BA to crank up CX codeshare marketing
British Airways will continue to market its services “by stealth” to ensure it remains front of mind with Australian agents and travellers as it again underlined its commitment to the local market.
The carrier said it will also crank up promotion of its recently-launched codeshare with Cathay Pacific which saw BA place its code on Cathay services between Hong Kong and several Australian ports.
Paul Rogers, BA marketing manager for Asia Pacific and the Middle East, said the carrier has shown “huge commitment” to Australia by deploying its newest 777-300 aircraft on the route which it has supported through marketing activity.
“We are pleased with the performance but we need to keep that momentum going,” he said. “We’ve done as much as we can to support the route.
“Our instant reaction to the ending of the Qantas JSA (Joint Services Agreement) was to launch our Down Under’s Not Over campaign in Sydney which did really well. We’ve invested a fair amount of cash locally and the campaign underscored our commitment to keep flying and keeping the two continents connected.”
Rogers, talking to Travel Today at Destination Britain in Bangkok, described Asia Pacific as among the most competitive aviation regions in the world with many “really strong airline brands”.
But BA was “holding its own”, he said and trading off its reputation and extensive European and UK network.
“What we are learning is that it pays to be always at front of mind. We are trying by stealth to make sure that digitally we are present in the Australian market,” he told Travel Today.
Rogers highlighted the fashion show staged on a 777 in Sydney by Georgia May Jagger as an innovative way to market the product while Orlando Bloom will attend a local event later this month.
Meanwhile, more work will be done to promote the Cathay codeshare, he said.
“The agreement is still in its infancy and there’s probably more work to do in terms of publicising that so we will do more activity to raise awareness,” Rogers said.
BA said the increasing strength of Singapore as both a leisure and business travel destination was aiding its daily London-Sydney services.
“It feels like there is a natural requirement for people to transfer over Singapore,” Rogers said. “And if you’re heading to Paris for example then you’re passing through two of the world’s great airports, Changi and Terminal 5.”
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
airlines aviation ba british airways paul rogersLatest News
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