| Course | AVT-3050 Airline Marketing and Customer Service |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Written Assignment 1: airline marketing fundamentals |
| Length | About 751 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | B.S.B.A. in Aviation Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for AVT 3050 Module 1
Who Flies From Atlantic City? Marketing Fundamentals and Five Segments for Boardwalk Air
Student Name
B.S.B.A. in Aviation Management, Thomas Edison State University
AVT-3050: Airline Marketing and Customer Service
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Who Flies From Atlantic City? Marketing Fundamentals and Five Segments for Boardwalk Air
Introducing Boardwalk Air
Boardwalk Air is a fictional airline created for this course. In this scenario it will begin service from Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) with five leased Airbus A320 aircraft, flying nonstop to leisure destinations such as Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa, Myrtle Beach and Nashville. Its home market is South Jersey: Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and southern Ocean counties, plus some suburbs of Philadelphia. Most residents of that area now drive an hour or more to Philadelphia or Newark to fly. Boardwalk Air's first marketing question is simple to state and hard to answer: who in this region will choose a small new airline at a local airport, and why?
What the Marketing Concept Means for an Airline
Shaw (2011) describes airline marketing as starting from customers' needs and working back to the product, rather than starting from aircraft and routes and looking for passengers to fill them. For a new airline this order matters, because the routes, schedule and price are still open choices. If Boardwalk Air chooses destinations because aircraft are available instead of because South Jersey residents want to go there, no amount of advertising will fill the seats.
Why Airline Marketing Is Different
Four features set airline marketing apart from the marketing of goods. The product is perishable: a seat not sold by departure is lost. It is intangible, so customers cannot inspect it before buying and rely instead on price, reputation and reviews. Production and consumption happen together, so front-line staff are part of the product. And demand is uneven by season, day and time, which in a beach and casino region is extreme: summer and holiday travel can be several times winter levels. O'Connell and Williams (2005) found that passengers judging low-cost and full-service airlines weighed price most heavily but also cared about schedule and reliability, which means a new airline cannot compete on price alone.
Segmenting the South Jersey Market
Teichert et al. (2008) studied airline passengers and found that the usual split between business and leisure travelers hid important differences within each group, such as leisure travelers willing to pay for flexibility and business travelers who care mainly about price. Their findings suggest segmenting by needs and behavior, not just trip purpose.
| Segment | Who they are | What they need | Fit for Boardwalk Air |
|---|---|---|---|
| Families on vacation | Parents with children, trips to Florida theme parks and beaches | Low total trip cost, nonstop flights, school-break timing | Strong |
| Seasonal residents | Retirees who spend winter in Florida | Easy local airport, help with bags, flexible return dates | Strong |
| Visiting friends and relatives | Residents with family in the Southeast | Low fares, weekend flights | Moderate |
| Inbound casino and shore visitors | Travelers coming to Atlantic City | Packages with hotels, weekend timing | Moderate, but needs partners |
| Local business travelers | Small business owners and casino staff | Reliability, frequency | Weak at first |
Choosing Target Segments
Boardwalk Air should target families on vacation and seasonal residents first. Both are large in South Jersey, both want nonstop flights to Florida and both value the convenience of a small local airport over a long drive to Philadelphia. Seasonal residents also travel in the winter months when beach traffic is low, which helps balance the airline's uneven demand. Visiting friends and relatives can be served on the same flights. Inbound casino visitors are attractive but need partnerships with hotels before they can be targeted well, so they are a second-year goal. Business travelers need frequency that five aircraft cannot provide.
Research Needed Before the Plan
Before the marketing plan can be written, Boardwalk Air needs four kinds of research. First, how many South Jersey residents currently fly to Florida and other leisure destinations each year, and from which airports, which can be estimated from U.S. Department of Transportation passenger data. Second, what they pay and how long they drive. Third, what would make them switch, explored through a short survey of residents at shopping centers and online. Fourth, what competitors charge and how often they fly from Philadelphia, Newark and Atlantic City. This research will shape the routes, prices and messages in the later modules.
Conclusion
Boardwalk Air begins with customers, not aircraft. The South Jersey market contains at least five segments, and two of them, vacationing families and seasonal residents, fit a small leisure airline at a local airport. Because the product is perishable, intangible and seasonal, the airline's marketing must manage demand across the year, not just attract it in summer.
References
O'Connell, J. F., & Williams, G. (2005). Passengers' perceptions of low cost airlines and full service carriers: A case study involving Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines. Journal of Air Transport Management, 11(4), 259-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2005.01.007
Shaw, S. (2011). Airline marketing and management (7th ed.). Ashgate.
