Free Essay Sample on the Therapeutic Oxygen Kit in the Air France Airline

Air France is an airline company that was founded on 7 October 1993 and has its main hub in Paris-Charles de Gaulle (Jones, 2008). The Air France airline has revolutionized its services since its inception to accommodate every customer that uses the airline. For the past decades, most airlines have operated with the belief the carrying of unnecessary cargo in the passenger plane is unacceptable. However, the Air France airline company has broken all odds by providing some of the services to the people that require an accompaniment life tools for their proper functionality. The airline has facilitated the provision of special kits to people that need artificial oxygen for their breathing purposes. The service offers an oxygen kit specially designed for air travel. This system functions on demand rather that providing continuous oxygen. The system also is extremely compacted, with 600 litres of oxygen, which enables the passengers to travel on long hours flights. The kit has the capability of providing 2.8 litres per minute (Jones, 2008). This product goes a long way in helping the passengers with respiratory difficulties since the kit has brought a new product that has converted the normal plane to a medical plane.

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The start of the 21st century has been marked by the emergence of more health complications. These health complications are estimated that they will continue to be on a high rise as the century continues to unfold (Marius M. Hoeper and Marc Humbert., 2012). As a result, it is important that the minority needs are factored into every facility that provides public service. The Therapeutic oxygen kit that is provided by the airline has a wider market of exploration given that the service has not been in use for most of the airlines. The increase in some patients travelling across the world in search for treatment may call for all airlines to fasten their planes with this kit so as to support the smooth transportation of passengers with respiratory difficulties. Most people living with the difficulties have for a long time restricted themselves in travelling using mediums that can carry their oxygen tanks such as automobiles. Therefore travelling from their local countries to other countries has been limited by the lack of the tanks in most planes. Those that have been forced to travel by various reason have had to pay extra amounts on the freight and moreover booking of a special plane such as a medical plane. The use of this kit instead is most likely going to increase the number of passengers that uses the airlines every day. The influx in the number of passengers will eventually result in higher returns by the airline.

To realize the full potential of the kit in serving the passenger with respiratory difficulties the suitable segmentation criteria has to be used (Kotler & Armstrong, 2006). Marketing segmentation is a way of streamlining marketing strategy by dividing the broad-based target market into specific groups of consumers and devising marketing method that will appeal to each group. For the therapeutic oxygen kit, demographic segmentation will ensure every customers need has been attended to effectively. The demographic segmentation variables include age, gender, income occupation, education, religion and social class (Kotler & Armstrong, 2006). The airline should ensure that the kit available should apply to both young and old or else provide both parties with the right amount of oxygen they need with respect to their age. The airline also should provide the service at both the first class and third class facilities in the cabin. This brings equality whereby the passenger with respiratory difficulties does not have to remain at the lower class where the kits are available whereas he or she has money to pay for space in the first class reserve.

It is estimated that roughly millions of passengers travel by air on various airlines. It has been predicted that in the coming two decades the number of passengers will double. The increase shall be partly achieved as a result of incorporation of special medical services such as the therapeutic oxygen kit that assist the passenger with respiratory difficulties. The doubling of the passengers shall result to increase in returns and profits to the airlines. Air France being the first airline to provide some of the services is most likely going to realize the increase of passengers in its airline even before the end of the two decades. Provision of this service by the Air France airline on both the first class and the lower class reserves in its planes will ensure the airline fetches the maximum profits. The social class of the passenger despite his or her medical complication shall still be upheld in the plane.

For the Air France airline to realize the full market, it has to advertise to the people associated to bring forth its new developments. Most of the people living with respiratory difficulties visit the hospital regularly for checkups. As a result, the airline in partnership with the hospital personnel such as the doctors, consultants, and nurses can be instrumental in ensuring the message gets to the targeted group. Given the perception that has been adopted over the years, that individual with the unstable medical condition should not fly due to instability combined with the stresses of flights. As a result, the patients need to hear from the same medical personnel that it is possible to take flight even with medical complications under the planes with favorable conditions. The mouth to mouth advertisement from trusted sources that these people believe may go a long way to drive away the fear that has been instilled in them previously by medical consultants (Solomon, 2003). Moreover, an advert can also run on the media channel such as newspapers on specific pages that focus on health matters that are published periodically.

To attract the targeted group, the company may employ the following marketing positioning strategies. Firstly, the use of the low price strategy that reduces the freight charges can boost the number of passengers with respiratory difficulties using the airline (Solomon, 2003). Secondly, specific demographic strategy, which entails focusing on a specific group of people, can be used. The company can choose to serve only the people with respiratory difficulties in their special service units. This builds the reputation of the company in its capability in handling the special group of people. Thirdly, the distribution strategy, which entails disclosing the whole package of services for the group of people targeted to use the airline. Lastly, the affinity strategy, which calls for the partnership of the airline with an institution that caters for the need of the targeted group of people such as hospitals to gain their trust in the services (Solomon, 2003).

The Air France has to incorporate the marketing mix so to sell out the new service. The marketing mix comprises of the selecting the right product or service, price, place and promotion (Solomon, 2003). The four components must carefully be selected to be suitable for the targeted group of people and hence increase the response of the target group to the company.

References

Jones, G. (2008). Air France. Hersham, Surrey, U.K.: Midland.

Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2006). Principles of marketing. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Marius M. Hoeper and Marc Humbert.,. (2012). European Respiratory Monograph Issue 57. European Respiratory Society.

Solomon, M. (2003). Conquering consumer space. New York: AMACOM.