Finnair signs marketing agreement to gain better coverage of Poland

Published: 10/27/1999

In a move to compete with foreign airlines flying out of Poland's regional hubs, Finnair has signed a marketing partnership agreement with travel agency, INT Express in Poland in an effort to increase Finnair's visibility on the Polish market, in which it has a 2% share. Under the agreement Finnair representative offices will operate at INT Express offices in Warsaw, Gdansk, Rzeszow, Krakow, Katowice, Lodz and Wroclaw. Access lines into the reservation system are currently being installed. According to Pekka Immonen, General Manager for Poland, Finnair's "primary target is to promote tourism in Lapland". But the centres will also be used for flights within Europe, as well as transatlantic flights. In 1999, the airline is expecting ticket sales to increase by about 17% and for growth to remain in double digits in 2000. Ryszard Posyniak, President of domestic travel agency, PC Express and Vice President of the International Air Transportation Association's (IATA) local branch, acknowledged that the added locations could be beneficial, but said that he expected Finnair not to move beyond its marginal position, adding that passengers would go via London or Frankfurt for long-haul flights.

Article ID: 1025