Washington, D.C. here we come…

Date: February 9th, 2010
Author: Dale Moss

We are delighted to announce today that we have selected Washington, D.C. as our next city to serve. We will build on our presence in Paris and add Dulles airport to the portfolio. This enables OpenSkies to connect the capitals of France and the United States with a product and experience as special as the relationship these two countries enjoy. The greater Washington, D.C. area has grown to be the 4th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with an economically impressive resume of development even during periods of market contraction.

Thank you to all the customers who responded to our poll about the new city.  Over 20,000 of you told us what you thought the city would be!  There are many cities that we have on our list but we all felt that Washington, D.C. was our next best choice at this time. It was a combination of the quantitative and qualitative evaluations and of course the concurrence and support of our Board that drove the decision. There’s plenty of excitement all around our office as we continue to prepare for our launch. We plan to start on May 3rd, with a 1200 noon departure out of Paris and the return flight leaving Dulles at 6pm and returning back to Orly the next morning.

All during this recession period we have come to learn more about our opponents and adversaries. Ironically, and I also say this respectfully, our toughest opponent has not been another airline, but rather the lack of awareness we have with our new brand and it’s More for Less  proposition. Here’s the logic – irrespective of who you are and how much money you have, you don’t walk into a store and say to yourself “today I want to spend more and get less”. Think about it! Now that may happen, but it would not be the choice of anyone I have ever known. So even during the most severe moments of the recession, I always felt our flights should have been full. It’s a simple axiom that must follow – customers support the best value they know of. Remember, even when our flights are full, they are never crowded. With our special 2×2 configuration and a max capacity of 84 passengers, it really is a most unique way to cross the Atlantic. It’s clear to us that we need to have a special focus this year on raising that awareness. Of course we will intensify the level of our marketing with more advertising and promotions, but no matter what we spend it will never be enough for a small company like ours. It’s here when I ask for your assistance…the power of word of mouth will trump any formal marketing campaign every time. So pass the word to friends, colleagues and family members that OpenSkies is there to serve with a great product at an exceptional price.

Please allow me to share a personal story. It’s a small world after all. At three different times in my career I was stationed in Washington, D.C. and always found it to be a growing and dynamic area. But frankly I never had any idea it would grow up as it has or that I would find a way to come back. I have always been intrigued by the ironic twists life serves up to us as we go through our journey, so to come back to D.C. with OpenSkies is so special. But there’s more…when my brother and I set off many years ago in our careers they could not have been more different. I started in aviation and he started in broadcasting. We have enjoyed a lifetime of a great brother/best friend relationship but have never dreamed of seeing our work ever cross lines. Well, later this week on Thursday, it will for the first time. You see my brother Mike is a broadcast journalist with a radio show in Washington, D.C. at WTOP. When people ask me what my brother does, I usually say he wakes Washington up and gives them the news. So Mike is going to have me on his radio show Thursday for an opportunity to talk about OpenSkies and perhaps also to finally close off this ironic loop in our lives. For those of you who would like to listen in, visit www.wtop.com on Thursday. Maybe it’s corny but I think it’s neat…really neat.

OK, back to the agenda… there’s lots of exciting work in front of us.

As always, thoughts and suggestions are most welcome.

Best

Dale