Expedia Group supports airlines with additional earnings

Expedia offers airlines an additional revenue stream to surpass the COVID-19 crisis thanks to its model-based technology, allowing travelers to add accommodations or a rental car to their flight booking.

With the resumption of travel, it is essential for airlines to offer comprehensive booking experiences capable of fostering long-term customer loyalty. Thanks to this technology, travel service providers have the opportunity to integrate their loyalty programs and implement marketing strategies for smart growth.

Expedia offers airlines an additional revenue stream to overcome the COVID-19 crisis through its technology based on predefined models, which allows travelers to add accommodation or a rental car to their flight booking.

The Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS) technology is easy to integrate and enables airlines to offer additional travel services, such as hotels or car rentals, on their website, accessing Expedia Group’s extensive global supply. This way, travelers can book other components of their trip on the airline’s site, thereby increasing their earnings.

With the return of travel, it is crucial for airlines to provide complete booking experiences that foster customer loyalty in the long term. Thanks to this technology, travel service providers can integrate their loyalty programs and apply marketing strategies for intelligent growth. Additionally, travelers can rely on global support through live or virtual operators (based on their preferences).

A US airline company has been leveraging this solution; since May 2020, it has worked to enhance its offerings to travelers after the first wave of the pandemic. In the four weeks following the launch of this cross-selling strategy, the company recorded a about 40% increase in travelers adding a hotel at a discounted special rate to their flight (compared to the four weeks prior), despite the overall global booking volume being low during that period.

Based on data from Expedia Group prior to the pandemic, travelers who book packages or multiple travel products together on their sites are usually high-value customers: they book further in advance, travel frequently outside national borders, and spend more than other travelers.

Although available to partners since before the pandemic, models based on predefined templates became even more critical with the spread of COVID-19 last year. Recent industry research shows that in January of this year, US airlines operated at capacity levels of about 55-65% compared to the same period last year. Given this context, it is clear how cross-selling technology helps airlines increase demand during times of greatest need.

In general, the proportion of flight + hotel rates booked through Expedia Partner Solutions’ B2B technological solutions (both Expedia for Partners models and EPS Rapid API) increased by 15% in February 2021 compared to February 2020. This clearly signals that technology supports further growth despite the challenging period for the industry.

In such a difficult time for the industry, this innovative solution is one way Expedia Group continues to offer its partners support and opportunities. These include developing new tools, such as block flight cancellations with a single click, virtual operators helping travelers manage their bookings in case of itinerary changes, and finally, enabling airlines to clearly list their cleaning protocols on Expedia Group sites.