Offering ancillary services via mobile at several stages throughout the journey

Dublin-based Mobile Travel Technologies (MTT) has introduced M2B Ancillaries, a new set of functionality for its M2B mobile travel platform.

Published: 10 May 2011

Dublin-based Mobile Travel Technologies (MTT) has introduced M2B Ancillaries, a new set of functionality for its M2B mobile travel platform.

The M2B Ancillaries module supports sales via iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and other downloadable Apps as well as via the mobile web.

With M2B Ancillaries, suppliers can sell ancillary services during the booking flow, during the check-in flow, while customers are viewing their bookings, and even, where appropriate, as completely stand-alone transactions.

According to MTT, travel suppliers can also use M2B Ancillaries to push SMS and in-App notifications alerting customers to deals, offers and customer service messages.

Functionality includes:

  • Meals
  • Additional Baggage
  • Seat selection
  • Rail tickets and ground transportation
  • Room upgrades and add-ons
  • In-destination activities (e.g. amusement parks, tours)

The company highlighted that overall ancillary revenues are expected to increase by 50% in the next five years, with up to 18% of travel suppliers revenues coming from the sale of ancillaries by the year 2015. Third-party ancillary sales are set to grow by 30% over the same period, and to account for 2.5% of total travel providers’ revenues, according to a recent Amadeus-Forrester report.

M2B connects directly to reservations systems as well CMS and even regular websites (transcoding). M2B combines a Write Once, Run Anywhere infrastructure with a fine hand-tuning presentation layer so that the user experience capabilities of each device and platform can be leveraged to provide an exceptional mobile experience, stated the company.

Airline’s perspective

Recently, in an interview with EyeforTravel, Fergus Boyd, Acting Head of eBusiness, Virgin Atlantic Airways, mentioned that service still leads the way on mobile. “Services offering mobile check-in and even mobile barcoded boarding passes are very popular as they put the customer in control and allow seat selection when the customer is on the move,” he told Ritesh Gupta. “Selling transactions on mobile are still the exception. They make sense for short haul trips where small amounts of money are involved but are less of an obvious advantage for long haul where the ticket price makes it a very considered purchase.”

“Mobile revenue shouldn’t be a key part of any airline’s strategy. First comes mobile servicing. Any up-sell revenues will be a bonus,” he said.

There have been several initiatives in this arena.

For instance, last year in October, S7 (a client of MTT) became the first airline in Russia to offer mobile booking for rail tickets. S7 Airlines introduced a new service for its passengers allowing them to buy tickets on their mobile devices for high-speed Aeroexpress trains between Moscow's Domodedovo Airport and Paveletsky Railway Station. An easy-to-use and simple interface allows the passenger to quickly buy an Aeroexpress ticket independent of the flight ticket.

Assessing such initiatives, Boyd said, “This is just a good ancillary sell option which helps a customer on the move so makes sense. Trying to sell non travel-related items would be seen as intrusive and unnecessary.”

 
 
 

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