Community Airline Relationships: It’s not Personal it’s Business!
Community Airline Relationships and the airline business decision process need consideration by community air programs. Act on the Godfather model when dealing with the airlines: “It’s not personal, it’s business”. Do not take it personally when airlines make business decisions.
Your community airline relationships need to understand what drives the airline business decisions. While airlines offer a public conveyance they are not a public utility. Airlines are a business that will almost always make airline business decisions driven by profits and other concerns of self-interest. Blasting the airlines in the newspaper for a decision they’ve made can negatively impact future air service opportunities for your community. This behavior will negatively impact community airline relationships. The airlines can choose to offer air service to many communities that offer strong economic opportunities. It’s important to remember this when speaking of the airlines publicly and think of the long-term ramifications before speaking out in a negative way.
When a community factors in how airlines make their business decisions in their community airline relationships strategy, the community can also meet their goals as well. The key is focusing on the airline business decisions first and then bisecting the airline needs with the community needs to drive a strong and successful community airline relationships and airline service.
Community Flights has developed over 35 best practices and guiding principles for communities looking to improve their air service. The above is just a small sample of a complete guidebook of best practice.
If you’d like to receive the complete guidebook for FREE: Community Flights Air Service Development Best Practices and Guiding Principles, email: scott@communityflights.com and ask that we send the full guide.
Scott Stewart is the principle of Community Flights; an air service support, development and management company. Community Flights works with communities, organizations or businesses on leveraging the great economic asset that air service is for economic gain. Scott formed Community Flights in January 2013 to help mobilize community support efforts and guide clients in bridging the “air service understanding gap” with the airlines to create an airline and community win-win air service support and performance environment. You can find more info about Community Flights at www.communityflights.com. Contact Scott Stewart directly at scott@communityflights.com .