Brussels Airlines forced to modify its Uber promo

[airazurxtror]

http://geeko.lesoir.be/2014/11/19/pasca ... 1416410567

http://www.lalibre.be/actu/belgique/sou ... bf63f35b07

Extract :

La compagnie belge Brussels Airlines a annoncé mardi offrir à certains de ses clients une course gratuite Uber d’une valeur de 15 euros pour se rendre à l’aéroport ou à l’hôtel. Or, malgré ses 15000 utilisateurs à Bruxelles, le service de covoiturage (ou de taxis déguisés selon certains) est illégal, suite à une décision du Tribunal de Commerce de Bruxelles. Pour Pierre Steenberghen, le secrétaire général du Groupement national des entreprises de voitures de taxis et de location avec chauffeur (GTL-Taxi), le fonctionnement d’Uber consiste en du travail au noir.

On a appris ce matin que Brussels Airlines avait finalement retiré sa promotion à Bruxelles, suite à la demande du ministre de la Mobilité, Pascal Smet (SP.A). “Après avoir eu un contact avec le ministre Pascal Smet, Brussels Airlines annonce que sa promo Uber ne sera pas valable”, explique le porte-parole du ministre sur son compte Twitter.

The Belgian company Brussels Airlines announced Tuesday its offer to some customers of a free race Uber worth 15 euros to get to the airport or the hotel. Yet , despite its 15,000 users in Brussels the Uber carpool service ( or taxis in disguise according to some) is illegal , following a decision of the Tribunal of Commerce of Brussels . Pierre Steenberghen , the Secretary General of the National Grouping taxi companies and car rental with driver (GTL -Taxi ), the operation Uber consists of moonlighting.

We learned this morning that Brussels Airlines had finally removed his promotion in Brussels , following the request of the Minister of Mobility Pascal Smet ( SP.A ) . "After having had contact with the Minister Pascal Smet, Brussels Airlines announced that its promo Uber will not be valid ," said the Minister spokesman on his Twitter account.

[RoMax]

Wow talking about a misleading title. As far as I know the only thing SN said was that they will make sure that the Uber offer cannot be used in Brussels. That was never the intention anyway as the b.gifts are ment for Belgian people flying out of Brussels to another EU destination. Of course also people will buy it to come to Brussels, but SN knew Uber is in not legal in Brussels so it was never intended to be used in that way. Yesterday Geert Sciot already said it's not the intention that they will be used in Brussels. Probably under some pressure they'll make sure it will not even be possible to use it that way instead of only having that intention, but you make it seem like they were forced to withdraw the Uber promo as a whole.

Btw, last year the b.gifts had the same price, so the uber voucher is quite some additional value for the customers.

[Inquirer]

I was just about to post it, you beat me to it by a minute.
In Dutch: http://www.tijd.be/detail.art?a=9569430&n=3085&ckc=1

Looks like a very good marketing gimmick to me: free publicity on every newpaper and newschannel today for their b.gift offer AND a robin hood image to accompany their newly launched low fare booking classes. Definitely the kind of partnership you'd more expect from a ryanair.

Off topic: but €99 return, including 23kg of checked in luggage AND a €15 taxi voucher is definitely a very good package deal. They'll be found under many Christmas trees this winter, as I know for a fact it's often a braincracker to find something for people who have pretty much everything already. I'll be buying a few myself for sure.

Other than that: the title indeed doesn't really match reality?
Newpapers and facts, they never seem to match very well, especially not when their source is an egotripping minister.

[loran4721]

Off topic: but €99, including 23kg of checked in luggage AND a €15 taxi voucher is definitely a very good package deal. They'll be found under many Christmas trees this winter, as I know for a fact it's often a braincracker to find something for people who have pretty much everything already. I'll be buying a few
myself for sure.

careful, this year's B.gift is MUCH less attractive than 2013's: last year, you could fly providing b.light seats were available, now you have to pass by a small application and nowhere there is link to b.light.
Call me paranoid, but in my opinion, they are going to limit the places available to B.gift to a number well below b.light. And the 99 euro guarantee redemption is actually no guarantee at all, other than saying: "if you cannot fly when you'd like with B.gift, you will have to fly with us nonetheless (and spend more)".

