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As it prepares to expand services in India, Etihad Airways has stepped up its sales and marketing campaign.
In India, corporate clients and travel agents account for 85-90 per cent of flight ticket sales; the remaining is sold through airlines’ websites. With such reliance on agents, it is natural for airlines to incentivise sales.
Last month, Etihad had relaunched its agent incentive scheme, under which it rewards the top-performing agent with $30,000 (about Rs 17 lakh). The winner would be selected through a lucky draw.
The airline says the reward for the scheme, ‘Live Free for a Year’, would take care of the travel agent’s annual maintenance expenses. The scheme would be run till July-end.
Last year, Sidheeque Maliyekkal of Akbar Travels won a prize of Rs 15 lakh. “Our trade partners have constantly supported us since we entered the Indian market and through this initiative, we aim to show them our gratitude and maintain our strong ties with the Indian travel community,” Neerja Bhatia, the airline’s general manager (India), had said while announcing last year’s winner.
Etihad’s agent incentive scheme, launched in 2012, had stumped rivals. Executives of rival airlines, as well as a few travel agents, had dubbed the scheme a gimmick. They wondered why, despite operating 136-seater planes to India, the airline was giving away a Rs 15-lakh cash reward.
Currently, the airline operates 63 weekly flights to nine Indian cities. The revised air services agreement between India and Abu Dhabi raised the seat entitlements by about 37,000 seats a week. This would enable the airline to launch additional flights.
