Case Study
United Airlines
OVERVIEW
Period: 2019-Present (Retainer)
Region: South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal
Sector: Airline Industry
Plane Talking provides PR, media relations, stakeholder engagement and crisis communications support to United Airlines across South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. The work is coordinated through United Airlines’ UK, Europe, Africa, India and Israel Press Office in London. The engagement began in 2019 with the introduction of the United Airlines brand into South Africa ahead of the launch of its first Southern Africa route between New York and Cape Town. Since then, the focus has been on strengthening and protecting United Airlines’ brand presence in Africa, supporting route expansion and managing communications across key African aviation markets. This has included supporting new long-haul and transatlantic routes to Johannesburg, Accra, Lagos and Dakar, as well as ongoing airline communications, stakeholder engagement and market development activity. The role involves regular coordination with United Airlines’ regional sales, marketing, country management and airport operations teams.
Services Provided
Strategy – Developing communications and promotional campaigns to position United Airlines as the leading North American airline operating into Africa.
Activations – Delivery of publicity campaigns and promotional partnerships to build brand visibility in African markets, including collaborations with sports and cultural platforms such as the South African “Blitzbokke” Rugby Sevens team.
Media Relations – Day-to-day media engagement in coordination with United Airlines’ Press Office. This includes story pitching, press releases, handling media enquiries and responding to breaking news affecting airline operations and reputation. Support also includes arranging Tier 1 media interviews for senior executives across African markets.
Crisis Communications – In-region crisis communications support for United Airlines’ global crisis teams in London and Chicago. This includes media monitoring, rapid response communications and reputational risk management during operational disruptions or external events.
Content Creation – Development of written, visual and multimedia content for airline communications and media use. This includes press releases, speeches, Q&A documents, briefing packs, video content and audio material for both internal and external audiences.
Event Management – Planning and execution support for airline media events, route launches, press briefings and corporate social responsibility activations across African markets.
Stakeholder Engagement – Ongoing engagement with airports, tourism authorities, destination marketing organisations and government stakeholders at municipal, provincial and national level.
Market Intelligence – Monitoring and reporting on competitor activity, aviation industry developments, political dynamics and trade relations that may affect airline operations and route performance in Africa.
Notable Projects
Route Launches in Africa (2019–2022) – The initial brief focused on establishing awareness and market entry support for United Airlines in South Africa ahead of the launch of the Newark/New York–Cape Town route in 2019. Work included integrated communications support across sales, marketing, corporate communications and operational teams, as well as media relations, publicity campaigns and engagement with government and aviation stakeholders at national, provincial and municipal level. Following COVID-19-related suspension of operations, support continued through the airline’s relaunch in 2021, including the restart of the Newark/New York–Johannesburg and Washington D.C.–Cape Town routes. In the same period, the brief expanded to include the launch of Washington D.C.–Accra and Lagos routes, supporting United Airlines’ expansion into West Africa. Ghana and Nigeria have since developed into key growth markets, with strong demand for corporate travel and diaspora travel between West Africa and North America. Plane Talking continues to support United Airlines in these African markets, including communications and PR support for exploratory seasonal services such as Washington D.C.–Dakar flights into Senegal.
Route Anniversaries in Africa (2024-Ongoing) – At key milestones (typically five years after launch), Plane Talking supports United Airlines with route anniversary activations at destination markets, including airport photocalls and media roundtables. The purpose is to generate high-quality photo and video content for social media and owned channels, while also reinforcing the airline’s presence in-market. Plane Talking leads end-to-end delivery of these activations. This includes securing airside accreditation, developing aviation security plans, and managing all permissions and logistics with airport partners. The team also coordinates on-site operations, including onboarding key stakeholders and managing photographers and videographers to ensure content capture aligns with brand and communications objectives. In parallel, Plane Talking manages the media component of the activation. This includes co-developing the programme with United Airlines, identifying relevant media outlets, managing RSVPs and media logistics, handling interview requests and queries, and preparing spokespeople for effective media engagement during briefings and roundtables.
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