Mobile in Travel 2009
Travel Buddy White Paper

The objective of this white paper is to provide Senior Executives in the travel industry with the facts in respect of the ‘Mobile Opportunity’, to assist them in making an informed decision in the context of their businesses.

In brief this paper will provide the following:
• A basic understanding of the mobile sector
• Specific information on mobile issues that will affect the travel sector moving forward
• Practical examples of how mobile can be utilised across all sectors of the travel Industry

The information contained in this white paper will answer some of the more common questions asked by travel executives, such as:
• How should we view the ‘Mobile Opportunity’ strategically?
• Can it earn revenue for my business?
• How will it improve our bottom line?
• What do the terms WAP, SMS and Mobile Application actually mean?
• What realistically can we use it for…now and in the future?
• Do our customers want it?

Click here to download the full white paper

This solution implemented by Comarch is dedicated to frequent S7 passengers and will enable them to accrue miles and than redeem them for special flights and awards. This Program will offer numerous possibilities, such as automatic miles accrual for flights prior to enrollment, online retro-claims, recognition through elite levels and a wide range of interesting promotions based on various parameters including region, segment, distance, elite tiers and audience. The awards for airline and non-airline types will consist of tickets, upgrades to business class, business lounge access, hotel amenities, tours, product vouchers and other services.

Comarch Loyalty Management is an affordable, state-of-the-art and flexible solution designed to support not only the management of Frequent Flyer Programs but also the loyalty programs within various sectors. The CLM product is present in various segments such as: telecommunications, banking& finance, retail & FMCG and healthcare. Comarch has been developing this system for loyalty programs for the last seven years. Throughout this period of time, we managed to develop CLM according to the market needs and prove that our solution is capable of serving even the most demanding customers.

The Comarch FFP solution is a crucial part of S7 Airlines development strategy, enabling dynamic development of passenger databases, personalized communication with travelers, passenger loyalty growth and marketing activity efficiency magnification.

For more information visit Comarch online at:

http://www.comarch.com/en/press/news/trade/loyaltymanagement

Airlines, the New Sales Channel for just about Anything
Airlines have become virtual "flying stores," selling everything from travel/trip insurance and guidebooks to blankets and tours in order to generate ancillary revenues at every customer touch-point. At the same time, many suppliers and airline partners hope to capitalize upon this opportunity and work with airlines, and their "captive" audience of passengers, as a lucrative sales & distribution channel for their products and services. To address this hot industry trend, Airline Information brings you the "Airline Sales Channel Forum."

Airlines are also moving quickly to "un-bundle" by charging additional fees for many services traditionally included in the price of the ticket- from fees for checked bags and booking by telephone to fees for meals and seat assignments. Un-bundling, or a-la-carte pricing, permits airlines to more fully price their services based upon cost and allows them to maintain or even increase the revenue generated per passenger, despite falling yields caused first by high fuel costs and now by lower demand due to the economic crisis. The a-la-carte formula has been very successful for European Low Cost Airlines, such as Ryanair, which offer rock bottom low fares, but how can higher fare legacy airlines most successfully un-bundle? To address this growing phenomenon, Airline Information also brings you the "Airline A-La-Carte Pricing Seminar" in conjunction with the "Airline Sales Channel Forum."

Value-Added Services vs. A-la-Carte fees: What is the best mix to earn maximum revenues?
What can you do as an airline to profitably sell and market to your passengers from the time they start thinking of booking until after the journey is completed and beyond? How can you make ancillary sales which enhance your brand instead of leaving your customers feeling nickel and dimed by fees?

At the same time, airlines are earning huge revenues from a la Carte Fees. Track 2 of this event, the "Airline A-La-Carte Pricing Seminar," will therefore look at make how to implement a transparent and sustainable unbundled fare structure that will receive buy-in from your passengers and drive a-la-carte revenue for years to come.

Airlines are a challenging, but very attractive sales channel: This event will offer attendees from suppliers an understanding of the valuable airline sales & marketing channel and knowledge of how to work with airlines to bring your products to their passengers.

Premier Networking & New Level for Ancillary Revenue Generation: Airlines Sales Channel Forum and Airline A-La-Carte Pricing Seminar will offer all attendees the chance to meet and network with the widest range of professionals working in and with airlines to generate ancillary revenue, serving as the central "marketplace" of ancillary revenue and a-la-carte pricing ideas, products, services, and contacts, taking airline ancillary revenue generation to a new level!

