Flybe’s web activity reaches new heights

Flybe has last week recorded the highest ever daily numbers of unique visitors to its website, flybe.com, succeeding in driving volume of web traffic beyond that of flagship carrier, British Airways, for the first time ever, again bucking recent data of a reported 42% slowdown overall in online flight searches*.

The airline directly attributes this week’s massive 81% average year on year increase in visits to its website to its innovative 10-day 50% off selected destinations’ promotion that has seen consumers flocking to Flybe’s website in search of great value fares.

Flybe’s latest promotion, that continues till midnight on February 14, is the latest in a wide-ranging line of innovative New Year marketing initiatives that, beginning with the industry’s first ever free Book with Confidence Redundancy Insurance cover, have all been designed to keep Britain on the move during these challenging economic times and, in turn, support British jobs.

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer, says: “The success of our 10-day sale has been amazing. It has succeeded in attracting strong interest culminating in the record visits to the website we have been experiencing over the past three days. We are now enjoying more unique visitor traffic to our website than BA which, regarded as a successful global brand, is an achievement of which we are extremely proud.

“It proves that Flybe is absolutely in line with the current mood of the UK consumer. People want and need to travel, not only for leisure but also to hunt down and maintain valuable business and they also want the security of booking and travelling with an airline they trust, that has been investing in their regions for years and that also offers value for money.”

In addition to an active calendar of intense promotional activity, Flybe has also introduced a number of new digital marketing initiatives that sit alongside the continued use of press and outdoor to communicate the offers from its 35 UK destinations.

“People still want to get away but need to make extra sure this year they get the best value for money possible,” adds Mr Rutter, “and this doesn’t always mean the lowest fare at any cost. Now, more than ever, the thought of affordably flying to regional destinations within the UK and from closer to home has become more appealing than ever before. Flybe, operating five times more domestic routes than any other airline, is not only in the perfect position to making sure they can, but is also committed to making sure it happens.”

*Source: Hitwise data: Financial Times 08 Jan ’09.