LOCAL SALES THAT MATTER! TOP-10 B2B ACTIONS TO OPEN A NEW ROUTE.

HQ designs. Local Sales deliver. No local Sales, no lift!

I decided to write this after a recent discussion with a fellow airline professional about an old, always-heated topic: how much Sales teams influence results. For as long as I remember (and lately I am afraid even more), there is the same debate inside airline headquarters (HQ): “Why do we need local commercial teams or local representatives to manage sales?” The argument usually continues: “HQ has Revenue Management (RM), Marketing, Loyalty, the website, the contact center… so what exactly do we need local Sales for?”

Short answer: The Sales team turn a schedule into relationships, and relationships into predictable bookings. 

HQs can design capacity, price, and brand. Local Sales converts that into contracts, market access, and habit, especially in the first months of a new route when nothing is automatic yet.

So, let’s prove it with a concrete example: PLANNING, INTRODUCING, AND LAUNCHING A NEW ROUTE.

Assumptions (simple and real):

• The airline carrier is either full service or hybrid (no LCC).

• The route is announced 3–4 months before first flight (it’s rather late & tight timeframe -the reason why we use it-).

• HQ controls: Revenue Management (RM), website, CRM, Loyalty, and the Contact Center.

• Local Sales focus on B2B trade (agencies, tour operators, wholesalers etc.) and corporate partners.

• Any proposal that touches fares, inventory, or seat protection is subject to RM approval.

Main Goal: show what Sales actually do. Both from HQ before launch and on the ground (before and after launch) that change the outcome.

Below are the TOP-10 (+1 bonus) actions that Sales owns. They are written as they happen in real life: not slides, but work.

1) Write the route story in customer language.

The market needs a customer story. Before anything else, Sales translates the schedule into clear use cases: business (Mon–Thu), leisure (Fri/Sun), groups/MICE, SMEs, and niche verticals (shipping, energy, pharma, tech, sports, education). For each, we state 2 problems we solve and 2 proofs. These become one-page briefs that partners can repeat to their clients.

2) Sales choose a go-to-market setup that can actually move.

On paper, “HQ handles everything.” In reality, someone must knock on doors, follow up, and unblock. The most effective launch model I have seen is:

Use of a simple, effective structure: one senior local sales lead (or an HQ-based country manager who is hands-on in the market) plus a disciplined GSA. The local lead owns the plan and the high-stakes work: market strategy, relationships with key accounts, airport incentive negotiations, and fast resolution of escalations. The GSA handles the daily engine: agency visits, short trainings, pipeline follow-up, and group handling. Run this with clear KPIs and a monthly review session so everyone sees progress and blockers. If you start with only HQ and an airport station, treat it as a temporary bridge (30–60 days maximum)—then assign a local sales lead to build real access and momentum.

3) Sales map the top 50 sellers and open ≈20 key/main payers accounts

Target (ideally) 15 trade and 5 corporate (based on best vertical with route traffic)

• Trade: 90-day accelerator (monthly overrides, small co-op placements/ads).

• Corporate: simple net, or % agreements, clear change rules, “last-seat” for top tier.

• SME (assuming there is a loyalty program setup): quick self-enroll + welcome code.

Practical tips: 1) collab with the local Chamber of Commerce organization/s for Corporate accounts & SMEs leads of interest. 2) run pipeline sessions (a 30’ feed could be followed even by a treat… snack? breakfast? Pizza break? or sim.) inside top TMCs.

4) Make ticketing easy and safe (ADMs are the last thing we want)

We publish a two-page “How to sell us today” guide, run 3 short trainings (ticketing basics, fare families, disruption policy), and ask Revenue Accounting for a first-month leniency window on honest errors. The goal is education before penalties, no ADMs (Agency Debit Memos) for simple malpractice or misuse while the route is just starting. We also share pre-ticketing checks (names, fare rules, form of payment) and a single help line for quick questions to prevent mistakes.

5) Coordinate with RM on fares that sell while protecting yield

We keep Light / Smart / Flex with rules a human can explain, protect Mon–Thu morning time bands, and use Tue/Wed for tactical fills (SME, consolidator, micro-groups). For rotations and project teams, we propose a semi-flex product with limited name changes at a small premium. Any fare or seat protection proposal goes to RM for approval. Sales bring the use case and the volume; RM decides the lever. That is a healthy division of the work.

6) Run roadshows and training days that produce bookings (not selfies).

We keep meetings short and practical: live pricing examples, two real files re-worked in the room, and follow-ups recorded in the agency’s CRM (if any). We also send a simple Monday “how to sell us this week” memo (3 talking points and any Tue/Wed ideas).

7) Airports: lower cost, wider reach

Request incentives (charges, start-up support) and joint marketing (PR, digital, terminal screens, social). Plan 3 setups: pre-sales, inaugural, first seasonal, or schedule push.

8) Connectivity as a sales tool

If the hub matters, we publish a Top-20 Beyond list with connection times and simple “how to ticket” steps, plus a one-page disruption policy. This turns “point-to-point only” into real network selling.

9) Push Corporate and SME programs that build habit (even simple tailored ones if no central product in place)

For corporates, we offer a clean bundle (flex change, seat, priority, points) and hold light quarterly reviews with 3 numbers and 3 actions. For SMEs, we make sign-up and the first booking very simple and steer early mid-day (like Tue/Wed) where availability is usually easier.

10) Daily management of forward weeks

Let’s collab with RM and come up with 2 rolling lists: a 21-day list (flights that need help to boost) and a 60-day list (flights to protect). If a flight is weak, we place a targeted trade or SME action; if strong, we tighten. One action per list, every day, measured the next morning.

Bonus Tip: WhatsApp/Viber broadcast lists. 

Messaging apps convert. Build your contact list with key account execs & managers. Push weekly fare memo + 3 talking points every Monday 09:00. Keep lists segmented if possible (TMCs, consolidators, SMEs). That can also be useful during disruptions -and gains credibility- (ATC/industrial actions/strikes and weather quirks); publish when is needed a local waiver playbook (plain English), only for key accounts. Be the calm & informative voice in the room, when others go silent!

When people ask, “Why do we need local Sales?” the answer is not in a slogan; it is in these steps, executed on time. If this summary gave you one or two actions you can run this month, please share it with a colleague, and tell me in the comments which step you will try first. If you want a quick one-page plan for your own city pair, send me a message and I will outline it for you.