Blue Air signs up to CarTrawler Distribution System

Press Release: Dublin, Ireland 21th September 2008 - CarTrawler today announces its latest deal with Romania’s leading low cost carrier, Blue Air. Blue Air, which will have access to CarTrawler’s entire distribution network (450 car rental suppliers in 17,000 locations in 135 countries), is the fifth North European airline to sign up to CarTrawler in the past four months following the leads of MyAir Italy, ClickAir Spain, Norwegian Air Shuttle Norway and Fly Nordic Sweden.

CarTrawler’s content will be integrated into all of Blue Air’s key consumer touch points from October 2008, enabling the airline to sell real-time inventory from all the major car rental suppliers (independent and branded) in the 25 Romanian and European destinations it serves (and beyond).

“A landslide of European airlines now clearly recognises that a multi supplier car rental model generates superior revenue to a single supplier model,” comments Robin White, Sales Manager, CarTrawler. “Blue Air is a pioneering low cost airline and has seen rapid growth since its 2004 launch. This deal with CarTrawler is another innovative step for Blue Air, and one which will generate significant improvements in their non-air ancillary revenue stream.”

Commenting on the deal, Gheorghe Racaru, General Manager of Blue Air says: “Ancillary revenue is a core part of our growth strategy, and car rental forms a significant portion of that. CarTrawler is the perfect partner to enable us to give our customers the right car rental options at critical points throughout the booking flow. We know this deal is going to make a real impact on our bottom line”.

Frequent Flier Credit Cards Generate More Than $4 Billion for Major U.S. Airlines

- A Report from IdeaWorks

Card issuers, such as American Express, Bank of America, Chase, Citi, and US Bank, are attracted by annual charge volumes estimated to be in excess of $337 billion. Frequent flier programs were launched more than 25 years ago as a tool to identify the highest revenue-producing travelers, establish regular customer communication, and enhance brand loyalty.

In today’s revenue hungry environment, airline management now places a greater demand on the profit-producing power of these programs. Airline marketers readily admit it’s difficult to fully quantify the loyalty effect of frequent flier programs. But you can be assured airline CFOs know the exact ancillary revenue produced from the sale of miles to the largest
program partners - - the card-issuing banks.

Click here to download the FREE Report

American Airlines Borrows Ryanair Fee Tactics
- An Ancillary Revenue Report from IdeaWorks

American’s recent implementation of checked baggage fees, which appear to have been accepted by passengers, will likely generate annual revenue in excess of $458 million. American Airlines broke with its brethren among legacy airlines when it announced on May 21, 2008 it would charge $15 for the first piece of baggage checked by passengers on US domestic flights. This second part of its “revenue growth effort”1 followed an earlier move when it announced on April 28 it would match other airlines by charging $25 for the second piece. The concept of “free” was relegated to the baggage heap of history; domestic checked baggage on American would now be assessed a fee of $15 for the first piece, $25 for the second, and $100 for the third bag.

Prior to these announcements, fees for checked baggage were only associated with low cost carriers such as Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Airlines in the United States, and Ryanair and easyJet in Europe. American blames “record fuel prices, growing concerns about the economy, and a difficult competitive environment” as the causes behind its unprecedented move. But these new fees merely support a continuing trend in which major US airlines are readily adopting an “a la carte approach” that assesses fees for services provided by an airline beyond the bare bones of a seat on a plane.

This approach is called “ancillary revenue” and it has long been the practice among low cost airlines in Europe and elsewhere in the world. IdeaWorks offers the following definition of ancillary revenue:

Click here to download the FREE Report

The Ancillary Revenue Guide 2008

Overview (50 pages)

• The Handbook of the Ancillary Revenue Movement

• Analysis of Worldwide Airline Activity with Latest Statistics

Best Practices (47 pages)

• Ryanair - The Godfather of Ancillary Revenue
• Allegiant Air - Viva Las Vegas and the King of Ancillary Revenue
• JetStar Clicks its Way to Ancillary Revenue
• Air Canada Changes the Fare Game with a la Carte Pricing
• SkyEurope Realizes a 172% Revenue Increase from its Enhanced Ancillary Revenue Portfolio
• Kulula Strikes a Unique Balance as a Low Cost Airline and South Africa’s Largest Online Retailer
• Delta Air Lines Takes a Major Approach to Online Sales

Executive Interviews (15 pages)
• Jan Lundborg, CCO, Air Baltic
• Sandra Lindala, Sr. Director, New Revenue Opportunities, Air Canada
• Chuck Jensen, General Manager, Delta.com
• Barry Biffle, SVP & CMO, Spirit Airlines
• Vincenc Marti, Chief Commercial Officer, Vueling
• Bobby Healy, Chief Technical Officer, CarTrawler

Vendor Guide (35 pages)

• Ancillary Revenue Vendor Guide