Plenty has changed since the United States placed restrictions that essentially barred travel from across the pond from March 2020. Since this move, the transition period of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union ended. Along with this, several new British businesses grew amid the economic shifts that the global health crisis brought. United Airlines recognizes this climate shift and is ready to cater to the emerging markets.
Premium heavy aircraft
This week, United Airlines shared that it is launching five new flights from London Heathrow to the US. This announcement was made ahead of the relaxing of restrictions for vaccinated travelers to the US on November 8th.
Before the pandemic, United was determined to optimize its transatlantic operations. The retrofitting of the aircraft on these routes with new Polaris cabins was part of this motive.
In 2019, the airline revamped its operations between London Heathrow and Newark International with reconfigured Boeing 767-300ERs. These cabins each feature 46 United Polaris business class seats. Meanwhile, there is a dedicated Premium Plus cabin that features 22 seats. United’s management feels that it is this part of the aircraft that will see new clientele in the modern era.
Fresh faces
United has seen the evolution of the business passenger. The airline expresses that these customers want to travel better. There has been a large portion of small and medium-sized enterprises finding their feet that are looking to enhance their travel experience. However, the pandemic soon stopped United from fully realizing the potential of this aspect. Nonetheless, with the transatlantic market heading in the right direction, the airline can now capitalize on the industry shifts.
Bob Schumacher – Director Sales, United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel, South Africa and Off-line markets – United Airlines, recently told Simple Flying the following about the change of pace:
“It’s great for the SME market, which has already started traveling. We expect more of that. The corporate traffic of course, the big global corporations, are slowly coming back out as well. So, we look forward to having the services to be able to accommodate them as they return to travel heading into the new year.”
Ready to serve
Schumacher affirmed that his company has been preparing to meet this demand. Nonetheless, the operator is also placing great importance on all of its customer groups.
When asking about his thoughts about the new business passenger segments that have risen over the last year or so, Schumacher said:
“We are there and we are ready. That’s the message that we showed to our sales teams, both on the US side and my team here in the in the UK. We have built up these new services just to be ready for that. And, of course, we’ll continue to cater for all of the market segments. The VFR traffic came back earlier in the in the process. Domestic traffic, of course, came back strongly across the course of the summer, before the Delta took some off the top of that. Domestic leisure has been very strong, and now we are rebuilding the international network. We’re actually building beyond what we had in 2019.”
Altogether, United is gearing up to handle the pent-up demand across the Atlantic. It is seeing a plethora of bookings ahead of the big date next month. In its history that dates back to around a century ago, the airline has managed to consistently identify new opportunities.
What are your thoughts about United Airlines’ plans to cater to new passenger segments? What do you make of the overall approach? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
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