Air Specific Marketing Funds
Critical to Community Air Service Success
Air Specific Marketing funds are an important feature of Community air service funding. Communities should have funding for more than just funding for airline incentives or revenue guarantees. We recommend that the total marketing support level be evaluated in any decisions to add new air service. Dedicating funds to air specific marketing can insure a minimum marketing support level is available to drive a successful air service program. Adequate marketing support requires both dedicated cash and in-kind contributions.
As it concerns air specific marketing funds – you wouldn’t start a road-trip to a destination requiring a full tank of gas with only half a tank right? Well you shouldn’t engage in new air service without ensuring you have adequate funding to aid in the new service awareness.
Many communities don’t have air specific marketing funds. They often rely on in-kind air service marketing support. While this can work, the funds behind the in-kind support can often be redirected to other purposes due to adverse changes in marketing conditions.
What is often not realized, especially with new airline service is that new airline service is an “Opportunity”. Airline service opportunities often come infrequently and are very limited. If communities squander the opportunity through weak flight support the air service could fail. In today’s airline industry, communities may not get another opportunity at all or see a very long time before another air service opportunity becomes available. Communities need to go all out to make the most of each air service opportunity they get. Supporting air service opportunities with air specific marketing funds that you dedicate and which cannot be diverted to other functions, is one action that lives up to a community making every effort to take advantage of their air service opportunities.
One other benefit to having air specific marketing funds is that this can gain the positive attention of the airlines. By positive attention I’m referring to the fact that you can often leverage these funds to initiate air sales initiatives with the airlines. Without these dedicated funds the airlines often won’t consider an air sales initiative.
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 .