Top 10 airline marketing strategies for 2024 + examples

The number of global flights was finally forecast to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Which means competition between airlines is more fierce than ever before.

If you want to attract customers and stand out in crowded skies, your airline marketing strategies need to be sharp, innovative, and ever-adapting. 

In this article, we’ll explore strategies that will help you take your airline marketing to new heights. 

But first, let’s start with the challenges you’re likely to face.

Top challenges of airline marketing

Airline marketing isn’t all plane sailing (sorry). The airline industry is heavily regulated, the competition is fierce, and customer expectations are sky-high (sorry again)! 

Here are some of the most common marketing challenges facing the airline industry: 

• Fluctuating prices – Most airlines’ ticket prices are constantly changing based on complex algorithms that look at demand, competition, and a whole host of other factors. This makes consistent marketing messaging challenging, and it can also cause frustration and confusion among customers.
• Brand differentiation – Standing out in a crowded market is difficult, especially when so many airlines offer similar routes and services. 
• Compliance – Airlines have to navigate a complex landscape of international regulations, which can limit marketing tactics and require super-careful messaging.
• Adapting to digital trends – The rise of online booking platforms, social media, and mobile apps has transformed how airlines market themselves, so you’ve got to constantly innovate and adapt.
• Localized marketing – Airlines often serve diverse international markets which require tailored marketing approaches.
• Economic fluctuations – Global economic conditions, such as recessions or inflation, can drastically affect travel demand, making it hard to plan long-term marketing strategies.

But as they say: knowledge is power. And understanding the challenges you’re likely to face gives you the power to overcome them.

That’s challenges covered, now let’s dive into those top 10 strategies!

1. Create personalized marketing experiences 

Source: easyJet email

If you’ve ever received an email or digital ad that feels like it was crafted just for you, you know how attention-grabbing it can be. For airlines, personalized marketing is a highly effective way to get your audience to notice you.

Personalized marketing across email and digital marketing platforms starts with understanding your audience segments. You can categorize them based on shared characteristics like:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Travel frequency
• Preferred destinations

Examples of targeted campaigns

Once you’ve got a good understanding of these segments, you can create targeted campaigns that resonate with each group. 

This could include:

• Offering business travelers flexible booking options
• Promoting adventure trips to millennials
• Sharing family-friendly destinations with parents 
• Highlighting senior discounts to older travelers

Examples of tailored communications

You can then go one step further, targeting your audience on an individual level. This means tailoring email marketing and other comms and offers based on specific customer data like past bookings, browsing history, and loyalty status. 

That could include:

• Sending a frequent flier a special discount on their favorite route
• Offering a subsidized upgrade to someone who recently browsed first-class options
• Reminding a customer to complete their booking after they left it unfinished
• Recommending nearby attractions or activities to someone based on the destination they recently browsed
• Sending a tailored welcome-back offer to a customer who hasn’t flown with you in a while

This personalized experience not only boosts conversion rates but also makes passengers feel understood and valued, deepening their connection to your airline and building brand loyalty.

2. Set up loyalty programs to keep customers coming back 

Source: American Airlines

Customer loyalty programs are a brilliant way to retain customers and keep them coming back for more. You can reward repeat customers with exclusive benefits like frequent flier miles, free upgrades, priority boarding, or lounge access. This gives them a reason to choose your airline over competitors. 

The key to a successful loyalty program is personalization, tailoring rewards to match individual travel habits.

Example: American Airlines’ AAdvantage program

One of the best examples is American Airlines’ AAdvantage program. Here’s how they reward loyal customers:

• Frequent flier miles – Earn miles on flights, as well as through partnerships with hotels, car rental companies, and credit card purchases.
• Tiered membership levels – Access to increasing benefits with Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum membership levels.
• Priority services – Enjoy priority boarding, check-in, and security screening at higher membership tiers.
• Complimentary upgrades and lounge access – Does what it says on the tin!
• Flexible redemption – Redeem miles for flights, seat upgrades, vacation packages, hotel stays, car rentals, and more.

3. Inspire potential travelers with a content marketing strategy

Source: Turkish Airlines

Did you know that travelers typically spend over five hours consuming online content before booking a trip? Content marketing is your golden opportunity to provide potential customers with high-quality, inspiring content that encourages them to book that flight.

An airline content marketing strategy might include blog posts (like the Turkish Airlines example above), vlogs, and podcasts. This could cover topics like:

• Destination guides
• Deep dives into local experiences and activities
• Listicles of top things to do in specific locations

This content helps your audience to create a connection with a destination before they’ve even booked their flights. And it helps you to position your airline as an expert in that area too.

For more content inspiration, discover how to make a travel brochure.

4. Encourage user-generated content

Source: Qatar Airways on Instagram

For a budget-friendly way to promote your airline, look no further than user-generated content (UGC). UGC is any content created by your customers rather than by the airline itself. That could be photos, videos, blog posts, or reviews.

This type of content is incredibly valuable because it’s authentic and builds trust with other potential customers. It allows them to see real experiences from real travelers. And it helps them to witness genuine customer satisfaction too. 

But here’s the thing. People don’t usually share UGC without a bit of encouragement.