Teichert, T., Shehu, E., & von Wartburg, I. (2008). Customer segmentation revisited: The case of the airline industry. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 42(1), 227-242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2007.08.003
AVT 3050 Module 1 instructions, in plain terms
AVT-3050 has seven written assignments worth 37 percent together, six graded discussions worth 18 percent, two proctored essay exams at 15 percent apiece, and a final project at 15 percent: a marketing plan for an airline you invent. Module 1, Airline Marketing Fundamentals, covers the first course objective. Expect a paper on what airline marketing is, how it differs from marketing other products and how an airline identifies its customers. Since the final project needs a fictional airline anyway, inventing it now lets every written assignment build part of the plan. Use Shaw's Airline Marketing and Management and outside research from the TESU library or the New Jersey State Library. Treat the fictional airline as a business you must keep consistent all term, since its base, fleet and region will reappear in every later paper.
How the AVT 3050 Module 1 example is put together
The sample begins by introducing the fictional airline, its five aircraft, its home airport and its first marketing question. A section explains the marketing concept through Shaw, and another names four features that make airline marketing different, using O'Connell and Williams on what passengers weigh. Teichert and colleagues' research supports segmenting by needs instead of trip purpose, and a table rates five South Jersey segments for fit, with a margin note on why the ratings matter. The paper chooses two targets and explains why the others wait. It closes with four kinds of research the plan needs and a conclusion about managing seasonal demand. Every invented detail about the airline is labeled as part of the scenario, so a reader never mistakes it for a real carrier.
Where the marks sit in the AVT 3050 Module 1 rubric
Mentors grade each written assignment with an evaluation rubric found in the assignment's submission link in Moodle. Marks follow an accurate explanation of marketing concepts from the text, clear application to an airline and the use of outside sources. A paper that segments a real or realistic market and then chooses targets with reasons shows more understanding than one that lists textbook segment names. Explaining why airline marketing is different, with examples, earns credit for analysis. Mentors also value a clear structure, since this paper starts a series that ends in a full marketing plan. APA citations and careful proofreading complete the work. A paper that names the research still needed before planning also shows the mentor that the student understands marketing as a process, not a single report.
AVT 3050 Module 1 help from the desk
The usual weak first paper defines marketing in general terms and never reaches an airline, or describes segments as business and leisure and stops. Others invent an airline with no home market, so nothing later can be planned. Give your fictional airline a base, a fleet and a region, segment that region by needs, choose your targets and say what research you still need. Label invented details clearly as part of the scenario. Keep the tone of a business plan, not an advertisement, and cite the textbook for concepts. A first custom sample built around your own fictional AVT-3050 airline can be drafted free. Finally, save a one-paragraph profile of your airline to paste at the top of each later assignment, which keeps the details from drifting.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More AVT 3050 and B.S.B.A. in Aviation Management sample papers
- AVT 3050 Module 2: Written Assignment: The Product and Its Life Cycle at Boardwalk Air
- AVT 3050 Module 3: Written Assignment: Communication Lessons From Malaysia Airlines for Boardwalk Air
- AVT 3050 Module 4: Written Assignment: Designing a Loyalty Program for Boardwalk Air
- AVT 3050 Module 5: Written Assignment: Service Failure and Recovery at Boardwalk Air
- AVT 3050 Module 6: Final Project: Marketing Plan for Boardwalk Air
- AVT 3010 Module 6: Final Project: Research Paper on JetBlue Airways
- AVF 4720 Module 5: Written Assignment: Operations and Communication at a County Airport
- AVF 4740 Module 5: Blog Entry: Leases, Concessions and Parking at a County Airport
AVT 3050 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free AVT 3050 Module 1 sample paper?
The written assignment above introduces a fictional Atlantic City airline and segments its South Jersey market.
Why is airline marketing different from marketing goods?
An airline seat is perishable, intangible and produced while it is used, and demand swings by season and day, so marketing must manage demand as well as create it.
How do airlines segment their customers?
Traditionally by business or leisure purpose, but research by Teichert and colleagues shows segmenting by needs and behavior reveals groups that purpose alone hides.
What is the AVT-3050 final project?
An invented airline's marketing plan, counted at 15 percent and graded with a rubric posted in the submission link.
What textbook does AVT-3050 use?
Shaw's Airline Marketing and Management, seventh edition, plus a case study on Malaysia Airlines after MH370 and MH17.