Clearing the Air

Getting communication right during this crisis may determine whether airlines have passengers waiting to fly with them in the future.

By Gabriel Leigh

As many around the world dropped plans to leave their homes this spring and summer, airlines have had to face a near-total drop in demand with no known end date. Amid that shock, airlines scrambled to figure out how best to communicate with customers – and have done so with wide-ranging results.

“You see a dichotomy,” says Shashank Nigam, CEO and founder of aviation consultancy SimpliFlying. “Some airlines have gone eerily quiet. They’ve just pulled their planned marketing campaign and haven’t put anything in its place. On the other hand, you see other airlines that are taking the opportunity to share what they’re doing during the crisis.”

Marketing campaigns and communications that hit the mark with customers have the potential of influencing a traveler’s decision to fly with one airline over another in the future, especially as people’s inboxes become flooded with coronavirus updates from just about every company they’ve ever done business with. “It’s important to be in touch with your customers, not just giving generic information but actually giving useful info,” Nigam says.

The clear winners will be airlines that have kept in touch with customers while finding novel ways to maintain engagement, even as they are unable to fly. In some ways, the crisis has accentuated just how important marketing can be, and how situations like these can even present opportunities for building brand awareness.

Keeping the Conversation Going

1. Offer Entertainment and Education

Etihad Airways recruited international cabin crew to offer language lessons in short videos, and Virgin Atlantic shared glimpses of aviation’s innerworkings through Instagram Stories aimed at children who are stuck at home.

2. Boost Marketing and Promotions

Southwest Airlines took a counterintuitive approach and boosted social media spending during the pandemic while promoting low fares with no change fees. Meanwhile, Air Canada launched an Aeroplan sale, offering miles at one cent a piece.

3. Adapt to the Situation

S7 Airlines awarded members of its frequent flyer program miles for every day they stayed home, while Vietjet Air is reassuring passengers by offering complimentary COVID-19 insurance – up to $8,465 – for anyone who contracts the disease while flying on one of its domestic flights.

4. Promote Complete Flexibility

Qatar Airways rolled out one of the most flexible booking policies of all time, allowing customers to change their destination to any city in its network within 5,000 miles of the original, at no additional charge.

5. Remind Travelers That This Is Temporary

Emirates released an advertisement that imagines what it will be like to look back on the pandemic, reminding customers that it is eager to fly them to their destinations when the crisis is over.