To get your audience involved, you’ll need to create fun and engaging opportunities that inspire them to share their experiences.

Examples of UGC campaigns

Here are some ideas to inspire your next UGC campaign:

• Organize a photo contest where your followers can share their best travel photos for the chance to win a prize
• Feature customer travel stories on your social media platforms, tagging them for recognition (like the example shown above from Qatar Airways)
• Set up aesthetic photo walls or murals in airports where passengers can snap and share their travel moments
• Offer loyalty points or small perks for customers who leave reviews or share testimonials on social media

5. Elevate your social media strategy

Source: Air France on Instagram

Sure, you’re already on social media. But are you using it to its full potential? If you’re just posting the occasional photo or replying to a few comments here and there, then the answer is a big fat no! 

Social media is always evolving, and your strategy should too. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Use Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories to offer real-time flight updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or exclusive promotions
• Create TikTok Challenges and Instagram Polls to encourage UGC and gather insights on customer preferences (like the example above from Air France)
• Use Facebook Live and Instagram Live for virtual tours, Q&A sessions, or live-streamed events to offer an immersive experience for your audience
• Highlight customer testimonials on Twitter and Facebook to build trust and credibility
• Post thought leadership content on LinkedIn and share industry insights, company milestones, and team spotlights

The key is to stay on top of social media trends, understand the algorithms behind the platforms, and regularly refresh your strategy to keep it exciting and relevant for your audience. 

6. Tap into influencer marketing

Source: Turkish Airlines on Instagram

Influencer marketing involves collaborating with people who have large followings on social media (AKA influencers) to promote your airline. One study found that 84% of people turn to travel influencers for travel recommendations, so this is a marketing strategy you don’t want to ignore. 

To hit the mark, you’ll want to partner with influencers that are popular with your target audience. You’ll usually gift these influencers a trip or pay them to promote your brand or services, and in turn they’ll post photos or share videos of their experience with their followers. 

The idea is that they’ll influence their followers to fly with you in the future – or at the very least create a positive image around your brand.

7. Build visibility with celebrity endorsements 

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS8nqYf5NvQ 

Another popular airline advertising tactic is celebrity partnerships. Just like with influencer marketing, the idea is that these high-profile figures will help to boost your airline’s visibility and credibility. This helps get your name in front of a wide audience and attract customers from their fan base. 

This travel marketing strategy has been used by airlines for years. Effective examples that spring to mind include Turkish Airlines teaming up with sports legends Lionel Messi and Kobe Bryant, and Emirates partnering with Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston. By partnering with a well-known celebrity, you can potentially reach millions of new customers.

Find more examples of celebrity partnerships in our roundup of high-flying airline ads, or check out our pick of the best travel ads for extra inspiration. 

8. Expand your reach with SEO

Google is the starting point for many travelers looking to research and book their next flight. In fact, 80% of travelers prefer to book a trip entirely online. With that in mind, it’s important to make sure your website is optimized for search engines like Google. If not, you’re going to miss out on a big chunk of the market!

Here are a few ways to optimize your website:

• Keyword research – Identify relevant keywords and phrases that potential travelers are searching for, like “cheap flights to Australia”, “round the world flights”, or “last-minute flight deals”.
• Optimize website content – Use these keywords in titles, headers, and meta descriptions so that Google knows what each page on your website is about. 
• Create high-quality blog posts – Write blog posts that address common questions and interests, using long-tail keywords as your starting point.
• Build a user-friendly website – Make sure your website is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and quick to load.
• Create a backlink strategy – Link out to authoritative sources in the travel and aviation industry to make your marketing content more credible. And try to get links from other websites back to yours.

These strategies will increase the chances of your site appearing in search results. And when travelers see your page near the top of the list, they’re more likely to click through and explore what you have to offer. 

9. Transport your audience with virtual and augmented reality tours

Thanks to VR and AR technology, travelers can now explore destinations around the globe from the comfort of their own homes. They can wander around a town, explore a hotel, or even see what it’s like on board one of your planes before they book their flights.

A great example of this is Qantas’ virtual tour of Uluru. It gives users a sneak peek of what they can expect from a trip to Australia’s most iconic landmark. 

Source: Start Beyond – Qantas VR 

These tools not only help customers make more informed booking decisions, but they also spark excitement about the adventures your airline can take them on. Think content marketing, but on a whole new level. 

10. Harness the power of data and analytics

Source: Hootsuite

Data and analytics are your best friends when it comes to airline marketing. You can track data from sources like:

• Website analytics – Looking at website traffic data can show whether your website is well-optimized or if you need to work some more SEO magic.
• Email click-through rates – Monitoring email click-through rates can highlight which offers attract the most attention, guiding future campaigns.
• Social media engagement – Analyzing social media engagement data can reveal which content resonates most with your audience, helping you fine-tune your messaging.

By harnessing the power of data and analytics, airlines can refine their marketing plan to maximize ROI. This makes sure they’re meeting the needs of both new and existing customers at every touchpoint.

Final thoughts

I hope these airline marketing examples inspire you to take your marketing efforts to new heights!

And if you’re looking for a tool to streamline review and approval and bring your campaigns to life faster, Filestage is here to help.

To see how Filestage can help with marketing review and approval, start your free trial today.