Relationship Marketing Strategy and implementation

response from an international force led by the USA. There was wide-
spread expectation that Iraq would fight back with terrorist attacks on the
airlines and airports of the participating Western countries. On the first day
of the Iraqi invasion, BA Flight 149 was detained during a scheduled stop
in Kuwait and, although the passengers were eventually released, the
Boeing 747 was destroyed. Air traffic across the Atlantic was decimated
and the cost of jet fuel doubled, reducing BA’s revenue and raising its costs
at the same time.

Creating and implementing relationship marketing strategies 469

Table 6.2.3 Passenger preferences, March 1994 (%)

All Scheduled Charter

Short-haul flying

Good safety record 61 60 64

Good reputation of airline 46 50 55

Cheapest fares 45 57 49

Convenient scheduling/flight times 45 56 58

Comfortable seats 38 43 40

Good food 26 24 27

Previous experience of airline 20 28 30

Special offer/promotion 19 24 22

Good in-flight entertainment 16 18 17

A British airline 16 15 14

First/club class facilities 4 3 4

Frequent flyer scheme 3 4 5

Don’t travel by air 7 - -

None of these 1 * *

Don’t know 2 * *

Long-haul flying

Good safety record 57 57 58

Good food 49 54 50

Good in-flight entertainment 49 58 54

Good reputation of airline 42 48 51

Cheapest fares 32 43 34

Convenient scheduling/flight times 32 41 44

Special offer/promotion 18 23 22

Previous experience of airline 14 25 19

A British airline 13 11 13

First/club class facilities 10 7 10

Frequent flyer scheme 4 6 4

Don’t travel by air 8 - *

None of these 1 * *

Don’t know 3 * 1

Source: BMRB/Mintel. * less than 1 per cent.