CX, EK, LH and SQ Join Airbus Routehappy Alliance

Airbus has teamed up with Routehappy, a merchandising content platform for flight shopping, to accelerate the transformation of flight shopping from what it describes as “commoditized to differentiated”.

The Airbus Routehappy alliance will help airlines create more compelling, targeted merchandising content showcasing specific Airbus offerings such as seat width, personal space, inflight entertainment, connectivity, and jetlag-friendly ambient lighting when searching for flights on all sales channels.

Four of the world’s leading carriers: Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Lufthansa Group and Singapore Airlines have already joined the Airbus Routehappy alliance.

Airbus’ Head of Market and Product Strategy, Bob Lange, said,“Study after study shows the ever-growing importance of the inflight experience for the more than 3.5 billion people who travel by air every year. In a 2016 survey Atmosphere Research Group found that 53% of leisure passengers and 61% of business passengers pay attention to the type of aircraft they will fly on. And yet passengers have little information to go on when booking their flights. Finally this is changing.”

Airlines participating in the Airbus Routehappy alliance will receive support in their use of Routehappy Hub, a powerful content management platform that creates and distributes targeted airline merchandising content across sales channels. UPA (Universal Product Attribute) is a standardized content type in Routehappy Hub that differentiates airline product offerings with rich descriptive and visual content.

“As airlines differentiate, so does flight shopping. Flyers need better information to navigate ever changing options, and the industry needs a platform that helps them showcase the products they offer,” said Robert Albert, CEO at Routehappy. “Our alliance with Airbus provides airlines an added incentive to create and distribute rich content that is becoming a key feature in how we shop for flights.”

The key requirement for airlines participating in the alliance is the inclusion of “branded UPAs” highlighting Airbus A380 and A350 XWB product features among the airline’s selling points.

“This is a fantastic initiative that will empower passengers,” said Paul Starrs, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Global Sales. “We will be delighted to showcase the on-board service and comfort of our world-leading A380 fleet to the flying public in this innovative way.”

Airbus branded UPAs are being integrated into leading sales channels for launch soon. The Airbus and Routehappy program is expected to expand to additional airlines and Airbus aircraft later this year.

“Airbus builds the most modern, comfortable aircraft family. Aircraft such as the A350 XWB stand out because of their quiet, climate controlled interiors and offer each passenger more space due to their extra-wide cabins and unobstructed foot space,” Bob Lange added. “Leading airlines have invested heavily in their inflight services, cabin comfort, and the overall passenger experience. From now on, passengers will be able to visualise, choose and reap the benefits of this new generation of aircraft and cabins whenever they fly.”

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