Hawaiian Airlines Bets on Premium Leisure Strategy With New A321neo Cabin Interior
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APEX Insight: Avi Mannis, senior vice-president, Marketing, spoke about Hawaiian Airlines’ plan for its upcoming A321neo fleet at the Passenger Experience Conference in Hamburg yesterday. The airline’s goal is to focus on the leisure passengers traveling between the US West Coast and Hawaii, while creating a premium experience in the cabin.
Say Aloha to the cabin interiors on Hawaiian Airlines’ upcoming fleet of Airbus A321neos. Elements from Hawaii’s landscape and culture are spotted throughout the cabin, whetting passengers’ anticipation for vacation, but what also stands out is the airline’s concept of premium leisure and service approach.
“We define ourselves as a destination carrier. This is a unique model,” says Avi Mannis, senior vice-president of Marketing, Hawaiian Airlines. “All of our routes touch Hawaii on one or both ends. This allows us to specialize our product and experience,” he says, allowing the airline to differentiate from competitors.
Hawaiian Airlines worked with JPA Design to bring this focus to their cabin interiors by putting its passengers first. The bulkhead laminate is inspired by the islands’ mountainous terrain; economy fabrics are inspired by kapa; the lavatories are decorated in a foliage pattern; and the LED mood lighting imitates the atmospheric skies of Hawaii. “We’re talking about a visitor, coming to Hawaii on vacation, who’s paying for a trip out of their own [pocket] and wants an experience that’s meaningful,” Mannis says.
Even coat hooks, which were thought to be “superfluous” to passengers traveling from say, Southern California to Hawaii (climates where a coat wouldn’t be very useful), were removed. “People are going on holiday, they’re going to Hawaii,” said Tim Manson, design director, JPA Design. “Combined with the aspect of the weight considerations … one of the first decisions was to say ‘yeah’ there’s no coat hooks.”
“We’re talking about a visitor, coming to Hawaii on vacation, who’s paying for a trip out of their own [pocket] and wants an experience that’s meaningful.” – Avi Mannis, Hawaiian Airlines
In addition to that detail is a a ledge fixed on the seat in front to prop up passengers’ mobile devices. The seats, supplied by B/E Aerospace, will be arranged in a three-class configuration (Premium, Extra Comfort and Economy) with USB outlets throughout. Pivoting overhead bins will also maximize space for carry-on luggage.
Hawaiian Airlines’ A321neo fleet will serve the US West Coast-to-Hawaii market with special attention paid to the main cabin. But one of the biggest challenges was how to appeal to the leisure traveler while creating a premium experience: “We make most of our money off the guests in the main cabin,” Mannis said, not being shy about the importance of achieving cabin density for that reason, because, “we don’t have premium demand.”
Where the airline adds value, is in its service. “A lot of what we try to do is to amplify and maximize those host-guest interactions between our employees and our guests,” Mannis explained, and this is one of the key reasons why the airline believes in keeping complimentary meals. “And it’s something we’ve been very successful at and has been a key driver of our success as we’ve grown and expanded.”