Selling Smarter in Difficult Times
Henry Canaday,
Mother Nature and national governments had more to say about passenger traffic than anything airlines could do in the past year. But virus-limited travel still presents the opportunity for both travellers and airlines to make the best of a bad situation. After all, if you are getting on that airplane during a pandemic, why not enjoy yourself while you are at it? The smartest airlines picked up some not insignificant change by helping adventurous travelers do just that, with ancillary products and services.
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PROS Principal Surain Adyanthaya says ancillaries have become a regular and increasingly important part of the revenue management strategy. “They are growing, and I don’t see them slowing down.” He says most carriers are now looking at total revenue and dynamic offers, many through IATA’s new distribution channel (NDC).
And PROS itself is investing in helping airlines create and manage bundles of ancillaries for each passenger segment. “Fare families are getting more intelligent,” Adyanthaya says. “AI is good at segmentation and determining which initiatives are doing well.”