My first memory of the travel
industry comes from business school at Stanford University, where I
noticed the airline industry was the most competitive industry in
the world. This piqued my interest. The thrill of competition!
Over seven or eight
years, my veteran business colleagues and I developed the concept
of Eos after sensing what was missing from todays hub-and-spoke
airline structure.
Believe it or not,
I actually played make-believe on the office floor of my friends
hedge fund in Palo Alto, Calif. Wed lay out the 757 cabin using
blue tape and would wheel desk chairs into the imaginary aircrafts
interior.
We would lay out
hundreds and hundreds of possible configurations -- all different
ways to put a seating environment onboard an airplane. Then wed
invite friends and investors over to try it out.
It became crystal
clear to us that we could launch an airline with tremendous
economic advantages.
Before creating
Eos, I worked at British Airways, starting in May 1997. Given my
desire to create Eos as an international, premium carrier, I
probably could not ask for a better place to gain my initial
experience.
I had been brought
into BA as head of business development to work on long-term
strategy, especially in light of increased deregulation of the
international aviation industry. Eventually, I became director of
strategy. I led BAs consolidation efforts and worked with the CEO
and board to negotiate a proposed KLM acquisition and the proposed
alliance with American.
During my time at
BA I reversed a 10-year decline in unit revenues and produced a 16%
increase over 18 months as a result of redeploying 100 new aircraft
across the network.
I also was
appointed nonexecutive director of Opodo, a pan-European online
travel portal owned by BA and 10 major European airlines, and I
negotiated a shareholding agreement among the airlines.
I left BA to pursue
my dream, and in September 2002 I founded Atlantic Express, which
was rebranded as Eos this year. With a seasoned management team, I
spearheaded a $185 million financing program for Eos in June
2004.
The Eos philosophy
is to understand our customer -- the business traveler -- better
than any other carrier and provide them with the best flight
experience at a discounted price. I believe there are inherent
inefficiencies in trying to simultaneously cater to a first-class
passenger in the front of the plane and a coach customer in the
back.
Eos was designed
with a clear focus on todays business traveler. We decided to give
our customers 21 square feet of personal space, more than any other
airline. We mandated that our product include a lie-flat bed --
ideally long enough to accommodate my 6-foot, 3-inch frame, the
ability for passengers to work with a partner in flight, a high
degree of privacy and unimpeded access to the aisle. Nothing off
the rack met those standards.
I truly believe Eos
is initiating a new era in aviation. We could go down a path of
commoditizing what was out there or innovating. So to be me too
just really doesnt fit who we are as an airline. If you have a
chance to innovate, why wouldnt you? -- Edited by Andrew
Compart
To contact
reporter Andrew Compart, send e-mail to [email protected].