‘Poppi’ makes like Uber, disrupts flying

There’s a new disruptor in town, and its calling for change in the aviation industry.

According to CNN, who are calling it ‘the Uber for airlines’, start-up Poppi is imagining a future of aviation unlike any future we’ve ever seen. One where customers can fly “cinema class” and that dreaded middle seat comes with unexpected perks.

The company painting the picture is Teague, and don’t be fooled into thinking they’re just some ambitious yet teeny start-up.

These guys are the design consultancy behind the Boeing Dreamliner’s interior, who worked on a five-year collaboration with Boeing for the launch of the 787 Dreamliner, and earlier classic interior cabins for the 707 and 747 planes.

Per CNN, the business hopes to bring the same type of disruption to the airline industry that Uber brought to the taxi business, and Airbnb to hotels. The catch? They don’t ever want to actually enter the market.

“What we wanted to do with Poppi is envision those disruptions now so that airlines operating today can start implementing them,” Poppi’s principal brand strategist Devin Liddell told CNN.

“The airline business model and how airlines operate both present a lot of opportunities for reinvention.”

Liddell told CNN they hope to push airlines in the right direction with smart disruptive interventions that could be created by competitors, with the hopes they’ll step up their game for the sake of the traveller.

“A lot of these opportunities – like how airlines handle baggage – are obvious because the current model is broken or, at the very least, doesn’t serve passengers very well. Other opportunities are less obvious and require some big thinking about what will happen a decade from now,” Liddell said.

And you can see some of their revolutionary visions in the images below. Things like apps using real-time info to save you lurking around the gate, or tracking baggage with RFID tags that are checked in at earlier stages like at the train station or your home, then sent directly to your hotel.

“Cinema class” – where “exclusive” media enters the spotlight, or “click class” for frequent short haul fliers, where convenience is top priority, and specially designed smart baggage “clicks” into place.

Then there’s “promotional class” for the poor sucker stuck in the middle seat, which invites brands to partner with the airline to offer special gifts and services for the unlucky flier, according to CNN.

It’s just a vision at the moment, but Liddell says it’s sparking ideas that could enhance customer experience while improving the airline’s bottom line.

Liddell stressed to CNN that it’s no longer safe to just rest on your laurels.

“The biggest mistake any business can make is to believe in the illusion of constancy – the idea that things won’t change, because they always do,” Liddell said.

You can read a Q&A with Liddell over at CNN where he divulges future hopes for the industry, and what airline travel would look like if he was handed the reigns.

Secondary marketplaces for customer interactions.

Poppi asked CNN, “What if the dreaded middle seat were re-conceived as valuable space for unique experiences?”

Click Class with custom bag design to click your bag into place. Convenience is king here.

Forget quality tiered classes like Business and Economy. Poppi wants to introduce a completely new range of classes, such as Cinema Class.

Poppi wants to reduce time wasting at the gate and help customers get what they want.

New ideas like hotel delivery bag drop would make things far simpler for fliers.

Make the airline a ‘lifestyle brand’ rather than just a service.

For Emirates, Poppi suggests high ceiling LED lights to mimick Dubai’s night sky.

A Nike ‘athlete plane’ that caters for professional sporting teams?

Image source: CNN

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air travel airbnb airline industry aviation boeing dreamliner disruption poppi teague uber