US-based and major European carriers show increased interest in Eastern and Central European destinations.

ECE has become a region of interest for many airlines, as they search for new niches in these disastrous times for the airline industry. Despite the increased interest of US-based and major European carriers in ECE, their slow-to-respond behavior allows smaller Eastern and Central European airlines to gain a leading position in transatlantic routes to Eastern Europe.

(PRWEB) January 24, 2004 --Research and Markets announces the addition of this exciting new report entitled "Passengers Preferences in Choosing a Carrier for Flights to Eastern and Central Europe" to its offerings.

The study uncovers experiences, needs and concerns of various groups of the US population regarding airline services.3 groups of US residents were surveyed: Russian-Americans, Hungarian-Americans and representatives of the general American urban market in order to examine their behavior trends pertaining to travel to Eastern and Central Europe (ECE). ECE has become a region of interest for many airlines, as they search for new niches in these disastrous times for the airline industry.

Despite the increased interest of US-based and major European carriers in ECE, their slow-to-respond behavior allows smaller Eastern and Central European airlines to gain a leading position in transatlantic routes to Eastern Europe. This research shows that American consumers of Eastern and Central European origin most often use their native airlines to fly to ECE destinations. Moreover, US mainstream market consumers also turn to Aeroflot, Malev and LOT for flights to ECE, often disregarding Delta, American Airlines and other domestic brands.

Even though Delta is the most often used airline for flights to ECE (34%), Aeroflot is not far behind (26%), followed by other foreign carriers, such as El Al, British Airways, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Finnair.

The survey also assessed airline brand recognition and brand perception by the three groups, and reveals opportunities and threats in marketing airline services to these groups.

For a complete index of this report click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/42782

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