Business Travellers

Being able to stretch out comfortably and enjoy ample personal space on a flight is one of the greatest luxuries you can have when you're sky-high.

As well as having the maximum amount of leg room possible, white collar wayfarers love their lie-flat beds. For this reason, it's important that your clients understand the difference between a lie-flat seat and a fully flat bed. A lie-flat seat is positioned somewhere between 150 and 170 degrees, while a fully flat bed reclines all the way to 180 degrees. As a benchmark, at the Skytrax 2011 World Airline Awards, Oman Air was the winner of the World's Best Business Class Airline Seat award. Singapore Airlines came in second while Qatar Airways came in third.

Business travellers also appreciate those little extra touches from the cabin staff, like a welcoming beverage, hot towels, an amenities kit and a good selection of reading material. Quality and varied dining, as well as an extensive in-flight entertainment system, add to the appeal. And if business class isn't an option, do your best to ensure you book them an aisle or window seat.

Families

As any parent will tell you, flying with the small fry can be a fairly exhausting undertaking. That's especially the case if the kids are five or under. Short attention spans, boredom and restlessness – not to mention those major tantrums that every parent dreads – all make flying a challenge for families. Any distractions for the little ones are, clearly, welcome distractions.

So it should come as good news to hear that Emirates was named the winner of the World's Best Airline In-flight Entertainment award at the Skytrax 2011 World Airline Awards, having held the title for several years in a row. The carrier offers over 1300 channels of entertainment, featuring the latest movies, television, audio and games – the perfect thing to bring the ankle biters to heel. It also has a dedicated Young Flyers service that provides everything from children's channels to complimentary birthday cakes, as well as a special kids' menu.

Meanwhile, families flying business class with Etihad can make use of a family room at the carrier's Abu Dhabi lounge, complete with the services of qualified nannies.

Sitting in an aisle row is a common preference for families as it means they can all sit together. Travelling with a baby can be especially trying too, so booking seats in the exit row of the aircraft is always appreciated. »

Elderly passengers

The joints don't work quite as well as they used to and travel is that little bit more tiring – this is the experience for many of those at the older end of the age spectrum. Many of them still love to travel, whether it's that long anticipated trip to Europe or that short holiday to Queensland, but a relaxed pace is generally preferred and the air travel component is no exception.

Elderly or disabled passengers also often require extra assistance, which will be provided by any good airline. At most airports, services like wheelchairs and golf carts are provided for anyone with limited mobility. When booking flights with an airline, request special assistance for your client, rather than leaving them to ask for it at the airport.

While the occasional elderly passenger may be a little on the demanding side, most are generally easily pleased during their trip. Taking note of their preferences when booking air components and making their flight as pleasant as possible will go a long way to securing their business in future.

Couples

There are a variety of different types of travelling couples, but when flying they generally have a few basic priorities. They like to sit together – which sounds like a given, but anyone involved in the booking process needs to make sure this requirement doesn't get overlooked.

The chances of honeymoon couple clients getting an upgrade on a flight are pretty slim these days, but it's still worth a try – so encourage them to arrive at the airport early, and to ask nicely at the check-in counter, using their honeymoon credentials. And, of course, they can always try using their frequent flyer points to score an upgrade.

But there are various other ways for newly hitched lovebirds to make the most of their flight, thanks to features like the longest bar in the sky, located in Virgin Atlantic's newly revamped Upper Class Cabin.