Carpets for Airports - There Really Is A Website For That?

I don't know about you but I don't often think about the flooring I am standing on. That changed today when I read an article published today by CNN. The article features a website called Carpets For Airports. The airport I work for (TYS) was mentioned on the website (yes, there really is a website devoted to airport carpets) as were a lot of other airports from around the globe.

As a PR professional who represents an airport, I often think about the passenger's experience - from how clean the bathrooms are to how long they stand in line for a Starbucks coffee. I, honestly, have never thought about how they felt about the airport's carpet or other parts of our facility. It really got me thinking...what else do people pay close attention to in an airport?

What would your used ticket stub go for?

It seems a lucky flyer found an airline ticket stub for Miss Paris Hilton, starlet and designer, stuffed inside an inflight magazine. On a fluke, "Phil" got $485 on Australia's verson of Ebay, Trade Me.

What would your used ticket stub go for? Mine. Not much but it got me thinking. Will this new found "money" lead to a mad dash for ticket stubs? Will there be people be using their down time at airports to search for celebrity stubs? Could this be the next official past-time for air travel? I doubt it but it is an interesting idea! Read all about it.

Detroit's Airport Taking First Steps Toward New "Out of The Box" Revenue Stream

In today's economy, businesses are struggling and trying to find new ways to gain revenue - airports are no different. Detroit Metropolitan Airport is trying something new: official brands. While it isn't uncommon to see "official drink" brands associated with things like ballparks and the Olympics, you have never seen an airport. If Detriot's airport signs the estimated $9.8 million deal with Pepsi, what does that mean for other airports? Is this a new revenue stream possiblity? Will other branding or sponsorship opportunities arise? What do you think?

Freep.com article

Southwest Airlines - PR Gurus?

Yesterday, Southwest Airlines had a football-sized hole open in the skin of one of their planes during flight. While that should be scary, every media piece I have seen on the incident has been weirdly positive for Southwest. You would think that passengers who were onboard the plane would be flocking to the major networks and newspapers to share their life-threating experiences. That's just not the case.

One passenger (who even took pictures during the flight - including a photo where he had on an oxygen mask and looked excited, not scared)talked about the calmness of the whole ordeal. He even went on to dismiss the 3-4 hours they spent in the West Virginia airport where they were diverted. He was so passe about the whole thing!

I want to be like a Southwest PR Guru! They are my communications hero!

New Airline Makes Media Investment in Knoxville

Over the past month, AirTran Airways has launched new service at McGhee Tyson Airport. And they have made interesting investments in the local media landscape since coming to the area.

Their philosophy of focusing upon ditgial and new media outlets is a different media approach than I've seen from an airline. But I'm not surprised. Most campaigns these days have some type of ditigal or social media component.

It's refreshing to see communications taking on a new look and becoming more interactive with its users. We'll have to see how effective this approach is in the long run. But I'm all for new, creative ideas!

Competing for Media Coverage

Last Friday, AirTran Airways launched new service to Orlando, Florida, from McGhee Tyson Airport. You might ask, "How is that a changing communication demand?

For us, it was a case study in competing for media coverage. At the exact time we were hosting our press event, the SmartFix 40 project (construction on Interstate 40 that closed direct access to downtown Knoxville for 14 months) officially opened; Dolly Parton debuted her new children's book; and television stations went ditigal. Talk about stiff competition!

To get our piece of the media that day, we communicated our message via Facebook, Twitter as well as held discussions with local assignment editors on how to best garner coverage. In the end, three things helped us to increase our media coverage.

1. Have a strong, positive relationship with the media that cover your organization. They are excellent sounding boards for setting realitic expectations for coverage.

2. Know what events will be conflicting with your event. If you don't know what you are competing with, you WILL NOT be prepared.

3. Be creative in your event approach (i.e. in theme development; visual/photographic opportunties; etc.)