American Airlines Case Study
Goal: American Airlines was the first U.S. airline to launch service between the continental United States and Tokyo's Haneda airport service after the U.S. and Japan signed an Open Skies agreement in 2010. At the time, Haneda Airport, formally known as Tokyo International Airport, was unfamiliar to American passengers even though it is considerably closer to the city center and handles many domestic flights.
Strategy:
Results:
Goal: American Airlines was the first U.S. airline to launch service between the continental United States and Tokyo's Haneda airport service after the U.S. and Japan signed an Open Skies agreement in 2010. At the time, Haneda Airport, formally known as Tokyo International Airport, was unfamiliar to American passengers even though it is considerably closer to the city center and handles many domestic flights.
Strategy:
- Media event at JFK Airport for the launch of the service, which included a performance of traditional Japanese Taiko drumming and a Japanese tea ceremony
- Deskside meetings and interviews
- Multiple press trips to Japan showcasing Tokyo as well as Osaka, Kyoto and Okinawa to demonstrate ease of travel within the country
Results:
- Despite the distance from Manhattan, over 30 journalists from American and Japanese media outlets attended the launch event at the airport
- More than a dozen meetings with journalists to promote the new service, including desksides with Associated Press, Forbes.com, Travel Weekly, Travel + Leisure, Town & Country and others
- Over 50 placements covering the new service in travel trade and consumer publications, including Premier Traveler Worldwide, Global Traveler, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Condé Nast Traveler, CNN Travel, DuJour, 25A Magazine and Asian Fusion, among many others