While airlines spend a small fortune on building their reputation and brand recognition, and an often-large proportion of their marketing budget on customer relationship building, the top two factors in consumers' choice of airline are price (62%) and scheduling (54%), according to research from loyalty experts at ICLP.
The study found that an airline's frequent flyer programme (FFP) was the most important factor for 21% of the consumers surveyed, and brand loyalty was critical to only 13%.