Airlines starting to take advantage of trapped audiences
If you are already selling sandwiches and Internet access, why not add limousine services and tickets to Broadway shows? Haven’t the always-sales-conscious airlines thought of it?
Yes, it’s an idea that American Airlines is testing to expand its retail component, says The New York Times.
The airline is offering in-flight Internet access and items from SkyMall, its glossy catalogue, on 165 airplanes.
“We wouldn’t invest if we didn’t feel comfortable it would provide a fair rate of return,” said John Tiliacos, managing director of onboard products for American Airlines. He added:
“Given where we find ourselves as an industry, financially it behooves us to identify every source of revenue we can identify.”
Other airlines declined to talk on the record about their plans, says the Times, but nearly all the major carriers acknowledged that they were working on expanding retail offerings.
The technology making the onboard sales possible is being provided by GuestLogix, a Canadian company that sells the credit card readers and sales software to the airline industry.
A brochure promoting its products describes onboard retail as unique because “operators are able to lock their doors with their shoppers still inside.”
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
AirlineRatings reveals world's safest airline rankings for 2026
Vietnam warns airlines of possible flight reductions amid jet fuel shortages
Fliggy opens AI-powered travel bookings and developer tools