How to… use Routesonline effectively
Routesonline (ROL) continues to offer route development professionals an invaluable resource, writes David McMullen.
T
oday there is a proliferation of websites and social networking tools, all competing for your time and attention. However, here at Routesonline we are entirely dedicated to bringing you only the most relevant data, tools and information to support you in your route development activity. With even more user-friendly features coming in 2011, now is the time to really familiarise yourself with all that the site has to offer and to harness it to your competitive advantage.
Three-year evolution We have come a long way since Routesonline launched in May 2008 – today we have more than 450 registered airlines and more than 850 registered airports. Plus, Route Exchange continues to go from strength to strength by providing airport users with a trusted, secure platform from which to deliver new route proposals directly to airline networking teams. In our early days, users only used Routesonline to access information on the various Routes events. Now, according to a recent survey, over 60% of our users said that they visit the site on a weekly basis for industry-related breaking news, as well as to access content from The Hub newsletter. A further 30% are regular visitors of Route Exchange, where key capacity or market information can be shared.
Route Exchange
Route Exchange is a unique system that allows airlines to specify their criteria for new air services, with detailed target
www.routesonline.com
ROL IN NUMBERS: • Over 850 registered airports • Over 450 registered airlines • 12,500 registered route development and network professionals • Over 80,000 connections
markets, focusing only on their essential data and requirements.
Airlines also have direct access to Route Exchange Airport profi les, which have full airport intelligence and allow contacts to be made before or after Routes events. So far, over 500 proposals have been sent via Route Exchange’s secure messaging system, resulting in some notable new route announcements including: Aer Lingus’ Gatwick–Vilnius route in 2009, and two easyJet routes: Zagreb– Paris Charles de Gaulle in 2010 and Zagreb–Gatwick in 2011.
Case study: Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus has been one of the most active airlines on Route Exchange – initially using the system to request data and proposals for potential new routes from its then new Gatwick base.
Aer Lingus subsequently announced a number of new services, including fl ights to Vilnius, which came directly as a result of an approach through Route Exchange. Ireland’s fl ag carrier continues to use Route Exchange as a source of data and analysis and is currently looking for new services for its regional brand from Dublin, Cork and Shannon. In addition, it has used Route Exchange to help secure proposals for new ATR equipment for its fl eet.
More and more airlines
For us, one of the most exciting recent developments has been the signifi cant increase in airline activity and participation on Routesonline – in fact, airline users now outnumber airport users and there has been a clear trend towards more senior airline executives registering. This trend is likely to continue, as Route Exchange member airlines and airports continue to load even more market specifi c content.
It is clear that airlines have recognised the power of utilising Route Exchange to request market data at the touch of a button. The weekly newsletter, The Hub, with its airline-focused news content, has also helped to boost airline registrations.
What’s new for 2011? This year, our new sister company, OAG will be providing airport data and mapping systems. We will also be introducing OAG fl eet, network and alliance data for over 900 airlines. This is just one of the many projects we are working on with OAG, so watch this space for more developments in 2011. Plus, from a usability point of view, the site has been revamped so it is much cleaner and easier to use.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR David McMullen is director of business development for Routesonline. You can contact him on ROL or via email:
david.mcmullen@
routesonline.com
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