The objective of this research report is to evaluate the people`s

perception about the brand PIA and its alternatives working in the air
travel services in Pakistan

Overview of Airline Industry from

Branding Perspective
What do we mean by a service “product”? A service product consists of
two Components, the Core Product and Supplementary Services. The
core product is based on the core set of benefits and solutions delivered
to customers. These are usually defined with reference to a particular
industry like healthcare or transportation. Surrounding the core product is
a variety of service-related activities called Supplementary services.
Supplementary services augment the core product by facilitating its use
and enhancing its value and appeal. The supplementary services often
play an important role in differentiating and positioning the core product
.against competing services

:CORE PRODUCT & SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICES

:CORE PRODUCT

The core product of the airlines industry is the service of transporting

passengers and goods to different destinations. This is
supplemented by various other services mentioned ahead.There are two
:main elements in Core services

In Flight Services . I
Ground Services . II

The services provided inside the flight include the core service of travel,
crew, ambience and comfort, in-flight entertainment etc. This is highly
.variable across competitors as per brand and different classes of travel

The on-the-ground services include efficient service at reservation counter,

transport to the airplane, efficient checking of baggage, waiting lounges a
convenient airport with car parking facilities, , duty free' shopping quick and,
etc. Although the physical infrastructure part of the on ground services are
.usually maintained by the airports authority

SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICES
:Information
 Up to date information regarding flight schedules, ticket fares, promotion
.schemes, new policies and systems, etc are available to customers

Consultation
Airlines are suggesting and designing products like packaged tours to the
customer. Also, providing the customer with various options regarding the
route of flight, in-flight cuisine & benefits asks them to play a role of
.consultant

Order taking
The order taking procedure is essentially the booking procedure of the
airlines. The important aspect to be noted here is that the procedure
should be smooth, easily understood and fast. Also provision of instantly
.updated information about availability of seats and fares is required

Hospitality & Caretaking

With the increased competition today hospitality has emerged as a key-
differentiating factor. It is tested right from the time of booking till the
.post flight help extended. It also includes safeguarding the baggage

Billing & Payment

Billing options available to the customer are plenty including credit card &
travelers cheque. Airlines use the open account system with their
corporate clients. Frequent fliers are also given special payment
.privileges

:SERVICES PROVIDED BY PAKISTAN AIRLINE INDUSTRY

THERE AIRLINE INDUSTRY OF PAKISTAN
ARE THREE PLAYERS IN THE LOCAL
PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES . 1
AIRBLUE . 2
SHAHEEN AIR . 3
:They provide three main category services

Air Travel . I
Cargo Services . II
Special Operations (Charter Services, Hajj & Umrah Operations, . III
(State Officials Transportation
 P akistan I nt
Local Destinations
International Destin
:AIRLINE INDUSTRY & PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE

Core Services Cargo S

Cabin ServicesGoods
B RAND MODEL FOR AIRLINES

Branding of airline industry has to be based on delivering on its promises,

long term customer engagement and continuous innovation in its services.
For the airlines to build a brand image consistent with these, the following
:brand model proposed

Brand Expectation MAKING AN AUTHENTIC PROMISE(1

Brand Experience KEEPING THE WORD(2

Brand Expression ENGAGING THE CUSTOMER(3

Brand Externalities DEALING WITH INDUSTRY UNCERTAINTY(4

 Brand Extensibility STAYING CONSISTENT OVER TIME(5

Brand Awareness ADVERTISEMENT AND MARKETING(6

Pricing Model VALUE FOR MONEY(7

:Product Line Decisions

:LINE STRETCHING

Product line stretching is essentially, introducing new products into a

product line. This means that company produces more products in
.different ranges; from higher end to lower end products

PIA offering First Class on International Routes –

Airblue started its charter flights –

:Line FILLING

Product Line in Airline industry is to add new services to the existing

services to fill or complete the service line. It is oftenly being done in
airline industry to fill in the gaps and grasps the passenger on a particular
.route

.PIA started it Chicago flights from Pakistan in July 2010 –

PIA announced Barcelona route in December 2009 –
Airblue started Manchester – Karachi – Lahore Route –

:LINE MODERNIZATION

In line modernization, Airlines invest in their existing infrastructure to

improve or bring new dimensions to their service. In air travel the most
.significant modernization is done in the aircraft fleet

PIA was the first Airline to purchase Boeing 777’s –

.Airblue bought Airbus 340 recently –

:LINE FEATURING & LINE PRUNING

 The airline management typically selects one or a few services in the line
to feature; this is a way of attracting customers, lending prestige, or
achieving other goals. If one end of its line is selling well and the other
end is selling poorly the company pull out the services and divert
.resources to the selling services to capitalize on it profitable line

PIA pulled out Karachi – Moscow sector in March 2008 and started –
.Karachi - Shanghai route
.Shaheen air pulled out Lahore – Alain sector back in 2005 –
Key Players in the Industry. 1.1

Competitors’ Brand Inventory .1.1.1

Airblue•
of the two private-sector Airblue is one
Pakistan; it operates airlines in
scheduled flights to three domestic destinations and
international services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah,
Muscat and Manchester. It carried 1.4 million passengers
on domestic flights in the year 2006-07. Its main base is
.Jinnah International Airport, Karachi
Name: airblue•
URL: www.airblue.com•

:Logo•
Color: Blue•
Frequent Flyer Program: Blue Miles•
(Fleet size 7 (4 A319, 1 A320, 2 A321•
Domestic (Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar) and 5 3•
International Destinations ( Dubai, Muscat, Sharjha,
(Abu-Dhabi, Manchester
(Cargo (e-Cargo•

