New Routes Present Opportunity for Travel Agents to Work with Airlines

Since airline commissions were cut more than 15 years ago, travel agents have come to expect very little support from air carriers. But as the industry has continued to aggressively expand route networks and add new service in key leisure markets, some industry observers thought these carriers would at least view agents as a partner in helping to sell new flights – especially when a carrier is a completely new entrant to a market. 

For example, Hawaiian Airlines recently announced that starting Apr. 4, 2019, it will begin five-day-a-week service between Boston and Honolulu, the first nonstop flight in the market.  

At 5,095 miles, Hawaiian’s Boston-Honolulu route also becomes the longest regularly scheduled domestic route in U.S. history. One-stop service is currently offered by most major carriers, including Hawaiian with JetBlue Airways. 

But several weeks after the announcement, Diane Bean, luxury travel advisor at Off on Vacation in Bangor, Maine, said, “I haven’t heard a peep at all from Hawaiian, which is unfortunate, because this a game changer for a nonstop to go Boston to Honolulu, especially for our clients four hours north of Boston.”  

In a press release announcing the service, the carrier said that Boston is the largest U.S. market without nonstop service to Hawaii, and that the market between Boston Logan International (BOS) and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International (HNL) airports generated about $76 million in ticket sales last year.  

Hawaiian will operate a 278-seat Airbus A330 widebody, including 18 lie-flat, first-class cabin seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. That means the carrier will offer about 72,300 seats a year. According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the greater Boston area currently generates about 60,000 visits a year. 

Still, when Travel Market Report reached out to Hawaiian to ask about how it will support the travel trade, a spokeswoman said, “I don’t believe we are able to answer your questions at this time and will need to decline this opportunity.” 

Bean wishes Hawaiian would dedicate local New England sales staff to work with the trades, as that would not only build goodwill, but also help her market the flights better. 

What about Air France? 
Travel Market Report also reached out to Air France regarding its recently announced new nonstop service from Dallas to Paris, set to launch Mar. 31, 2018. The carrier plans to offer up to five weekly flights for the 2019 summer season, operating 224-seat Airbus A330s, including 36 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 167 economy cabin seats.  

Air France said they are currently building their plans, and will start to work with agents in the coming months. Diederik Scheepstra, commercial director USA for Air France KLM, said that one of the sales options they are looking into is co-op marketing dollars for agents looking to promote the new destination to local clients. 

“We are definitely going to be working with the trade, but how that is going to work in terms of marketing plans has yet to be determined,” Scheepstra said, adding that Air France will be engaging with travel agencies “very heavily” in partnership with its alliance partner, Delta Air Lines. 

Delta, of course, has a hub at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. “Because of our joint venture, we work very closely with Delta and support them in their ongoing conversations with trade and corporate accounts,” Scheepstra said.  

Delta is different
Delta recently announced that it would add nonstop Detroit-Hawaii service starting June 29, 2019, utilizing 225-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, equipped with 25 fully flat-bed seats in Delta One, 29 seats in Delta Comfort+ class, and 171 seats in the main economy cabin.  

While the flights are new for Delta, Detroit is a very established hub for the carrier, so it will launch service with “a lot of existing leisure demand and awareness of the destination,” a Delta spokeswoman told Travel Market Report. (Honolulu is the Detroit area’s third-largest destination without nonstop service.) 

“It is a destination that our customers repeatedly ask for on social media, so we are excited to offer direct access to such a beautiful place,” said Wayne County Airport Authority Interim CEO Chad Newton. 

Still, “to amplify that awareness,” Delta said it will work with travel agencies in multiple ways, including providing flyers and other marketing materials for agency newsletters and other communications channels, the Delta spokeswoman said. 

The Delta sales communication team typically announces new routes to sellers via email and to agency customers in their monthly agency newsletter and on their Delta Pro portal.  “To complement this,” the Delta spokeswoman said, the Delta sales team would reach out to agencies as well as potential top accounts personally, with “typically a call to an agency partner before it is officially announced as a heads-up.” 

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The sales teams would then highlight the new service or any other route changes with every travel agency partner or account during their Quarterly Business Review. 

“For a destination that is not so well known, we would also look at running an agency awareness campaign such as a quiz with links to articles that highlight the route and provide quiz answers. Fam trips are also a great way to market the destination.”  

The carrier’s efforts will be supplemented by its Delta Vacations wholesale arm, which offers customizable marketing collateral through its agency portal called The Marketing Hub. 

“As with any new route, key agency partners may allocate Delta Vacations co-op funds to promote the route,” the spokeswoman said. 

Bean put that level of airline engagement on her Boston-Hawaii service wish list. 

“It would be nice to have a [Hawaiian Air] BDM in the region to have a conversation with, ask them what their goal is, tell them about mine, and how can we help each other achieve our goals,” she said. “Someone who remembers your name, gives you their phone number, their personal email address, instead of some remote call center.” 

Despite the lack of support from Hawaiian Air so far, Bean has been posting about the carrier’s new service on social media, already generating demand from clients who follow her. “I think this is going to open the market for honeymoons, anniversaries, milestone vacations. People looking at the Caribbean and Mexico can now also include Hawaii as an option,” she said.