Mark Pilling: July 2008 Archives

One of the airline industry's best interviews is Qatar Airways chairman and chief executive Akbar Al Baker. I caught up with him in a joint interview with Max Kingsley-Jones, the deputy editor of Flight International, at the Farnborough Air Show on Tuesday at his chalet.

The video we grabbed doesn't do justice to a very entertaining and insightful discussion, but it does give you a flavour of the subjects over which our interview ranged.

Topics covered in the interview included what he will do in Doha if challenged by a low-cost player; and what he understands Boeing might have to do to meet its production rate challenges on the much-delayed 787 Dreamliner.

For others interviews Max and I have done with Mr Al Baker check out these links:

Max interviews the Qatar chief in Doha in December 2007 and talks money and orders,

Mark interviews Mr Al Baker for an Airline Business cover interview in early 2006 and talks about his management style.

This is my last day at Farnborough as I've got to get back to Airline Business headquarters to finish off the August issue with the team.

So here are a few final quotes from my notebook picked up during the day.

1. Boeing 787 programme manager Pat Shanahan during his media briefing on the status of the Dreamliner programme:

"I feel a bit like Brad Pitt," he chuckles, as the cameras flash, somewhat in awe of being so much the centre of attention. "They don't let me out a lot," he adds good humouredly.

Here is my story from Flight Daily News where Pat told me all about where the 787 stands today.

2. Pat Shanahan Quote Number 2:

"I'm a little busy," he says of his workload getting the 787 ready for first flight later this year.

Watch the video here of my colleague at Flight, Max Kingsley-Jones interviewing Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan at the Farnborough Air Show just minutes after he'd completed a day of mega-order announcements.

James was in a good mood as his Abu Dhabi-based carrier had only the night before had won the Marketing Award at the Airline Business magazine Airline Strategy Awards.

Also see the video of Kingfisher Airlines chairman VJ Mallya talking about his new cabin interior from on board his new Airbus A330-200 at the show.

So it's business as usual then at Farnborough 2008. The traffic to get into the show was torrid. The temperature gauge is rising. And it is carriers from the Middle East that are splashing the cash.

It's now mid-afternoon and main attraction for the next hour is the only flight here of the US Air Force Raptor F-22 fast military jet. That is until Etihad Airways makes its second monster order of the day at Airbus at 1600.

You would be forgiven for wondering just what is the problem with the airline industry at the moment. Oil may be at over $140 a barrel, but FlyDubai with their 54 737 orders and Etihad with its 35 787s and 10 777s are ploughing on regardless.

This week, The Flight Group gathered up the leading editors for a very rare, important meeting to determine how the vital coverage of the largest and most important event in aviation should be documented.

I had exclusive access into the editor's meeting on Tuesday morning, and I can tell you what they are planning in the build up to Farnborough.

Seen above, from left to right, Andrew Doyle of the Flight Group, Mark Pilling of Airline Business, Alan Peaford of Flight Daily News, and Max Kingsley-Jones and Murdo Morrison of Flight International.

Low-cost carriers have often led the way when it comes to cheeky advertising, and AirAsia has got about as cheeky as it gets with this advert promoting its service to the Thai resort of Phuket.

For other cheeky advertising ploys, many featuring low-cost carriers, read Flightglobal editor Mike Targett's blog on his top 10 most blatant uses of sex for an aviation-related marketing purpose.

Like many low-fare players the world over the Malaysian carrier is in the middle of a big sale at the moment. If you want to down tools and take off for Phuket it has two flights a day from its Kuala Lumpur base. Go for it.

We've got a new recruit this week here at Airline Business - Safi Khan, who is here to learn a little bit of how Airline Business goes about its business in a typical week. Well this is hardly a typical week as we are preparing for the 2008 Airline Strategy Awards, and getting ready for the Farnborough Air Show.

Anyhow, here are his first words as an Airline Business scribe:

"Here's a little something about myself. I have come to work at Airline Business for my work experience for a week. I got a work placement here by knowing an editor, through his son and asking him for a placement.