New Biman

At first, it was only Biman Bangladesh Airlines that used to fly from the Middle East to Bangladesh. Sure, other airlines did so as well, but Biman was far cheaper. And with sentiments about it being our national airline, we always used to fly Biman to Bangladesh. Of course, later, common sense prevailed and we started to choose other airlines.

And then later, MORE common sense, as we realized whatever airlines we flew to Bangladesh, service would be terrible on that route. For some reason, most of the passengers boarding on the final leg to Dhaka would be from the labour class who would forget all norms of decency once on board the flight. You could go on Emirates or Etihad from Toronto to Dhaka via Dubai and London. All the way to London and to Dubai the flight would be A-class with service and punctuality. As soon as you board the final Dubai to Dhaka route it would be a reality show with how long you can last.

As for Biman, which means airplane in Bangla, we used to call it Beiman, which meant something derogatory. Biman was plagued with problems of inefficiency, cleanliness, punctuality, corruption, profitability etc. You could not get a seat on flights (apparently they were all sold) but planes used to fly empty (somehow) and the airplane operated at a loss (go figure!).

Now it looks like Biman is getting a new look and some new planes [link].





I am aware that sometimes re-branding with a new logo and aesthetics can cause a change of attitude and fortunes but the new logo has to come with a new direction from management and greater accountability and service oriented focus from the corporation. Here's hoping Biman is getting more than just a face lift.

From just a design perspective, I like the new look. It's very modern and the stork is more graceful than the old logo, which looks like a 1980 dot matrix printout. I like the green, which is representative of the flag and also symbolizes cleanliness and being environmental friendly (truth is subjective). Some say it's a bit close to PIA but this one flows better. I would have preferred a bit more red to retain some link with the past but perhaps that was the intention of the designer, to break away from the past. Sometimes, that's a good thing.