In your article 'Going to the market' (Airline Business, December) you are correct to say that airport marketing is coming of age. Through computer analysis, airports can not only use the traditional methods you discussed, they are also able to evaluate:
* Which flag carriers to focus upon because they are supported by the best and most numerous third party bilaterals;
* Which airports must be watched because they have regulatory potential to become major competitors in the future; and
* Which governments should be induced to offer, as a bargaining chip, our client airport as intermediate/beyond points.
The day might even come when cities/airports become catalysts in linking two non-national flag carriers by aircraft interchange at their airport, and/or market themselves as the ideal site to station aircraft to operate a change of gauge service.
I believe that the marketing potential has been opened up by the computer, and that a data base of UN/Icao registered air transport agreements is only just being recognised.
Earl R Scott
President
Aero-Accords Inc
Seattle, WA, USA.
Source: Airline Business
