Airline extends its global online activities
Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Travelocity.com Inc., the market leader among online travel companies, have signed a global partnership agreement in Fort Worth, Texas.
To Lufthansa, this agreement represents a considerable improvement in its online position and a higher market share in the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. “This partnership constitutes an important step forward in our efforts to exploit global online potential. Our co-operation with Travelocity will allow us to make use of synergies and to further strengthen our leading role in Europe,” said Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President Sales of Lufthansa German Airlines. 

Ticket sales is not the only area to benefit from the agreement. Lufthansa will also use the local Travelocity web sites as communications platforms. Marketing measures include the presentation of the Lufthansa product portfolio, banner advertising, exclusive promotion of specific Lufthansa routes, and the communication of Lufthansa`s special offers via the Travelocity newsletter, which is sent via email to many of Travelocity`s 27 million registered members.

*This extensive, integrated agreement is a perfect example of how the Internet is being used globally not only to sell merchandise, but also to extend brands and better position outstanding travel suppliers in the marketplace,” said Terry Jones, president and CEO of Travelocity.com. “By choosing an integrated marketing co-operation with us - not just banner advertising or special offers alone - Lufthansa will be taking full advantage of the power of marketing online.”
Overall, electronic sales channels are constantly gaining in importance. By the year 2005 Lufthansa aims to sell one in four tickets via online channels. Along with the continual improvement of its own web site www.lufthansa.com, Lufthansa presses for a prominent positioning of its products with major online travel agencies.

——-