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Communicating New Zealand Airports’ story Andrew Pirie Strategic Communications Advisor . What is an airport?. A place where inspiring journeys begin; where loved ones reunite. What is an airport?. A necessary evil at the start and end of each journey. What is an airport?.
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Communicating New Zealand Airports’ story Andrew Pirie Strategic Communications Advisor
What is an airport? A place where inspiring journeys begin; where loved ones reunite
What is an airport? A necessary evil at the start and end of each journey
What is an airport? A money-making “tollbooth” that imposes costs on travellers and airlines Taxes and govt charges = 36% of total cost
What is an airport? A provider of vital infrastructure that enables air services to grow
What is an airport? An important contributor to economic growth
What is an airport? A key facilitator in connecting Kiwis with the world and with one another
It’s up to us to shape the airports story • A place where inspiring journeys begin; where loved ones reunite • A “necessary evil” at the start and end of each travel journey • A money-making “tollbooth” that imposes costs on travellers and airlines • A provider of vital infrastructure that enables air services to grow • An important contributor to economic growth • A key facilitator in connecting Kiwis with the world and with one another
We have a collective influence • Between us, we: • Welcome and farewell over99% of international travellers to our country • Contribute directly to around 20% of New Zealand’s GDP • Impact the travel service experience over 25 million times a year • Can materially impact the recovery from the recession
Airports vs Airlines: business drivers • AIRLINES • AIRPORTS • Long term investment horizon focused on infrastructure development • Greater risk of asset stranding • Incentivised to grow industry capacity, in part by promoting stronger competition that drives down ticket prices • Short to medium term investment horizon given dynamic operating environment • Reasonable flexibility in asset utilisation • Incumbents incentivised to constrain industry capacity to maximise load factors and yields
Airports vs Airlines – PR “scorecard” • AIRLINES • AIRPORTS • The “mundane reality” of bricks and mortar • Touchpoints biased towards bureaucracy/control (e.g. border agencies) • Delays on the ground are commonplace • Link to tourism/economy needs to be explained • Financial stability reinforces perceptions of “cosy monopolies” • The “excitement” of flight • Numerous touchpoints for customer service, VIP treatment • Delays once on board are rare • Link to tourism/economy is obvious and tangible • Challenges of dynamic aviation industry are all too apparent in financial performance
Core communications strategies • Adopt a more disciplined, pro-active approach to stakeholder engagement that builds stronger relationships and encourages advocacy • Develop a succinct set of overarching key messages that summarize the airports ‘story’ • Make a more compelling case about the contribution that airports make to NZ and NZ Inc • Build a more positive public profile as informed commentators on air travel, trade and tourism
2. Indicative Key Messages • Airports make a vital contribution to tourism and trade, by strengthening connections within New Zealand and with the world • We invest in quality airport infrastructure to ensure New Zealand has the capacity to maximise the growth potential of air travel • We are working hard to improve the traveller experience, in collaboration with airlines and government agencies • We are committed to working positively with our airline customers and recognising their varying commercial needs • Focused on achieving fair returns for our owners over the long term whilst keeping pricing reasonable
3. Compelling Case • Airport capacity drives air travel growth • “to get bums on airline seats, you first need the seats” • Attracting new airlines • Opening new routes • Improving schedules
4. Informed Commentators • Tourism trends – national and regional • Travel patterns: mine the data • Foreign tourists taking domestic flights • Domestic routes: business vs leisure • Political/regulatory initiatives • Regional development issues • Streamlining the trans-Tasman border • Domestic aviation security