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As the holiday season kicks into full swing, some airlines are finding that email campaigns offering deep discounts or bargains - and a short shelf life - are hitting their mark.

One well-targeted campaign last week by European airline Aer Arann resulted in a 320% spike in flight bookings for the day, the highest sales achieved by the airline in one day this year, according to the Irish Times.

Thanks to the message - which promised 50% off all flights booked between 1pm and 3pm that day - Aer Arann also recorded its highest-ever number of sales in one hour.

Customers were first alerted that a deal was coming the day before, but did not receive details. Then, the next day at 1 pm, they learned the specifics. The logistics of the offer well thought out: Aer Arann has established through research that few people book travel at home, but instead take care of such tasks at work. The peak booking period is between midday and 2pm, hence the highly targeted and small window.

Round the World

Another campaign, by Continental Continental Airlines, is offering One-Pass frequent flyers the chance to bid their miles on an around-the-world trip to visit the eight wonders of the world. Frequent flyers are receiving email messages urging them to participate in the contest, which closes Dec 9.

A Conditioned Audience

Travelers are highly conditioned to respond to email campaigns, perhaps more so than any another buying group, because the majority of travel purchases are now made online. According to the US Travel Association, at least 76% of all US travelers are using the internet to make travel plans, writes MediaBuyerPlanner.

In particular frequent airline passengers are a "captive group of upscale consumers," noted the Airline Advertising Bureau, the ad sales agent for United Airlines. Business traveler skews toward levels of upper management that make and influence important business decisions every day.

With these trends in mind, Continental Airlines is also planning to begin selling ad space on its website. The airline recently signed a deal with Winstar Interactive Media to sell advertising on Continental.com.