[RoMax]

First of all, b.light does not exist anymore.
Secondly, if SN will limit the amount of available places in such a way that a large part of the b.gift receivers can't find a flight they want, there will be a lot of unhappy people. That's not exactly the way you act with a christmas/new year gift promotion. SN is not stupid. A promotion like this is supposed to give people a good feeling about the company (with of course the goal to end up with more revenue) and attract people that would normally not choose to fly SN, but as they will now receive a voucher from someone, they will give it a try, SN's job to satisfy them.

Of course there will always be people dissapointed with the availability of tickets, but that was already the case last year as well.

[Homo Aeroportus]

The e-mail I received says :
Choice among 32 destinations in Europe.
120 000 seats on 8000 flights, between 15JAN and 15JUN 2015.
99€ return, baggage and all costs included.
500 Bonus Miles per b-gift, credited to the one buying the b-gift.

Looks attractive indeed.

H.A.

[loran4721]

First of all, b.light does not exist anymore.

you're right, now it's called Light&Relax. Same product. Happy?

SN is not stupid. A promotion like this is supposed to give people a good feeling about the company (with of course the goal to end up with more revenue) and attract people that would normally not choose to fly SN, but as they will now receive a voucher from someone, they will give it a try, SN's job to satisfy them.

let's see the good feeling if you will be denied the use of b.gift on a flight thas has Light&Relax places available. At a price higher than 99euro of course.
I had a good feeling last year, but this year conditions look suspicious. Take the the Guarantee of redemption: last year I did not need it, I always found b.light places available to use b.gift.
Why give such "guarantee" unless you risk needing it. And some guarantee: if they refunded the unused b.gift, that would be a guarantee, such as it is now, it means "your money is mine, no matter what".

I'm going to buy b.gift, this year as well, but less that in 2013

[loran4721]

The e-mail I received says :
Choice among 32 destinations in Europe.
120 000 seats on 8000 flights, between 15JAN and 15JUN 2015.
99€ return, baggage and all costs included.
500 Bonus Miles per b-gift, credited to the one buying the b-gift.

Looks attractive indeed.

H.A.

so, on "average" (very dangerous parameter, the average), just 15 b.gift places per flight.

It's attractive only if you are one of those 15. How many Light&Relax places are on the "average" SN flight?
It's a lottery, what you buy with b.gift is not a flight but a lottery ticket.

[RoMax]

you're right, now it's called Light&Relax. Same product. Happy?

Higher carry-on luggage allowance, free seat selection during booking process, possibility to change to earlier flight the same day if place available. Not 100% same name, not 100% same product. Sorry for my blutness, but if even at an aviation forum we continue to talk about outdated names/products...

Take the the Guarantee of redemption: last year I did not need it, I always found b.light places available to use b.gift.
Why give such "guarantee" unless you risk needing it. And some guarantee: if they refunded the unused b.gift, that would be a guarantee, such as it is now, it means "your money is mine, no matter what".

Last year there were also people that had difficulties to get their prefered flighs with their b.gift voucher. That they offer the possibility to change it into a bland 99 euro voucher for any flight/ticket you want, is in my opinion a good option from a marketing perspective.

That doesn't mean they will make sure no one (to exaggerate a bit) will be able to redeem their b.gift into a free Light&Relax flight ticket. B.gift is a perfect way to let people experience SN that would normally not fly with them. SN would be extremely stupid to ruin it in that way. Offering the possibility to change it in a normal voucher if you can't find a ticket that fits the b.gift 'restrictions' is a good way to cover themself as you can never guarantee a place in Light&Relax in such a large period as there will be people deciding (very) last minute to use their voucher. That doesn't mean they want to betray people in advance.

[RoMax]

It's attractive only if you are one of those 15. How many Light&Relax places are on the "average" SN flight?
It's a lottery, what you buy with b.gift is not a flight but a lottery ticket.

