Groupon takes flight with bmi

British Midland International (bmi) is the first UK-based airline to sign a deal with group buying site Groupon.

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Groupon followers are being offered business class travel on bmi flights from Heathrow or Manchester to Basel or Heathrow to Vienna as one of Groupon’s national daily deals.

Customers buying a voucher for £25 can access to the deal where 2,000 Business Class seats are on offer for the special fares of £149 and £169 (including all taxes and charges). The deals are less than half the full fare and the £25 is part of the Groupon-given price.

Christopher Muhr, managing director, Groupon UK, says “This partnership with bmi opens up a brand new market for our six million UK subscribers, and shows how the Groupon model can be adapted to a huge range of industries.”

Airlines are keen to keep passengers flying as ticket prices begin to rise thanks to hikes in air passenger duty and the cost of fuel. Bmi’s initiative comes on the heels of the Nectar, the loyalty card scheme, signing a deal with easyJet to allow card holders to spend points with the low cost airline.

Bmi recruited former BA head of global loyalty Stuart Beamish as head of marketing and product at the end of last year.

It also unveiled a new visual identity in December.

Read Marketing Week’s feature on the group buying model here

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