Exclusive interview with Dr. Arno Schuster, Managing Director, Adria Airways
“The MICE segment is rapidly growing which positively contributes to the number of people travelling in the region. Adria recognized the trend, therefore, we strive to provide good connections and time frames for the MICE segment. Adria’s good connectivity to Central and South Europe have allowed us to meet the requirements of the meetings industry, making corporate travel more convenient and affordable.”
Q: How important is MICE segment for your airline?
MICE is a very interesting segment for Adria as it gives us the chance to introduce our services to a very interesting segment of consumers and allows us to support diverse stakeholders inside and outside of Slovenia. We see great efforts already taken from various stakeholders and are excited to be part of MICE segment development.
Q: Do you think consumers only choose airlines based on price?
Customers choose airline provider based on many factors, among them is connectivity, availability, convenience, safety, reliability, quality of service, landing airport and price. The importance of each of these factors depends on the type of passenger. We believe very much in the quality and convenience of our product. We get repeatedly positive feedback from our consumers who value how well we perform in all of the relevant categories. However, we are never satisfied and are working constantly to improve our service. Recognizing also the needs of the price sensitive customers, we offer early booking fares and special tickets with limited flexibility, both with great value for money.
Q: What makes the Airline experience unique?
Airline travel has been considered something special for decades and will continue to have this effect on passengers. The fascination of air travel is also something that keeps our own staff excited. I think we can all very much relate to this. Air travel does not only offer travellers a great opportunity to reach far destinations in a relatively short time and in a very convenient way, but it also offers a unique experience: being above the clouds, looking down on landscapes and cities, or to see amazing sunsets or sunrises. Air travel never gets boring or cease to be fascinating.
Q: In terms of Airline’s marketing, what keeps you up at night?
In my opinion Airline marketing is so much more than simply offering tickets to a great variety of destinations – it is the excitement that comes with travelling. We want the customers to feel the passion. Our task is to make the experience unique. What keeps us awake at night? To find new ways how to show this passion. And not only to sell a trip but with it also a dream that comes with the desire to travel.
Q: Conventa is New Europe show with main focus on the Central and South East Europe Region. How do you perceive this region in term of air travel?
The MICE segment is rapidly growing which positively contributes to the number of people travelling in the region. Adria recognized the trend, therefore, we strive to provide good connections and time frames for the MICE segment. Adria’s good connectivity to Central and South Europe have allowed us to meet the requirements of the meetings industry, making corporate travel more convenient and affordable. As a member of the Star Alliance, we can offer to our passenger’s access to 27 great airlines. Together we connect 1,316 destinations in 192 countries. Besides that, Adria also offers Conventa Plus program which allows our passengers to book discounted fares directly via an online booking tool.
Q: What are your airline plans for 2017?
Adria is currently going through a very exciting chapter of its history. In 2017, we will continue to improve customer experience with the aim to gain and retain customer loyalty. This does not include only the provision of shorter connection times and a great network overall but also all our efforts to fulfil high expectations of each of our customer. We recognize that a journey does not start at the airport but when a person contemplates the trip; and it does not end on the landing strip but long after the destination has been reached. In 2017, we will continue to launch new products catering to various types of customers and, of course, we will keep the very high level of reliability.
“We believe very much in the quality and convenience of our product. We get repeatedly positive feedback from our consumers who value how well we perform in all of the relevant categories. However, we are never satisfied and are working constantly to improve our service.”
