ANA and United Airlines reward SME business travelers

All Nippon Airways (ANA) and United Airlines recently launched the Asia Joint Venture Simple program, a complimentary corporate travel program to support small- and medium-sized enterprises based in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam with discounts when their employees travel on business to destinations in North, Central and South America.

SME businessmen and employees get discounts and other benefits when they fly on business via All Nippon Airways and United Airlines.

The program gives SMEs in the said countries access to a comprehensive trans-Pacific network through United and ANA that connects to over 227 destinations in the US as well as Central and South America – enabling SME employees to enjoy far more convenient travel. Unlike other corporate programs, Asia JV Simple places no limits on a company’s revenue to qualify for the scheme, enabling more SMEs to benefit. Among the additional benefits SME travelers will receive include premier status, lounge access and upgrades and, like other customers, they can earn award miles by joining United’s MileagePlus frequent flyer program.

“SMEs play a vital role in our local and regional economies, comprising 90 percent of businesses in the Asia-Pacific region and accounting for 60-80 percent of jobs and 30 percent of total exports.  We’re delighted to support SMEs with this new program,” said Alison Espley, United’s managing director of Japan and Pacific Sales.

Mitsuo Tomita, ANA’s vice president of Marketing and Sales Asia, believes that “this program will prove highly popular with our current and future SME customers, who represent an important section of the global business community. The Asia JV Simple program supports them by making the comprehensive networks of our two airlines easier than ever for them to access. This will make business travel a breeze for SMEs, and contribute to their growth potential.”

Launched in April 2011, the trans-Pacific joint venture between United and ANA involves both airlines working together to coordinate sales and marketing to improve customer experience with more choices, more convenience and unprecedented flexibility in trans-Pacific travel. The Asia JV Simple program is an extension of this joint venture tailored specifically to support SME business travelers as they grow their businesses.

Citation from : THE STANDARD- Defining the news : http://goo.gl/ZWHu2V