Word: airport
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...needn't worry. The Airbus isn't flying over water today. It isn't flying anywhere. Jammed into a suburban backyard near Indira Gandhi International Airport, its nose and tail jutting over the property's walls, the plane offers the adventure of air travel without the cost--or even the travel. Its passengers, most of whom have never been on a plane before, pay up to $4 each to join the jet set for a few hours. India's skies may be busier than ever these days, as a raft of budget carriers have made flying in India more affordable...
John Strand runs a consulting firm that does work for most of the world's big wireless carriers and gets 95% of its revenue outside Denmark. It could be based pretty much in any city with a good airport. He says he keeps Strand Consult in Copenhagen largely because his Danish employees are so willing to argue with him and confront conventional wisdom. "Danes can think out of the box," he says...
...sure, SIA's government backing does not translate into obvious excess. The airline's headquarters is located in a drab industrial building on Changi Airport's grounds. Its furniture looks worn enough to date to the airline's launch (and an orange color scheme reveals its 1970s sensibilities). A few years ago, data-processing operations were moved to Bombay, India, for the cost savings...
...frills carriers have also been helped by the changing attitudes of Asian governments. Instead of defending national-flag carriers, officials are clued in to the possibility that budget airlines can invigorate underused airports and attract much needed tourist dollars. Singapore is building a new terminal as a hub for budget carriers, and other countries have been wooing no-frills airlines by reducing airport fees. In Kota Kinabalu, AirAsia took over a mothballed terminal, which now buzzes with eight flights a day. Fernandes wants to turn the building into a regional hub. "The loyalty to national carriers is getting more...
...speed to conserve fuel and reduce wear and tear on tires. Half of AirAsia's tickets are sold over the Internet, eliminating travel-agent fees. Passengers pay for their food and drinks. When a professional aviation-construction outfit demanded $20 million to build a hangar at Kuala Lumpur's airport, Fernandes instead asked the small contractor who had built his home to do it for $500,000. "There is a lot of excess in the airline industry," he says. "The challenge is to change the mind-set of staff so they eat, sleep and breathe costs...