MANILA, Philippines—Since Airphil Express took to the runway again a little over a year ago with its new logo, new fleet, and new and eclectic management crew, the airline has already soared to corner nearly a quarter of all domestic air travelers.
Propelled by a new and noble goal, Airphil Express, or APX, owned by Philippine Airlines, has positioned itself as an airline offering not just competitively low fares but also another vehicle for thrill-seeking travelers to explore more of the Philippines and try the many adventures each destination has to offer.
When the new management team came in August 2010, Alfredo Herrera, APX senior vice-president for marketing and sales, and formerly with Gatorade the sports drink, immediately sent out a message to his team encouraging everyone to change the mind-set in promoting the airline.
“Numbers are a good motivation but promoting the beauty of the various destinations in the country can be a much more effective tool in pushing people to fly and travel,” says Herrera. “We have so many great destinations that have yet to be experienced by many Filipinos. If we could just highlight what fun awaits travelers in these destinations, they will be more excited to fly and fly more frequently.”
While many already enjoy the low fares that local airlines have been offering, APX intends not just to be an alternative but a better, wiser choice.
“With APX in the picture, we are sure to make the playing field more dynamic and advantageous for the flying public,” adds Herrera.
APX is now ranked as the third-largest carrier in the country after only 12 months since its relaunch, a significant feat considering that APX only has six new Airbuses and a fleet of eight turbo props, as against its major competitor Cebu Pacific’s fleet of 33 aircraft.
Still, APX continues to make inroads in the budget market with its aggressive sales and marketing programs targeted at the young generation. “We seem to have found a niché among the youthful crowd who are always on the hunt for great deals,” says Herrera.
But Herrera adds that being the biggest low-cost airline was not the priority. “What I want us to be is to be the best and we are trying our hardest to be just that,” says Herrera pointing out that quality service beats quantity in its current direction.
APX certainly is trying. Earlier this year, APX launched its Facebook and Twitter accounts as official customer service channels, answering inquiries and other concerns in a consistent and organized manner. This allows more people in social media to be equipped with useful information not just about the airlines but the various destinations they go to. But the low cost and reliable social media presence are not only APX’s current advantage over the competition.
With some budget carriers already charging for check-in baggage and other add-ons, adopting stripped-down services is not an option. APX maintains some of the perks associated with traditional airlines such as the free 15-kilo check in baggage allowance, seven-kilo handcarry baggage allowance and personal service in arrival areas. “People appreciate the fact that they were getting all these perks at the same ticket price as the others. We just don’t fit your budget, we also meet your basic demands,” says Herrera. “While everyone is encouraged to travel light, you can’t change the Filipinos’ travel habit overnight as most of them will want to bring `pasalubong’ wherever they go.” When the new team for APX was being formed, Herrera says top management agreed to get not only airline people but individuals from other industries such as telecommunications, manufacturing and other services.
“We knew we would be facing very strong and established players when we relaunched our airline. So we decided to hire people outside the industry to give us fresh ideas to sell our product. We wanted people who not only think out of the box but are out of the box as well,” says Herrera. APX plans to expand its domestic flights, increase its frequency in domestic routes and open up new international destinations. This, Herrera says will maximize the utilization of APX’s resources and lead to more savings that could be passed on to our consumers. “We are at an age where air travel has become a viable, best-value choice for the Filipino travelers,” says Herrera.