Airline reputations hit by terrorist plot response

However, Willie Walsh, BA's chief executive, and Ryanair's chief

executive, Michael O'Leary, have been vocal in their criticism of
airports operator BAA.

A spokeswoman for BA refused to comment on the YouGov figures, saying
only that 'it is very much business as usual'.

Ryanair, which has dominated the headlines daily since the scare, has
suffered a significant decline in its buzz rating, although its
corporate reputation has remained fairly steady.

Peter Sherrard, head of communications at Ryanair, said the airline is
not concerned by the apparent dip in its reputation.

'We measure our popularity in terms of passenger numbers, not brand or
corporate reputation measures,' he said.

Ryanair has been the only airline to run a specific marketing campaign
tackling the terrorist threat, bringing back its controversial 'Keep
Britain flying' press execution, featuring an image of Winston
Churchill.

The ad is almost identical to the campaign that the airline ran in the
wake of the 7 July bombings, which provoked 319 complaints to the
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

A spokeswoman for the ASA said it has received three complaints about
the ad on the grounds that Ryanair 'is seeking to profit from
terrorism'. The body is considering investigating the campaign once
again.

Travel agents said several airlines have cut the price of flights in an
attempt to boost the market. But, with the exception of Ryanair, they
are not actively marketing the price reductions for fear of appearing
insensitive.

In contrast, Ryanair has kicked off another free-flights promotion,
offering passengers on every departure the chance to win a free flight
in a prize draw.

Sherrard said the company's marketing activity is a common-sense
reaction. 'It is a positive campaign to get Britain up and flying - and
a large number of our passengers agree,' he said.

The 'business as usual' message appears to be getting through to
consumers. Despite many sensationalist headlines focusing on the 'chaos'
at major UK airports, 88% of UK travellers believed the scare would have
'no impact' on their travel plans.

According to LightSpeed Research, only 1% of UK respondents said they
would travel less frequently for business because of the terrorist plot,
while 9% said they plan to make fewer leisure trips.

However, the scare has had a greater impact on the attitudes of
consumers in other European countries. In Italy, for example, 21% of
consumers said they would travel less for leisure, while 8% said they
would cancel all forthcoming travel plans.

The scare has also had a substantial impact in the US, where 23% of
consumers said it would have an effect on their travel plans.

Despite the high-profile criticism by O'Leary of the way the government
has handled the crisis, research by YouGov revealed that 64% of
consumers said they feel safer as a result of the additional airport
security.