All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Ashoka have partnered up to launch Blue Wing, a program to financially support the travel needs of social entrepreneurs.
Under Blue Wing, ANA will provide free air transportation within their route network for Ashoka as well as five selected social entrepreneurs, or as Ashoka calls it, “changemakers”.
The five changemakers are Josh Nesbit from Medic Mobile, Asher Hasan from Naya Jeevan, Elizabeth Hausler Strand from Build Change, Andreas Heinecke from Dialogue in the Dark, and Jürgen Griesbeck from streetfootballworld.
Blue Wing was developed on the belief that everyone has the power to change the world. As it is explained, “air transportation channel not only connects people to their destinations, but also has the potential to deliver medicine, books, supplies, ideas, hopes, and dreams — the tangible and intangible — to where they’re needed most.” The idea for this program was conceived by a group of 27 volunteers within the ANA group in 2010, and finally came to be four years later.
ANA and Ashoka also want the public to get involved. By becoming a Blue Wing member, you can vote for your favourite changemaker. Each vote will result in a 50 cent donation by ANA to the changemaker’s organization. Plus, if you book a flight through ANA, you can direct one percent of your fare on tickets originating from outside Japan to a changemaker or Ashoka to support their travel and accommodation.
While reward miles and perks are the traditional route to entice customers, ANA is certainly giving travelers something extra to think about. But the program is currently scheduled for six months, and there’s no indication that it would be extended or grown to include more social entrepreneurs.
