5 Aviation Marketing Strategies You Should Use to Sell to Global Airlines

Back in 1955, a one-way ticket from London to New York would have set you back the equivalent of $7,026 in today’s dollars. Fast forward to 2024, and that same ticket averages just $265 (Relay42). Plane travel has never been more affordable, yet travelers aren’t necessarily more satisfied. And airlines face unprecedented pressure to squeeze profitability from every seat.

That’s where aviation marketing steps in. More than just selling tickets, modern airline marketing strategies are about crafting relevant, personalized experiences and forging partnerships that unlock entirely new revenue streams.

According to McKinsey, fully embracing all retailing techniques—dynamic pricing, bundled offers, omnichannel distribution, and updated payments—could deliver an added $45 billion to the industry by 2030 (McKinsey).

This article breaks down five essential strategies marketers must use to win over global airlines. These strategies are based on transformations already happening within the industry, helping you speak “airline language” to open doors and close deals.

Strategy 1: Leverage retailing and dynamic offers to unlock new revenue

Airlines have historically sold tickets as commodities: one seat, one price, one class. But that model is outdated. Today’s marketing opportunities lie in retailing: selling flights the way top e-commerce brands sell products. This means designing offers, bundling ancillaries, and dynamically adjusting prices in real time.

McKinsey notes that effective retailing combines multiple elements: bundled services (bags, lounges, carbon offsets), dynamic pricing that evolves by customer and channel, and advanced order management systems that replace legacy passenger name records (PNRs) with a unified “ONE Order” framework (McKinsey). For airlines, the upside is huge: 2–3% in incremental revenue, which translates into a 15% EBITDA lift for some carriers.

Dynamic offers don’t just apply to ticket prices. They allow airlines to create revenue from ancillaries at multiple touchpoints. For example, airBaltic adopted a more dynamic, ancillary pricing approach and observed a 6% increase in ancillary revenue per passenger (PROS). That’s a marketing win: positioning a solution for customers that’s also a powerful lever for profitability.

Airlines have taken note of such wins. They want partners who can help them maximize revenue per passenger through retailing. Any product that enhances bundling, integrates seamlessly with dynamic pricing, or enables real-time targeting should be positioned as a direct contributor to that $45 billion retailing opportunity.

Strategy 2: Build ecosystem partnerships to expand customer value

No airline can succeed alone. A passenger’s journey rarely begins or ends at the airport. It includes hotels, ground transport, loyalty programs, and increasingly, digital services. This is why ecosystem partnerships are central to aviation marketing.

Airline retailing’s future depends on successful alignment of all stakeholders across the travel value chain: travel management companies, hotel groups, rail operators, and car rental agencies (BCG). Partnerships enable bundled offers that go beyond air travel, like multimodal transport, corporate bundles with CO₂ offsets, or packages that combine flights with lounge access and hotel discounts. Airlines that integrate these add-ons elevate their customer offerings while also boosting revenue.

Examples abound. Air France–KLM’s Flying Blue program allows members to earn and spend air miles not only on flights, but also with partners such as Hertz, Sixt, Accor Hotels, and travel deals site Booking.com (Relay42). Similarly, JetBlue once partnered with Uber to provide complimentary rides for stranded passengers—turning a disruption into a loyalty-building moment.

For marketers, this means presenting products as ecosystem multipliers. Airlines want to hear how your solution can plugs into their existing partnerships, integrate easily with other vendors, and extend value across the entire customer journey. Positioning your offering as a bridge between airline and partner value creation will resonate more than selling a mere standalone tool.

Strategy 3: Personalize beyond segments with AI and data platforms

Simple customer segmentation used to be enough. Group passengers by leisure versus business travel, or by geography, and then market accordingly. But today, airlines are realizing that broad segmentation leaves money on the table. The next frontier is personalization at the individual level, powered by AI and unified customer data.

Relay42 explains that most airlines still rely on a “spray-and-pray” approach: they create broad campaigns for all and then hope for decent conversion. But with a customer data platform (CDP), airlines can consolidate information across channels, build unified customer profiles, and use predictive AI to determine the best possible upsell or cross-sell in real time (Relay42).

The impact is significant. Personalized journeys can look like offering a luxury hotel upgrade to an executive traveler, while steering a student toward a budget bus ticket from the airport. Predictive AI can time these offers at the precise moment conversion is most likely, rather than chasing travelers with irrelevant retargeting ads.

Airlines want you to show them tools that help them treat every passenger as a “segment of one.” If your product can integrate with CDPs, apply AI for real-time personalization, or leverage second-party data from partners, emphasize this. Airlines will view it as a pathway to higher satisfaction, stronger loyalty, and repeat revenue streams.

Strategy 4: Redefine offers and orders for seamless experiences

Airlines are under mounting pressure to deliver frictionless experiences, and much of that comes down to how they manage “offers” and “orders.” These terms, championed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), are reshaping the core of passenger air travel.

