While air travel is a key concern for attendees, airlines are often overlooked on the agenda at meetings-industry events. That point was emphasized during a panel at IMEX America on Oct. 13, when Northstar Meetings Group Executive Editor Lisa Grimaldi asked Brad Sutherland, director of business development for Air Canada, and Gregory Moore, director of sales for United Airlines, what planners should know.
"I think we're sometimes the missing piece of the puzzle when planning an event," Sutherland said.
Reach out early
The speakers said that rather than an afterthought, planners would benefit by bringing in their airline partners about 12 months out — particularly for large events. Sutherland explained that Air Canada builds schedules roughly 18 months ahead, and fares open about 12 months out, so early notice allows carriers to make moves, such as swapping in a larger aircraft, when they know they will be handling a large number of attendees, even for a single event.
He suggested planners register through Air Canada's meetings tool or United's 2027 meetings program, both of which provide discount codes for attendees.
Lean on airlines when geopolitics upends plans
World events are reaching into event planning more often than before the pandemic, Sutherland said — and that’s when airlines can be particularly helpful to planners. When a Canadian company canceled its annual 500-person incentive to the United States about a month out, Air Canada converted the tickets to credits for a different destination.
Both carriers also shift aircraft as demand changes, and their security teams decide when routes are safe to fly.
Moore emphasized that flexibility can depend on how the air travel was booked. United's meetings and incentives agreement carries no attrition, and with change fees gone, travelers keep their fare as credit. Group contracts for a block of seats do carry attrition, and other tickets follow standard fare rules.
The best protection is a relationship built before you need it. "We'll work with customers regardless of the circumstance to try and have a win-win," Sutherland said.
Approach the airline and CVB as a team
Moore called the location’s convention and visitors bureau "the glue for the customer," citing United's partnership with San Francisco Travel on final site inspections for RFP finalists.
“Whenever you’re working in a city and you show up as a partnership, it gives the customer extraordinary comfort that they’re making the right decision,” he said.
Sutherland agreed, and noted that airlines can work with local CVBs when a large event is coming in to ensure their ops team can monitor for misconnects, or assist with a check-in desk at the airport to be able to reply and respond to inquiries, baggage concerns and more. He added that Air Canada has doubled aircraft on certain dates for a single event.
Elevate the trip (without paying for first class)
“There's a number of different elevations that can be purchased that don't doesn't always mean first class, but makes that journey much better,” said Moore.
He gave examples of Premium Plus and Economy Plus seats, priority boarding, and lounge access as ways to elevate an experience for attendees without paying top dollar.
Air Canada now offers free beer and wine in every cabin, and its new Business Basic fare trades seat selection and top-tier lounge access for a lower price.
“We started it as temporary for last summer,” said Sutherland. “But it went over so well with our customers that [we’ve kept it going]."
