Alpha signs long-haul retail deal with new-look bmi british midland

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Alpha On Board Sales and Services has won a three-year contract to run new-look bmi british midland's inflight retail programme to mark the carrier's move into long-haul scheduled flights.

The contract is an extension to AOBSS's duty-paid retail concessions business on the carrier's European charter flights from the UK. bmi british midland was officially rebranded with a new corporate identity today to mark the forthcoming launch of transatlantic flights from Manchester to Washington and Chicago in April.

The Alpha contract, which also covers crew training, will be reviewed annually over the three-year period. A dedicated inflight retail brochure will be produced as part of the deal."It will initially be based on a tried and tested formula before we look at new concepts," said AOBSS inflight director Paul Possamai. He described the contract as exciting for both companies with opportunities to explore onboard promotional and marketing initiatives.

bmi british midland chairman Sir Michael Bishop added: "This is the first step towards our plans to fly more international services from London Heathrow and Manchester to the US, Far East and the Middle East. "We are an established UK domestic airline, European airline and are going all out to make our presence felt on the global scene."