Shaheen Air•

Shaheen Air, formally known as Shaheen Air International, is

a private Pakistani airline with its head office on the grounds
of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. Shaheen Air
provides passenger, cargo and charter services to the major
cities of Pakistan and Persian Gulf. It was established in
December 1993 and on October 25, 1994; it was accorded
the status of 'Second National Carrier of Pakistan', by the
Government of Pakistan. Its main base is Jinnah International

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 Airport (KHI), Karachi, with a hub at Benazir Bhutto
.International Airport (ISB), Islamabad
Besides serving major domestic routes i.e. Karachi, Lahore,
Islamabad and Peshawar, Shaheen Air has also been
operating flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Kuwait, Doha
and Muscat from almost all the major international gateways
.of Pakistan
Name: Shaheen Air•
URL: www.shaheenair.com•
:Logo•

(Fleet size: 12 (all Boeing 737•

Routes: 4 Domestic (Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar,•
Sialkot) and 8 International (Muscat, Al-Ain, Dubai,
(Sharjha, Abu-Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait, Mashhad
Cargo: Shaheen Cargo•

Introduction to PIA
When Pakistan was founded in 1947 it comprised two territories on –
either side of the expanse of India. It was in this unusual
that Pakistan International was circumstance
and economic trouble, the carrier formed. Despite wars
prosper. Today it maintains a survived to grow and
sizeable international route network, in addition to its services
closer to home, with a modern and expanding fleet
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, commonly known as PIA, –
is the flag carrier airline of Pakistan. The airline, with its head office
on the grounds of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, is one of
the most recognizable airlines in Asia and operates scheduled
services domestically and internationally. PIA has been ranked as a
3-star airline by Skytrax, the world's official airline and airport
.reviewer
Domestic Route Network: Bahawalpur, Chitral, Dalbandin, Dera–
Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan, Faisalabad, Gilgit, Gwadar, Hyderabad,

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 Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Moenjodaro, Multan, Nawabshah, Panjgur,
.Peshawar, Quetta, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot, Skardu, Sukkur and Turbat
International Route Network: An Asian and Pacific Rim element to–
destinations including Bangkok, Beijing, Delhi, Dhaka, Hong Kong,
Kabul, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai and Tokyo; a European
element to destinations such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham,
Leeds-Bradford, London, Manchester, Copenhagen, Istanbul,
Paris; a Middle Eastern element to Moscow, Oslo and
destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha,
Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh, Sharjah and Zahedan; and a
North American element with destinations such as Chicago, New York
.and Toronto
The airline's secondary bases include Peshawar, Faisalabad, Quetta, –
Sialkot and Multan, from which it connects the metropolitan cities
with the main bases, the Middle East and the Far East. The airline is
owned by the Government of Pakistan (87%) and other shareholders
.((13%

Brand Elements

(Name: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA•

URL: www.piac.com.pk•
:Logo•

:Slogan•
Great People to Fly With•
Come Fly with Us•
Ba-Kamal loog Lajawab Service•
Color: Green•
National Flag on aircraft tail•
Frequent Flyer Program: Awards Plus –
–

Introduction to Study
Need of the Study
PIA has had an astounding history. It ranked No.2 airline of the world
during the 1960. It has been well known around the world for its
expertise, hospitality and excellent service. Even today our pilots and
.engineers are recognized for their technical expertise
PIA played a major role in the development of today’s top-rated airlines
.of world like Emirates and Singapore Airlines
But for the past two decades its service level and popularity seems to
have declined a lot. Today, an observer feels that people do not feel in
the same way as they did in the past. Has the nations’ pride become
its burden, or the brand image has not been affected? We attempt to
.find an answer in this study
The objective of this study is to assess the brand attributes of PIA; the
perception people have about PIA, their awareness, judgment and
.attitude towards PIA

Target Audience

The target audience for this study includes people from all walks of
like. It includes corporate personnel, businessman, students,
.housewives or even a person who has never travelled by PIA
–

Research Methodology

INTRODUCTION

The research methodology employed in this study is in accordance with

standard research studies. And due care has been taken to come up
.with valid results that can be used to help build the brand

Qualitative Element
We had a focus group meeting with officials of PIA and had a brief
.conversation about the branding of PIA
 Quantitative Element
Quantitative part of the research is based on questionnaires. The
objective of the questionnaire is to measure the Brand Exploratory
.features of the research
A sample questionnaire is attached at the end of the report for *
.reference

Sampling Design
Target Population
The target population includes people from corporate world, self

.employed/business man, housewives, and students

Sampling Selection
Due to the shortage of time and lack of resources, the non-probability
.convenience sampling is used in this study

Sample Size
To ensure the reliability of the data, the sample size of 30 respondents
is selected

Research Instrument
Research Instrument Construction
A blend of qualitative and quantitative questions has been used to fully
gauge the perception and attitude of the target respondents for the
.Brand PIA

Instrument reliability and validity

The instrument is reliable in that it contains specific questions for the
required objectives. The open ended questions do not lead the
respondent to a particular response and the closed-ended questions
are provided with specific categorical options. The validity of the

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 questionnaire can be judged by the fact that it is given to the potential
.respondents

Procedures
Data Collection and Screening Procedures
Data has been collected through research questionnaires. For this
purpose 30 questionnaires, containing open-ended and closed
.ended questions, are distributed among the target respondents

Data Entry and Re-checking Procedure

SPSS 17 software has been used to enter data. The data was
periodically entered into the spread sheet parallel to the data
collection procedure. After entering whole of data we made a
.thorough check for systematic and logical errors

Summary
In order to achieve the study objectives, a painstaking effort has been
made to construct a questionnaire in which every question corresponds
to the objectives. To have a full insight the questionnaire contains
open-ended as well as closed-ended question. Reliability and validity
has been taken care of by employing relevant procedures. In the end
.data is entered in and analyzed through SPSS 17 software tool