AUSTRIA. Heinemann Duty Free, Wizz Air and Vienna Airport have partnered for an initiative which will see passengers spending at the airport receive a voucher to make food & beverage purchases onboard.
An initial test phase will run for three months, between April and June. Any departing Wizz Air passenger who has spent a minimum of €50 in the Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value Shop at the airport will receive a voucher for the onboard Wizz Café worth €4.50. For purchases of €75 or more, duty free shoppers will receive a voucher worth €7.50.
Passengers can then redeem the vouchers onboard their Wizz Air flight, choosing from a selection of hot drinks, fresh sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks, or alcoholic beverages.
The initiative aims to involve all relevant parties in the purchase process at the airport, the partners said, offering passengers added value and boosting revenues.
It is similar to the BARTA (Brand, Airline, Retailer, Technology, Airport) initiative trialled at Budapest Airport last year, also involving Heinemann Duty Free and Wizz Air, which delivered a healthy rise in penetration and spend. That initiative has since been run three further times for several months on each occasion.
The partners said they would advertise the Vienna Airport promotion across all of their online and offline channels. The initiative was launched as two Wizz Air flight attendants gave away chocolates to passengers in the Heinemann Duty Free store.
“We are all pursuing a common goal: to make the flight journey a truly pleasant experience for all passengers,” said Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value Vienna Managing Director Roman Koch.
“For us as retailers, this means remaining a driver of innovation in travel retail and continuing to surprise travellers with outstanding offers and ideas. The promotion thus perfectly matches our philosophy of supporting our customers at all touchpoints on their route with individually tailored services and offers.
“We are very proud to be carrying out this collaboration with our longstanding partner Vienna Airport and Wizz Air and expect to see outstanding results over the three-month test phase.”
Vienna Airport Senior Vice President Center Management Björn Olsson commented: “On the basis of this new form of cooperation between the airline, retailer and Vienna Airport, we generate added value for our passengers in the shopping area, and thus also enhance comfort on board.”
Wizz Air Chief Commercial Officer George Michalopoulos said the airline was always looking for new ways to engage customers. “Cooperation with partners opens opportunities for increasing the level of offering both before and during the flight,” he added. “The success of the promotion in Budapest and the outstanding on board redemption rate shows how highly our passengers have appreciated this initiative. We are supporting the trial of such cooperation in Vienna too, as it has proven to mutually benefit the parties involved.”
