Why a British Airways Sales Boss Is Excited by the Prospect of Even More Zoom Meetings


Skift Take

While most of us suffer Zoom fatigue, British Airways’ head of global sales thinks short, sharp video calls are the future when working out airfares with corporate customers. Ring lights at the ready.

The days of long airfare negotiations are over. For now, a 15-minute Zoom call should do it. That’s the vision set out by Mark Muren, head of global sales at British Airways who also said the aviation industry should be more transparent, and open up to experimenting with new types of data. Muren shared his preferred method of dealing with customers and agencies during a virtual conference held by the UK’s Institute of Travel Management on Tuesday. But first, the only contract he wants to shake hands on is a “get flying contract,” because airlines can no longer strike hyper precise deals. “Really, all of our deals, and all of negotiations, need to be focused on their 'get flying' contract. Just get people flying,” he urged. “And as we start to get people flying, we’ll have an understanding of what the shape of travel looks like, then with each of the companies we can start to build programs that are a little bit more long term.” Speaking on a panel called "