And how is that different compared to last year? Also last year there was a limit to the amount of available b.light tickets. That's basicly how EVERY voucher based promotion works: "subject to availability"

[loran4721]

>And how is that different compared to last year?

last year, ALL available b.light places were open for use of b.gift vouchers

https://twitter.com/FlyingBrussels/stat ... 2116116480
http://travel.bart.la/2013/12/13/brusse ... mas-offer/

>And how is that different compared to last year? Also last year there was a limit to the amount of available b.light tickets. That's basicly how EVERY voucher based promotion works: "subject to availability"

There's availability and availability. There's "natural" availability, and artificially induced scarcity that limits availability.
This year, only 15 seats "on average" (120.000 b gift/8000 flights) will be open for b.gift: last year the only limit was the total number of b.gift sold and the available b.light seats.

[RoMax]

Do you really think SN will sell 120,000 b.gifts? That's just what's available in theory. SN knows how much they sold last year, they know their growth this year, they can expect an "Uber-impact", so that 120,000 number must have been chosen very well. Actual availability will be okay if you ask me. And there will also be passengers that actually don't really want to fly to these 32 European destinations and rather want to use it as a voucher for another (more expensive) ticket to another destination.

[loran4721]

Do you really think SN will sell 120,000 b.gifts? That's just what's available in theory. SN knows how much they sold last year, they know their growth this year, they can expect an "Uber-impact", so that 120,000 number must have been chosen very well. Actual availability will be okay if you ask me. And there will also be passengers that actually don't really want to fly to these 32 European destinations and rather want to use it as a voucher for another (more expensive) ticket to another destination.

This year? Maybe, maybe not. The 2014 b.gift is a very different product, much less interesting than 2013.

Last year I bought 6 b.gift for me (I made presents to... me), had I had more holiday I would have bought more, especially considering that I had never trouble finding b.light (now Light&Relax) place. But then
the vast majority of a flight of 100-200 passenger (depending on the airplane size) was open to b.gift. Now just 15 on "average".

[RoMax]

This year? Maybe, maybe not.

What I ment with "they know their growth this year" is that they know how much their sales in Europe grew (over 20%) this year, no doubt that will have an impact on b.gift sales. More people 'know' about SN and see it as an option previously not considered because of their product/pricing strategy.

But yes I also think their b.gift sales this year will be (much) higher. You don't see it as a better product compared to last year... I think many people will see it as a very attractive offer. 99 Euro for Light&Relax (which is normally as from 109 or 119 on most destinations I believe?) and a 15 Euro Uber voucher. That's not a bad offer, not at all. Availability per flight might be lower due to the change in the product offer and 'restriction' on amount of potential b.gift places per flight (although I doubt it, but it depends in what way SN 'blocks' these on average 15 seats), the ability to change it to a 'neutral voucher' is in my opinion a good thing. Many people will still be happy with a 99 Euro discount on a flight that would otherwise be much more expensive.

[loran4721]

>Higher carry-on luggage allowance free seat selection during booking process possibility to change to earlier flight the same day if place available. Not 100% same name, not 100% same product

for me it's the same, but at a higher price: never had use for this added value of Light&Relax compared to B.Light. That's why I almost stopped flying with Brusselairlines with the new pricing.

>Sorry for my blutness, but if even at an aviation forum we continue to talk about outdated names/products...

outdated name/products are the comparison for today's products; which part of "it's not that interesting as last year" you don't get?

B.gift is a perfect way to let people experience SN that would normally not fly with them

so much that I gifted myself 6 times :) and I flew SN even before. Where do you get this mantra "B.gift is a perfect way to let people experience SN that would normally not fly with them": are you paid by SN for this fuff?

That doesn't mean they want to betray people in advance.

no but in the meanwhile "they lock you in", forcing you to fly with SN at a higher price taking away the option of going to competitors, in case you cannot exploit your b.gift.
Ferengi Rule of Aquisition #1: Once you have their money, you never give it back
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Rules_of_Acquisition

[RoMax]

outdated name/products are the comparison for today's products; which part of "it's not that interesting as last year" you don't get?

You used the name in way of refering to both the current situation and the past. Funny that you say this now and not immediatly instead of saying "you're right, now it's called Light&Relax. Same product. Happy?". Out of other arguments?

so much that I gifted myself 6 times :) and I flew SN even before.

