty much took the Southwest Air model of each leg is treated as a separate flight (r/t is no longer important, nor is Sat. stay over) and made it the new standard. Something SW couldn’t do for years before JB was around.

Checking in, is so easy. I love online checki and kiosk checkin and the Antenna designed kiosk system is the easiest I have ever had to use. The language is clear and simple, yet puts in enough explanation with good GUI design to make the whole thing really work.

Boarding is done cordially. I think it helps that there are no special boarding for first class (there is none) and Gold/Platinum FF members. Board from the back.

If something goes wrong, they take responsibility for it. On both my flights to and from Boston last week, the TV service wasn’t working. For the 45-60min flight, I could have cared less, but they emailed me the very next day w/ a $5 voucher towards my next flight for each flight that it was broken on. I have NEVER!!!!! had that from another airline.

It just makes me feel like they’ll go the extra mile.

Now, I know they have the advantage of not having a huge pension service to hold them back, but I do think they are running one of the best airlines in the market. I can’t wait till they Cross the pond and buy wide-body planes and turn that service on its ear as well.

As for IKEA, there was a cover-story in Business Week recently about their story and their design and I know that Steve Portigal has done some interesting thinking on them as well.

Scott (admin) - November 22, 2005 at 3:58 pm #

I’ve never flown Jetblue – sounds much like Southwest, who also runs with the “we are cheap are we know it so have fun with it” vibe.

I don’t know who broke the ice, but most airlines now do online checkin and boarding pass printing.

I won’t be flying as much the next few weeks, but it’d be fun to do a UX head to head between airlines. From the kiosks, to the airplanes, to the service.

Harry - November 29, 2005 at 7:14 am #

I have trouble believing that Delta management was so simplistic in their thinking as to discontinue Song. It is the first new thing that has come along with the so called “Legacy” airlines in years. Management seems to think that adding more seats, a convoluted fare structure, and disenchanted employees will make a return to profitability. As it was related to me, the Song Gate Agents and Flight Attendants were selected from the mainline Delta people on the basis of positive attitude, lack of sick leave abuse, and lack of detrimental personnel history. To disband this newly established corporate culture merely to return to the same old thing, and expect different results, is patently absurd. What a pity to disband the product of the only fresh, innovative thinking that has come along for Delta in some fifteen years. Regrettably, most of the people who made Song will be laid off, not absorbed into Delta.

Tami - December 8, 2005 at 12:31 am #

I had never even heard of Song Airlines; before tonight. The date is Dec. 7, 2005. Song Airlines was featured on The Apprentice Martha Stewart. The task was to create a 30 second commercial for the airline. Having never heard of them, I went onine to check them out. They have a website, they appear to be up and running. Then I ran across your blog. So what happened? Did they decided not to quit afterall?

Victor - December 8, 2005 at 8:50 pm #

It would seem to me that the Delta bankruptcy trustee would be insisting that Song be kept flying since it represents an asset capable of generating income for the benefit of Delta’s creditors. I have flown Song on at least 20 legs from Orlando to Las Vegas, San Juan and New York and I thought that Song really satisfied the air traveler.

Laurie Buskirk - December 15, 2005 at 7:31 am #

I typically fly SWA, but had to reconsider when SWA did not fly into Boston. In lieu of spending two more hours with ground transportation, I went to Delta’s website and booked my flight. I did not find out until after the transaction was complete that I was booked on Song, which I had never heard of before. Now I’m reading different stories / comments that makes me doubt my decision. Will they still be up and running SAFELY in March 2006?

Part of the CUlture - March 7, 2006 at 10:55 pm #

People,
I am former Song Agent in JFK. Let me tell you someting, it pained me going back to Delta this year when they decided to merge the brands. As for the issues in JFK this past year…yes it was a mess..we grew too quickly over the past summer and the manpower was there to support it(Growing Pains) As for JetBlue….Yes they do have delays, yes they do have mechanicals and yes the weather affects them too. A lady once told me during a major thunderstorm this past summer that JetBlue never has weather problems…BULL!! I am tired of Song/Delta/any other airlines but JetBlue that can do no wrong. Give me a break!! New planes or not..things still break!!! And for the record Delta may have older planes but IS the safest airline to fly..this is proven by out top notch piolots and mantience crews..if either is not comfortable with an aircraft..IT WILL NOT FLY. Yes I know that upsets you all…but lives are more important than getting from pint a to pint b. So come on and face the facts…the only thing Jetblue has is a good advertising firm……I see thousands of people a week and 90% of them complain to me and are upset that Song is going. The inivators of Song brought forth the ideas of making flying fun again…and we did!!!!!! The customers have fun, crew and ground staff..the problem with this world is we have gotten so serious about things and its all about ME ME ME. Live your life and stop and smell to roses cause we are not here that long. To all my Songities!! Be as Song as you ever were!! WE are not an Airline, We are a Culture!! Live it!

Andy Vierstra - March 31, 2006 at 12:03 pm #

God, I thank you song. It has given my wife and I the pleasure of travel on an airline that gives you a good meal choice, kiosk fast and easy check-in, a good choice of television programs, a simple and an easy method of choosing their lowest fairs of the week (+/- three days of the day you first pick to trave). Also, an airline where two one-way tickets may cost less than the equivalent round trip fare and an airline where the attendants seem to enjoy their work!

We enjoyed all of the the trips to and from Las Vegas and Boston. l Where we go from here? Delta, I hope that you learn from SONG!