The appointments are part of the airline’s overall growth and customer engagement strategy which aims to position bmi regional as a leading choice for business and leisure travellers flying to Europe and beyond from the UK’s regional airports.
bmi regional is pursuing a growth strategy in the UK, with the appointment of two new sales managers. Melanie Thomson joins as sales manager for the North and Elaine Gibbins as sales manager for the South.
The appointments are part of the airline’s overall growth and customer engagement strategy which aims to position bmi regional as a leading choice for business and leisure travellers flying to Europe and beyond from the UK’s regional airports.
Hailing from Aberdeen, Melanie will take on responsibility for the growth and sustainability of the airline’s northern routes. bmi regional currently operates flights from Aberdeen and Newcastle in the north to destinations within the UK and Europe.
Having graduated from Aberdeen College with a HND in Travel and Tourism, Melanie has spent much of her career at ATPI, one of the world’s leading travel management businesses. Here she held various sales and business roles most recently acting as team leader, responsible for a team of 11 reservations consultants.
Elaine will be responsible for the southern part of the UK focusing on developing contacts prominent to the routes from Bristol and Southampton.
Elaine joins bmi regional from Hilton Worldwide where she had worked as an area sales manager in the South West. Prior to that, Elaine was Director of Sales at DoubleTree by Hilton. Elaine’s tourism career began overseas working in operational travel roles in Australia and New Zealand, she returned to the UK in 2002 where she spent nine years in various managerial positions including Business Development Manager, Key Account Manager and Operations Manager at FCm Travel Solutions in Bristol.
Both ladies will report to Alwin Hollander, Director of Sales for bmi regional. Alwin said: “Melanie and Elaine’s appointments will strengthen bmi regional’s position as a leading airline for the regions. With their extensive industry knowledge and contacts the pair will be able to dive straight into developing relationships on all of our existing networks out of the UK and looking towards future expansion.”
Melanie said: “Having worked with ATPI for 10 years I’m excited to have a new opportunity to work with bmi regional. I’m looking forward to developing sales in the northern part of the UK and utilising my existing contacts to push the business forward.”
Elaine commented: “Having worked mainly in the accommodation sector of travel I’m looking forward to the new challenge that a role with bmi regional will provide. My existing contacts within the south of the UK will provide an excellent framework for this new role and I look forward to further enhancing and developing on bmi regional’s current product to provide the best possible service for our clientele.”
The appointments follow other recent major developments by the airline including the launch of a new route from Southampton to Munich in April. The route allows travellers from the UK to easily connect into Munich and beyond via bmi regional’s new inter-European flights to destinations such as Milan Bergamo, Norrkoping, Rotterdam, Brno, Bern and Rostock.
The airline has also introduced the new four-tier “Business Powered” structure for corporates offering a range of flexible and tailored benefits to suit all needs and budgets.
bmi regional’s all-jet fleet operates 15 direct routes within the UK and to Europe with flights out of Aberdeen, Bristol, Norwich, Newcastle, East Midlands and Southampton. Overall the airline flies to a total of 25 destinations across 11 countries within the UK and Europe, with more than 350 scheduled flights per week.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