Offers now encompass everything an airline can offer to a customer: fares, ancillaries, bundles, loyalty perks. Orders represent the unified system that manages the purchase, replacing fragmented records like PNRs, e-tickets, and EMDs. Together, offers and orders enable seamless servicing, dynamic personalization, and even instant profit-and-loss calculations once a plane takes off (BCG).

Marketers must align with with this offer-order shift. A medium-sized airline may spend $50 million to $100 million transitioning to a 100% offers and orders setup (BCG). Those investments signal where priorities lie: simplified operations, omnichannel consistency, and future-proofed retailing.

The stakes are high. PROS notes that airlines now using dynamic offers and modular order systems can gain 3–4% in additional value from pricing alone, while ensuring greater commercial autonomy through flexible tech stacks (PROS). For marketers, that means positioning your solution as compliant with, or enhancing, the Offers and Orders journey. Helping airlines modernize this core infrastructure strengthens their IT, revenue, and overall loyalty approach.

Strategy 5: Shift airline mindsets to retail and consumer-centric thinking

Technology is only half the challenge. The other half is cultural. Airlines historically see themselves as transportation providers, not retailers. To thrive in today, they must adopt a consumer-first mindset that prioritizes experimentation, cross-functional collaboration, and retail-style agility.

McKinsey stresses that mindset shifts are as critical as technology upgrades. Airlines need product-based teams that integrate loyalty, ancillary sales, digital marketing, and revenue management—across all departments and working with a test-and-learn culture (McKinsey). Without breaking down silos, even the best tools underperform.

CEO involvement is especially important. According to BCG, retailing transformations stall when IT wants caution and commercial leaders want speed. Active executive sponsorship can align priorities, set joint KPIs, and build momentum for change (BCG).

PricewaterhouseCooper’s research in Strategy& further reinforces this point: airlines must “connect with the customer” by embedding personalization into every digital interaction to treat travelers less like transactions and more like long-term relationships (Strategy&).

For marketers, this means framing your solution as a vision. You’re selling a catalyst for cultural change that teams can rally behind, helping carriers offer the consumer-focused retail experience that passengers expect. This mindset sets you apart from vendors who merely want to pitch features.

Case examples and lessons from adjacent industries

Airline retailing may feel daunting, but other industries have navigated similar transformations and their lessons offer a roadmap for other domains.

The common theme is clear: first movers who embrace innovation and customer-centricity reap disproportionate benefits. Airlines know this. Marketers who frame their products as key to innovation can gain credibility as partners.

FAQs

What is the decision-making process in aviation?

The decision-making process for airlines is long and complex. It involves a multi-stage decision-making chain. Multiple stakeholders—including technical teams, procurement, finance, operations, and senior leadership—must align before a deal is approved.

Expect a long, relationship-driven procurement path in aviation. It involves multiple functional teams, extensive vetting, and trust-building over months—or even years.

How long is the airline sales cycle?

In the aviation sector, sales cycles tend to be significantly longer than in many other industries due to the high-stakes nature of the industry and the rigorous accreditation processes involved.

A conservative planning assumption is a 6–12 month sales cycle, with provision for significantly longer timelines depending on complexity and stakeholders involved.

How does the sales cycle differ by deal size and type of product or service?

While 7 months is a common sales cycle length for airlines, the process can move much faster for some products or services or take much longer depending on the complexity of the deal.

What are the emerging markets for aviation?

Rapid economic expansion and rising air travel demand have placed certain regions at the forefront for market growth.

Finance and operations teams should closely watch both the Middle East (especially UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) and Asia-Pacific (India, Southeast Asia) as high-growth markets with increasing procurement activity.

What is the fastest growing aviation market in the world?

India is currently the world's fastest-growing aviation market—both by traffic growth and infrastructure expansion—making it a top strategic target for suppliers.

Airbus forecasts India to deliver the fastest-growing major traffic flow—8.9 % annual growth in domestic aviation, outpacing PRC (8.5 %) and others (Airbus).

Prime Minister Modi’s government projects a tripling of passenger traffic over the next two decades, growing from 157 airports in 2024 to 400 by 2047—signaling a massive surge in aviation infrastructure and demand (Reuters).

Selling to modern airlines: The path ahead

Selling to airlines today means selling more than a product. It’s all about selling a strategy that directly supports their transition into the modern retail space. The five strategies covered—retailing and dynamic offers, ecosystem partnerships, hyper-personalization, offers and orders, and consumer-centric mindset shifts—are pathways to unlocking billions in new value and ensuring competitiveness in an increasingly competitive market.

For marketers and sales reps, if you can help airlines grow revenue, deepen customer loyalty, and modernize their operations, you’ll find a receptive audience. Airlines are looking for knowledgeable partners who understand the scale and challenges of their retail transformation and are ready to help them achieve it.

Ready to help airlines capture more value? With ePlaneAI, you can turn complex aviation data into actionable insights that drive dynamic pricing, personalized offers, and seamless customer journeys. Reach out today to see how we can power your aviation marketing strategy.