Media Archive

Aer Arann's flight services from Galway to Dublin and London Luton became two of the five most popular selling routes following a hugely successful marketing campaign by the airline this week.

The Aer Arann ‘Happy Hour' campaign which took place on Thursday 5th November offered 50% off all flights between the hours of 1pm and 3pm only.

This unique online marketing campaign resulted in a 320%* spike in flight bookings; the highest sales achieved by the airline in one day this year.

As well as setting an overall daily sales record, the company also recorded its highest ever number of sales in one hour, a 600%* increase, between 2pm and 3pm on the day.

At one point, due to phenomenal demand, the booking process on the website slowed down so the airline extended the ‘Happy Hour' until 4pm, allowing customers who started the booking process during the sale period to complete their purchase.

Customers were notified about the sale the previous day via the Aer Arann ezine, informing the database that a major offer was on the way without disclosing what that offer would be. Customers only learned about the discount at 1pm when they logged onto the Aer Arann website.

Online tools such as email and social media site Twitter were the only media used to promote the campaign, as the offer was designed to reward existing loyal customers and friends. Website bookings accounted for the majority of bookings on the day.

The top five selling routes over the duration of the campaign were:

1. Waterford - London Luton
2. Donegal - Dublin
3. Galway - Dublin
4. Galway - London Luton
5. Dublin - Cardiff

Aer Arann has pledged to repeat the Happy Hour campaign at a future date but will not disclose when that will be. Customers signed up to the Aer Arann database will be notified in advance when the ‘Happy Hour' will commence.

Commenting on the success of the campaign, Aer Arann Corporate Affairs Director Andrew Kelly said "We are very pleased with the success of our ‘Happy Hour' campaign.

We will continue to reward our loyal customer base and offer new customers great value promotions to further encourage business and leisure tourism from regional destinations" he added.

For further information and to sign up to the Aer Arann ezine and social media channels visit www.AerArann.com