Turn Logic into Magic (1)

By Dominique Trempont, Guest Author

Do brand and design matter?
What is a brand, after all?
Why has brand become so important these days?
Why is it so difficult to build?
How does brand relate to design?

Ryan Air was launched in Europe 6-7 years ago to reinvent the airline travel experience.

The customer experience starts on the web. Good user interface. Fast and user friendly. Keeps track of you, your profile, your context.

Ryan Air has, like SouthWest, a variable pricing algorithm. If you buy your ticket a year ahead, you could get a Brussels-Sienna for 20 euros; if you buy it a week in advance, the price rises to 85 euros.

Instead of driving to major airports, you drive 15 minutes further to local, less utilized airports. You easily park your car very close to the terminal; parking is inexpensive. You walk to the terminal in 5 minutes. You have checked in on line so all you do is wait for jumping on board. You can have a nice meal at a decent price. Yes, they have restaurants with real and good meals in the airport, not crappy airport food and fast food. You can browse for gifts at interesting little boutiques. 15 minutes before your flight takes off, you go through a simple security check.

The plane is right outside: you hop on board. Courteous attendants, simple decoration. You buy what you want to eat and drink, if you want anything.

Upon arrival, you take a bus or cab to where you are going. Those are not cheap and, I suspect that Ryan Air makes part of its margin on after flight transportation.

This is an end-to-end customer experience that is efficient, very cost effective and enjoyable.

I predict that Ryan Air will become a standard to watch for the airline industry and a future hot brand.

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