Although Thomas Cook Group Airlines is known as a leisure
travel carrier, it has turned its attention to the corporate market, particularly
with its Germany-based Condor airline.
Over the past several years, Condor has been upgrading its
product, including lie-flat seats in business class, and upping its sales
capabilities to broaden its appeal to corporate travelers, said Jens Boyd, long-haul
and revenue management director for Thomas Cook. At the same time, Condor has
expanded its network to connect Frankfurt to "niche markets with no access
to Europe," he said. In the U.S, it added service to New Orleans and San
Diego this year and this week is beginning service from Pittsburgh. Last year,
it also converted its Seattle summer service to year-round.
Currently, Condor's corporate business is largely small and
midsize companies, and it is using its business class fares as a selling point
to grow that, he said. "Those business managers up the ladder who have
permission to fly first class will not fly with us," Boyd said.
"Those segments who are allowed to fly premium economy find we offer the
same price point [as other carriers' premium economy fares] and a much better
service."
A few months ago, Thomas Cook hired a Chicago-based
salesperson, North America senior sales and business development manager Jason
Faltinek, to build corporate agreements across its entire portfolio. While
Condor is the most obvious fit for corporate travelers, Faltinek also will look
at the appetite for corporate business on Thomas Cook Airlines, which connects
several U.S. cities to Manchester, England. Thomas Cook Airlines might add
business class in the next two years if it senses sufficient demand, Boyd said.
It is eyeing corporate business on its route from New York's John F. Kennedy
International Airport, which it will convert to year-round in December.
For
now, sales are focused "not so much on making it cheaper [to fly] but on
making it more convenient to book and adding flexibility," he said.
"On the leisure side, if they buy a ticket, it costs money to exchange it,
but we're beginning to see internally it makes sense to work with these
corporations to give them more flexibility."