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SENSOR TOWER · ABRAHAM YOUSEF · MAY 2024
How Airlines in Europe are Winning the Skies with Ad and Mobile Strategies
As air travel continues to rebound from the pandemic, British Airways is seeing record engagement in the UK in 2024 after a major advertising push. However, several airlines — including Lufthansa and British Airways — are still operating below their 2019 capacity, with a slow recovery in Asian markets contributing to this trend.
Key Takeaways:
With operating capacity still below pre-pandemic levels, British Airways has sharply increased its UK advertising outlay in recent quarters, with both spend and impressions up by over 100% YoY in 1Q24. Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, and Air France-KLM, collectively boosted their ad spend in the UK by 140% YoY in 1Q24, while Emirates and Lufthansa saw a combined 40% decrease
Instagram saw the largest net increase in ad impressions for British Airways ads in 1Q24 YoY (up 211%), while growing desktop display publishers for the airline included Rightmove.co.uk and Skyscanner.net
Following the ramp-up in advertising, British Airways' mobile MAUs in the UK surged by nearly 20% YoY in 1Q24, with website usage climbing to nearly 10 minutes in February and March 2024
In Asia, 1Q24 MAUs for leading European carriers, including Air France, Lufthansa, and British Airways, were 3% lower vs to the same period in 2019, reflecting sluggish capacity recovery in markets like China
However, Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways have seen a robust recovery in engagement, with MAUs in Asia up by over 100% in 1Q24 vs 1Q19
YTD in 2024, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways spent 310% more on promotional ads than their European rivals—British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air France. This is a significant reversal from 2019, when European carriers spent 75% more on promo ads than Middle-Eastern carriers
Amid a weak yen, leading airlines have seen a surge in ad impressions for Japanese destinations in Europe, with ads mentioning 'Tokyo' or 'Japan' up over 200% in early 2024 compared to early 2019
As British Airways rebuilds its Asian network, it is increasing ad impressions to Disney+ and SkyScanner users in the UK. However, it may be missing opportunities in reaching other key audiences, incl. Uber Eats and Microsoft Word users, who also exhibit strong cross-app usage with the Emirates app
For more information, request the full report from reports@sensortower.com.
