This
was the answer given by 70 per cent of the CEO Management Panel of
ITB Berlin, in a survey of exhibitors and business partners carried
out by the market
research company Trendscope and ITB Berlin,
which is due out every month as of now. For 63 per cent of those
polled the second most important factors when choosing an airline
were the departure airport and choice of flight times. 37 per cent of
ITB Berlin’s customers said they only booked flights with a certain
airline. For 24 per cent it was important that the airline operated
modern aircraft. Customer
loyalty to homecarriers played
an insignificant role. According to the
survey nine per cent preferred to book
flights with “their” national
airline. Only four cent were willing to forfeit
value for money.
Dr.
Martin Buck,
director of the Competence Center Travel & Logistics at Messe
Berlin: “Worldwide, airlines are competing with each other in a
hotly contested market. Customers reward airlines that offer
transparent services and good value for money with their loyalty
because they feel they are being treated well. If a national carrier
is unable to fulfil those demands then it loses its emotional bond
with the customer.”
The
advantages of a frequent
flyer programme
were also among the reasons for choosing a particular airline.
According to the survey this mattered to 42 per cent. 36
per cent were divided over whether frequent flyer programmes
were important, while 22 per cent said they did not influence
their booking choice. Asked which continents and regions
operated the world’s best
airlines,
the CEO Management Panel of ITB Berlin revealed a clear trend that
also reflects global market developments. Among those decision-makers
polled, the most popular airlines were from Asia (35 per cent), the
Arab countries (33 per cent), followed by Europe (25 per cent). The
least rated airlines were from North America (5 per cent), Australia
(1 per cent), South America (1 per cent) and Africa (0 per cent).