Yes that's exactly the point of the b.gift concept You understand anything of marketing? Of course lots of b.gifts will be given to existing SN customers, but it is perfect to spread SN tickets to a market they would normally not reach. People are 'forced' into SN's hands because they received it as a gift. I'm not talking about the people buying the b.gifts, I'm talking about the ones receiving them. Selling the b.gifts is a first step to generate more revenue, but the second goal is to reach out to new people and to persuade them to fly more with SN after they experienced a flight they received as a gift.

no but in the meanwhile "they lock you in", forcing you to fly with SN at a higher price taking away the option of going to competitors, in case you cannot exploit your b.gift.
Ferengi Rule of Aquisition #1: Once you have their money, you never give it back
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Rules_of_Acquisition

Again, do you understand the point of marketing?

A pitty you will have to buy yourself some other presents this year, but I doubt many people will feel so betrayed by SN after receiving a b.gift

[DannyVDB]

Hi all,

I think I will buy some of the stuff for the family. It is a little bit more expensive than last year (99 versus 89€). I do not really care about the taxi thing (not in favour anyway). But it is a good deal.

The only thing that will be difficult is: I need 6 of them and so I have to buy two packages. I don't know if I have a guarantee that we can be all on the same flight. But will check that beforehand, they help you and clarify if you ask.

Last year they sold around 30.000 b.gift vouchers or 60.000 flights. So now they have double that figure available (60.000 or 120.000 seats). Therefore I don't think there will be a problem of availability. Unless for 'big groups' of course ...

@loran4721
Don't see why you need to be so suspicious. SN is usually very correct in handling regular and difficult situations (which can't be said of all airlines!). I am not a sales person of SN, nor am I married with them (and I have no intentions in that directions) . But hey, you are not obliged to use them if you do not want / trust them ...

Cheers,
Danny

[Flanker2]

@loran4721
Don't see why you need to be so suspicious. SN is usually very correct in handling regular and difficult situations (which can't be said of all airlines!).

I remember that the people who got sprayed with Skydrol on one of the RJ flights were compensated with one or two shorthaul vouchers.

About the B;vouchers.
15 availabilities per flight means that on the more popular flights, unless you book months in advance, the availability will be very small.

I think that it's a good initiative, but it's insignificant.
What are 30.000 B.vouchers worth? 3 million euro's? That's less than 0.3% of total revenue and at very low yields.

From a company perspective, one has to wonder if it's even worth all the additional overhead costs you have to incur for such a small impact on your revenues. In addition, frequent travellers and corporations could use it as a way of locking in their prices, which could have a negative influence on yields.

SN has to work harder to attract well-defined segments of the market.
For instance, they should work harder to attack where FR is strongest, ie family travel.
Families have different profiles than frequent and/or corporate travel, they fly for leisure, they need or would like special services, and many of them can definitely fill your airplane.

It's not only about discounts, but also perks.
Some airlines allow you to pool miles with family members.
A separate smaller family lounge service where kids can play with toys or video games while waiting for their flight, baby beds onboard, at BRU a golf cart service to reduce the longer walk (just imagine what a nightmare it is to go through BRU with toddlers, small children or elderly people).
These things don't cost much to provide, but they can add tens of millions of euro's of revenue by themselves.

[sn26567]

KLM and United also offer Uber vouchers which are valid in Brussels. I didn't hear the taxi drivers complaining against these airlines...

[b-west]

You can now book using the b-gift vouchers.

It is indeed a far less good offer than last year. Back then you could choose from every available flight, at the time that suited you most throughout the day. This year for almost all flights SN is only allowing you to book evening departures out of BRU, effectively making you either miss a day at your destination or forcing you to book an extra night. And a lot of the return flight are the early morning ones, another day gone. There is of course the option to use the gift as a 99 euro reduction on your flight, which allows you more flexibility in flight times. And if you don't mind spending some time there is a change you might actually find reasonable times for both your flights. Still, definitely not as good an offer as last year.

Also, it wouldn't have hurt to put the actual day in the calender in stead of just the date to make the whole procedure a bit more user friendly.