|
Article Excerpt
With a formalized sales program, presence in many large business centers and entry into the transcon battle, ATA Airlines is trying to penetrate deeper into the corporate market. BTN editors David Jonas and David Meyer last month met with George Mikelsons, ATA chairman, president and CEO, who returned froth retirement in August 2002.
BTN: Please explain how ATA has become more relevant to the business traveler.
George Mikelsons: Three, four, five years ago, we gave out straw hats and had palm trees painted on our planes because we primarily were attracting leisure travelers. Then we started flying into Philadelphia, New York, etc., and took the palm trees off. Now, on eight flights a day between Chicago and New York, you won't find one straw hat. It's laptops on top of laptops. For every, high flyer who wants Red Carpet lounges and upgrades, there are about 10 whose travel managers are saying, "Hey, let's look at these low-cost carriers."
BTN: What is your current business mix, and what do corporate deals look like?
Mikelsons: We have no sophisticated way of measuring business mix, but the percentage is huge. In typically business markets, we see more business travelers than leisure travelers. Three years ago, there were no corporate sales efforts. Now, when we knock on the...
|
|
More articles from Business Travel News
Buyer's market seems to have peaked for hotel, car rental vendors., July 19, 2004
New BDO Seidman meetings policy keeps training costs consistent., July 19, 2004
MasterCard, Visa fighting fraud., July 19, 2004
Airline bankruptcy update., July 19, 2004
Swiss to offer new biz class., July 19, 2004
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
|
