Marketing

American Airlines’ latest positioning: Women

I just read American Airlines’ press release on the 9th regarding their launch of their website targeted to women. American Airlines is positioning itself to support women travelers. Strategically, I think focusing on women travelers is a brilliant move. They saw a niche that no other airline saw. And they are the first to create that position. It remains to be seen if they will be able to sustain the first mover advantage and leverage this positioning through their marketing campaigns. You can read the press release at American Airlines Launches AA.com/Women Increasing Its Focus On Women’s Travel Market

It is a great market to tap into. My wife tried to book a ticket for us but was unable to choose more than one passenger. I do not understand why a traveler is not given the option to choose more than one passenger when booking a flight? It is such a rookie mistake. What were they thinking? Are they telling us that the site is only for women who travel alone? What about if a group of women want to travel together? What should a women do if she wants to book tickets for her family? Do they use the regular website?

I hope they rectify their error soon or this may prove to be a costly error. Improper execution of strategy is what kills initiatives and businesses. To learn more about positioning statements, read my earlier article Do you have a positioning statement.