Cyprus Airways (CAIR) online ticket sales are seen climbing by 40% to CYP 7 mln in 2005 compared to CYP 5 mln in online sales in 2004 as more and more people shift to the group’s highly efficient web site, www.cyprusairways.com.
Christos Ellinides, CAIR Chief Information Officer told the Financial Mirror that since the web site was launched in late 2002, the total Cyprus Airways ticket sales have passed the 100,000 mark, making the company’s website one of the most successful eBusiness sites on the island.
During the January-May 2005 period, CAIR’s web site locked 17,000 ticket sales, up 86% year-on-year compared to the 9,297 sales in the same period a year ago, with average sales per month hovering between 2500 to 3000.
“I expect total ticket sales to range between 35,000 to 40,000 this year,” said Ellinides, adding that Eurocypria, the Group’s charter subsidiary which this year started selling on-line, has logged 700 sales during the first five months of the year.
As opposed to Cyprus Airways which allows online sales on all its flights, Eurocypria currently sells only its unallocated seats on short notice.
“eBusiness is still in its infancy in Cyprus, but is expected to catch up fast once the public understand its many advantages and appreciate that it is a safe place to transact business,” said Ellinides.
BRITS ARE BEST
Its not surprising that the UK is generating 77% of online sales, followed by Cyprus with 9%, France 3%, Germany, Switzerland and Italy 2.5% and Greece and Holland 2%.
Ellinides explains that the reason the site generates the bulk of its business from the UK is because in the UK, the Internet penetration is substantially higher than Cyprus and the public appreciates and trusts the Internet as a means to do business efficiently and in a secure system.
Another reason is that the CAIR office in the UK is heavily promoting the site through the Greek radio station LGR and other means, making the London Heathrow-Larnaca route the most frequented destination among online customers.
LOADS OF INFO
www.cyprusairways.com is not only about online ticket sales, but also offers many other features including hotel reservations, car hire and logo-item shop, as well as timely information on real time flight arrivals/departures as well as other useful info including CAIR tender announcements.
The objective is for people now heavily using the Group’s Call Centre at 8000-0008 for bookings and other business to start using the web, which is available 24 hours a day.
Ellinides says the next stage is to promote B2B mostly directed at the travel agents and B2E (to employees) services. “It’s an on-going process that never stops,” said Ellinides, confident that slowly, but steadily the use of online services will increase in Cyprus.
