Cross-channel
rail operator Eurostar has launched Eurostar For Business, its first loyalty
programme for small and medium-sized companies.
The
booking and management platform is now live and gives members the opportunity
to earn upgrades and free tickets. The first 400 companies to sign up to the
scheme will receive a £25 e-voucher.
For every
15 return trips booked in Standard class, Eurostar For Business members earn an
upgrade to Standard Premier; for every 15 trips booked in Standard Premier an
upgrade to Business Premier is awarded; and companies receive a free Business
Premier ticket after 15 return trips are booked in that class.
Account
admins can book and manage trips on behalf of colleagues and travellers can
also sign up to the Club Eurostar rewards scheme for individuals.
“We’ve not
previously rewarded smaller companies for the level of business they’ve given
us in the past,” said Paul Brindley, indirect sales and distribution,
Eurostar. “And we want to make it easy for users to manage trips. We know about
34 per cent of our base are bookers and don’t actually travel.”
Brindley
said Eurostar For Business is targeted at mid-size companies with more than
five regular travellers. For companies with more than £75,000 in annual spend
with Eurostar there is a separate framework which gives different benefits and
corporate discounts on fares.
“As you
move up the value ladder, we offer other benefits, account management, specific
fares… but what we’re doing with Eurostar For Business is ensuring we’re
rewarding all our business customers irrespective of size,” said Brindley.
“It’s
something we were looking at in terms of an opportunity for a while because
we’d previously looked at the corporate market as a managed client base but in
fact 27 per cent of our [direct] eurostar.com bookings are businesses. It
became really obvious as we started being impacted by Covid that we needed to
accelerate this programme.”
Eurostar
is currently operating reduced services between London and Paris (up to four return services per day
as opposed to 14 normally) and between London and Brussels and Amsterdam (up two return services) and is tracking at
“no more than 10 per cent of normal sales”.
It has
also taken the decision to cut services from Ebbsfleet and Ashford until at least the end of 2021.
“We’ve got
to focus on our core routes,” said Brindley. “It’s tough on those locations but
we have to look at the longevity of our business and where we can sustain the
most capacity. We’ve had to take some tough decisions but the past has shown
we’re a highly resilient business.”