BAHRAIN’S national carrier Gulf Air has unveiled a host of new commercial initiatives aimed at bolstering the kingdom, increasing market share and making local people proud of their airline.
The company’s recently appointed chief commercial officer Karim Makhlouf said Gulf Air is set to expand its customer base and increase its revenue by introducing a range of new products, services and incentive packages for key customer segments while strengthening its home market share.
“Since the launch of the airline’s new business strategy in November 2009, we have made some notable progress; we added 15 new destinations to our network, discontinued four unviable routes, brought in 14 new aircraft, improved our on-time performance by seven per cent and achieved a fleet technical dispatch reliability of 98.9 per cent.” said Makhlouf.
“Now the time has come for us to focus on our customers’ needs and increase our commercial efficiency through aggressive sales and marketing in order to make Gulf Air a sustainable and ultimately, a profitable, airline. Therefore, we conducted an extensive survey to understand our customers’ needs and more importantly, how to win back their business.”
He continued: “We realised that our market share at home – the kingdom of Bahrain – is just 32 per cent, the lowest compared to our regional competitors. At the same time, competition has increased with more and more new airlines including low-cost carriers entering the market eating into our customer base and thus, our market share.
“As the national carrier, it is imperative that we own our home market. Therefore, we have launched a series of customer-focused initiatives to regain our market share. These new initiatives have been designed to target every customer segment – family, business, government, pensioners and the youth.”
For families, the airline will introduce ‘Family First’ - a series of competitively-priced packages for customers travelling with their spouses and children, offering special privileges both on the ground and in the air. Parents can relax while children enjoy a selection of toys and games looked after by professionally trained Sky Nannies. As a first step in this programme, Gulf Air will be opening a state-of-the-art, interactive, one-stop shop where families can make inquiries and book tickets in a friendly atmosphere while enjoying Arabian hospitality.
For the business segment, Gulf Air will be introducing Falcon Corporate Plus – one of the region’s most competitive innovative incentive programmes yet – designed exclusively for corporate travellers and featuring a range of different exclusive privileges which can be tailor-made for each client including exclusive price discounts, free upgrades from economy to Falcon Gold class, free lounge access for economy-class passengers and both free parking and chauffeur service to and from Bahrain International Airport.
The airline will also focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the creation of an incentive programme specifically for this segment.
The airline, renowned for its on-board cuisine, will also be revamping its Sky Chef service and the frequent flyer programme is to get a makeover with various value-added benefits ranging from free class upgrades to lounge access.
In a proactive step to regain its home market share, Gulf Air recently announced a discount for government officials when they book travel directly with the airline and it will be opening its own smart offices in ministries and key government departments. There is also a new incentive scheme for travel agents allowing increased commission.
Makhlouf added: “As the national carrier of the kingdom, we have a moral responsibility to promote Bahrain and make ’Bahrain Fly’. As a first step, we will be launching a series of testimonial campaigns to win the hearts and minds of Bahrain residents. The campaigns – ‘Straight from the Heart’, ‘My country, My Airline’ and ‘Push Bahrain’, - will be touching the hearts of every Bahraini and make them feel proud to fly with their national carrier.”
The carrier has also been proactively promoting in-bound tourism to Bahrain. Earlier this month, it announced a joint promotion with leading five star hotels in the kingdom.
In conclusion, Makhlouf said: “Customers have become more discerning these days and their travel preferences and needs keep changing. Gulf Air realises that it needs to gauge customer preferences, gain a clear understanding of their needs and wants and proactively set trends to stay ahead of the competition. Our products, services and packages should meet their expectations, delight them and surprise them so that we not only retain customer loyalty but also further attract more customers. These initiatives are just the beginning in this direction.
“Our ultimate aim is to make Gulf Air the carrier of choice in the region with a strong emphasis on being a family and business-friendly airline while establishing a leadership position in our home market.”