British Airways partners with LinkShare for affiliate program

While potential partnerships with American Airlines and Continental Airlines are still reportedly under discussion for the airline, British Airways announced a different deal earlier this week. It awarded LinkShare and TradeDoubler management of its worldwide affiliate marketing program.

LinkShare will manage the airline's program in the Americas and Asia Pacific region, while TradeDoubler will manage the European and African regions. Both companies will work as joint affiliate partners for the airline in the UK.

LinkShare and TradeDoubler will work closely with Agency.com, the airline's digital media planning and buying agency, on the program.

“I think it's actually a great partnership for both British Airways and LinkShare,” said Liane Dietrich, UK managing director of LinkShare. “They have shown that they – as an online marketer – recognize the value that affiliate marketing can bring.”

LinkShare, a New York-based division of Tokyo-based Rakuten, started working with British Airways on a pre-launch of the program several months ago, Dietrich said. The program went live in April, she added.

Before striking a deal with LinkShare and TradeDoubler, British Airways was using a different company for its affiliate marketing program, Dietrich said. She declined to name the other company. TradeDoubler and British Airways did not respond in time to press inquiries.

“Affiliate marketing is a fundamental part of our online strategy, said Eve Ireland, online partnerships manager at British Airways, in a statement. “When looking at potential partners, our objective was to identify a company that could help us maximize channel efficiencies and drive innovation from both a technical and a strategic perspective.”