AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS, INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
IBS Software | February 15, 2023
On February 15, 2023, IBS Software, a travel tech company, released new survey data that shows a staggering 93% of UK and US customers would book more services with airlines if given the opportunity, presenting an enormous opportunity for airlines.
Following a difficult phase of travel uncertainty, passenger confidence in US and UK is on the rise, with 83% of respondents planning to purchase airline tickets within the next six months, according to the study. However, the research also indicates that airlines have failed to maximize this opportunity, with more than a third of respondents (36%) indicating that booking a flight online is more time-consuming and complex than other online retail experiences.
56% of recent flyers would purchase additional offerings from an airline if the online reservation and checkout experience were more like that of online fashion retailers and grocery stores. In addition, a tenth of the people stated that they would book the entirety of their vacation with their airline if they could.
Nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) believe that having all confirmation details in one place is the primary advantage of booking multiple trip components in a single transaction, closely followed by saving money (22%) and having only one provider to deal with in case of issues (19%). Converting a one-time buyer into a repeat customer is difficult for any company. Free seat allocation (51%), included baggage (60%), and priority boarding (25%) are the top services airlines could provide to convert passengers into lifelong customers.
Paul Byrne, VP iFly Retail at IBS Software, explains, "As more and more industries invest in Amazon-esque tactics to compete for consumer spend, it's important airlines don't pass up the opportunity on the table. It's always challenging transforming back-end technology but now is the time to build more personalised relationships with your customers - in a difficult economic climate, can you afford not to?"
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About IBS Software
IBS Software is a leader in providing SaaS solutions for the travel industry based in Singapore. It manages mission-critical operations for clients in the aviation, tour & cruise, and hospitality industries. The aviation industry solutions provided by the company include fleet & crew operations, passenger services, staff travel, loyalty programs, aircraft maintenance, and air cargo management. It also operates a B2B and B2C distribution platform that provides hotel room inventory, rates, and availability to a network of hospitality companies and channels. Additionally, it offers a comprehensive, customer-centric digital platform for the tour and cruise industry that includes onshore, online, and on-board solutions. IBS Software is a Blackstone portfolio company with 15 offices worldwide.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY, AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS
Breeze Airways | February 10, 2023
On February 09, 2023, Breeze Airways, a domestic airline, announced that it now works as a launch customer for Staqpay, an incentive-based online checkout platform, to offer additional rewards over payments with brands that customers desire.
This mutually beneficial online payment platform will reward Breeze customers with more than 50% BreezePoints on the base fare by selecting StaqPay, whether through ACH, credit, debit, or cryptocurrency, at checkout. In addition, it also benefits the merchants by saving them a considerable amount of money compared to any other typical payment processor.
StaqPay is a financial technology company offering digital payment solutions and money transfers within money collection services, disbursements, and e-wallets. It has the support of institutional investors like Pelion Venture Partners, Peterson Ventures, and Kickstart Seed Fund and the license of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Breeze Chief Commercial Officer, Lukas Johnson, said, "This is just a nice solution all the way around because it gives us the ability to reward our Guests while saving Breeze money on merchant fees. By helping reduce costs, StaqPay is supporting us in our mission of providing our special brand of high-flex, low-fare service. It's truly a win-win."
(Source – Business Wire)
StaqPay President and Chief Technology Officer Dee Evans said, "I can't think of a better launch customer for StaqPay than Breeze. Just as Breeze disrupted its industry by creating an entirely new category of air travel, StaqPay is similarly disrupting the online payments world by offering a new and innovative solution built to benefit both businesses and their customers."
(Source – Business Wire)
About Breeze Airways
Breeze Airways, an airline and aviation company, offers flights over about 121 nonstop routes between approximately 35 cities in 20 states. Since 2021, it has provided low-cost flights between secondary airports while avoiding hubs for faster travel. In addition, it gives booking, no change or cancellation fees, and about 24 months of redeemable flight credits with complimentary family seating through simple application interactions. It was named the second-best domestic airline in the United States by "Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards." It operates a fleet of Airbus A220-300 and Embraer 190/195 aircraft. Aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman founded it in Salt Lake City, Utah
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HOSPITALITY TRENDS
SkyTouch | January 13, 2023
Wrkspot, an innovative hotel operations app, has integrated with Choice Hotels' property management system - choiceADVANTAGE.
The integration is via SkyTouch Technology's cloud-based/CONNECT API platform, making communications and housekeeping management capabilities much more effective for the country's leading hotels.
Wrkspot has created a revolutionary software suite for hotel portfolio management by combining human resource management (HRM), operations management, and communication into a single app. As a result, the application frees hotel managers from the mundane tasks of managing and engaging staff, reducing costs and streamlining operations while enhancing compliance and safety.
With this new cloud-based integration in place, Choice-branded hotels can use their proprietary choiceADVANTAGE PMS to update the room status automatically. The automation allows the direct flow of detailed room information from choiceADVANTAGE to Wrkspot and eliminates the effort of downloading and transferring files.
The integration is also a breakthrough for Wrkspot and is expected to result in significant growth for the company. Choice Hotels, which manages over 7,000 hotels worldwide under its various brands, recently acquired Radisson Hotels Americas.
Wrkspot offers a training platform and a document management system, which are essential for hotels that want to go digital. It also lets managers take care of their hotel portfolios by allowing them to see what's happening in each hotel and compare and analyze trends across properties.
Raja Epsilon, Founder and CEO of Wrkspot, said, "This integration means that WrkSpot is now a more viable option for Choice Hotel-branded properties that want to use it." He further added, "The integration provides seamless flow of PMS data to the WrkSpot system, enabling real-time data sharing across housekeeping, maintenance and front desk. This enhances efficiency and fosters better collaboration."
Source - GlobeNewswire
About SkyTouch Technology
SkyTouch Technology offers a cloud-based hotel management system that enables hotel organizations to reach their most essential strategic goals i.e. to achieve growth, advance operating performance, and enhance the guest experience, all while adapting to changing customer demands. The company delivers insight and control of operations with real-time, actionable business analytics that can enhance the hotel guest experience, decision-making, and performance at the property, owner, and management company levels.
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