Airlines Have $40-50 Mil. in Play

New Alliance Looking Beyond Current Shops
NEW YORK–A consortium of domestic and international airlines, reportedly dubbed the “Wings Alliance,” has contacted several New York shops regarding an account whose spending may run as high as $40-50 million, sources said.
The alliance, likely comprised of Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Alitalia and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, is still being formed. But that has not stopped participants from agency discussions, sources said.
Lead shops for the airlines, including N.W. Ayer & Partners in New York, which handles Continental, and Carmichael Lynch in Minneapolis, which works with Northwest, have been excluded so the partners can land a “neutral” agency, sources said.
The review is being handled by Richard Metzner, vice president of marketing programs at Houston-based Continental, said sources.