The Airline with flying colours

On the occasion of receiving its latest-generation Sharklet A320 aircraft carrying the Pepsi brand, VietJetAir offers passengers special sales promotions on all its routes, with 100,000 tickets priced from VND100,000 ($4.70). The promotion tickets will be sold for  seven days from November 7-14, 2013 for flights from November 20, 2013 to April 20, 2014  (excluding New Year and festive occasions).

VietJetAir is a carrier well known for its plane decorations. Its first nine aircraft have been decorated with images including Vietnam’s national flag, the logo of Vietnam’s tourism campaign, VietJetAir cabin crew and even characters from the Disney hit, Planes. That tradition is being kept alive with the tenth plane in the fleet which has been decked out with the logo of leading drinks brand, Pepsi.

This is also VietJetAir’s second Sharklet, the latest-generation Airbus A320. The first went into service in September and carried a livery of Vietnam’s leading bank - Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV).

The Pepsi deal will bring benefits to both sides and the travelling public have been curious about what it means. Youngsters appeared to be interested in how these two brands will join. Some speculated that there might be further events such as be Pepsi parties on-board with stunning performances.

Until now, the low-cost carrier has kept silent – it seems they have chosen for the images alone to do the talking.

Bright yellow and red were chosen as the low-cost carrier’s colours from the start which meant it was natural for the first plane to be painted with Vietnam’s national flag. The second plane carried the logo and slogan ‘Vietnam: Timeless Charm’ – the slogan of Vietnam’s tourism campaign. More planes were constantly added to the carrier’s flying fleet and each was decorated in a distinctive way.

In fact, passengers often pay little attention to the outer appearance of the plane they board. They for years got accustomed to the routine way traditional airlines serve their customers. VietJetAir’s off-the-wall acts brought something new to the airport where its planes land and clearly showed the airline’s philosophy: friendliness, cheerfulness and security.

“I see that the passengers, before boarding, often take a while to admire VietJetAir’s charming stewardesses with their bright smile or have a look at the pair Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy and famous film star Johnny Tri Nguyen on the plane hulls. Also, lots smile when they see the blockbuster ‘Planes’ characters,” said VietJetAir chief steward, Nguyen Phuong Khanh.

Explaining why she wanted to take a photo with the brand-new plane carrying the Pepsi brand on its body, teenager Nguyen Quynh Chi said: “VietJetAir’s aircraft are like colourful chameleons as each plane has its own clothing. Passengers get fresh experiences each time they fly on VietJetAir planes.”

Nguyen Anh Binh, a businessman and the owner of an imported household appliance trading system says he flies to Thailand frequently and each time he sits in the Thai airport waiting room he feels happy about the motherland when catch sight of the images of VietJetAir planes carrying the national flag or BIDV’s familiar trademark.

Quynh Chi and Anh Binh show that in terms of brand identification, VietJetAir has succeeded in shaping its image as a fresh and youthful flying fleet. Nearly two years after spreading wings with 16 routes and a strong fleet (including its recent order for 100 Airbus planes) the low-cost carrier is changing the perception about doing business in aviation. It brings the chance to fly to almost every Vietnamese and each flight promises to bring unexpected joy to passengers.