C/M/441. Services Marketing: Air Travel Sector

This study reports on the air travel sector. It assesses the current marketing environment of the sector; underlines the opportunities and threats facing the sector. Through two principal European air travel service providersÐBritish Airways and RyanAir representing the lower and higher end of the air passenger market, respectively, the report advances how airliners can simultaneously fend of the threats and exploit the opportunities. Commonalities and differences between the service marketing strategies of the two companies show how differently they respond, and are positioned to win the competition. Key strategic service marketing issues associated with British Airways and RyanAir lead to thinking the Internet is the new frontier of services marketing. The report concludes effective deployment of eCRM practices would be critical to retain and attract customers, and may have long-term benefits in reducing cost as well as improving the bottom-line.