Carriers in dynamic, growing region could benefit from dynamic travel options
Optiontown, the leading provider of dynamic travel options, and the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), which represents 27 airlines, have announced a partnership that will benefit airlines and their customers alike. At its recent annual general meeting in Abu Dhabi, AACO welcomed Optiontown as an official “industry partner,” further solidifying an interest that Optiontown has long taken in the region.
Optiontown, which helps airlines generate additional revenue by offering seating options that delight consumers, has 11 partner airlines, including several that serve the Middle East and North Africa and have experienced particular success in these markets.
“AACO is an ideal partner to support our endeavor to bring innovative technology to the region,” Optiontown Founder and CEO Sachin Goel said. “Education of the airline teams is key to creating long-term value for our airline customers. I am convinced this cooperation will provide great value to Optiontown and all the member airlines.”
Through the partnership, Optiontown will help bring the science of “concurrent optimization” to the region. The company will provide training and coursework to AACO member airlines’ executives and staffs so that they can benefit from “post-purchase revenue management” – that is, the ability to further satisfy customers’ unmet desires, in a way that pleases them and is profitable for the airline, after their basic travel booking needs have been met.
“Our diverse membership includes airlines from small flag carriers to global giants, but they all share one thing in common,” AACO Secretary General Abdul Wahab Teffaha said. “That is the desire to continue enhancing their businesses, but only in ways that please their customers. Optiontown offers a suite of services that can enable them to achieve that goal.”
Almost every customer would love an upgrade to business class or at least the promise of sitting next to an empty seat should one be available, and Optiontown’s patented system enables airlines to offer these benefits with virtually no up-front investment, translating to a new and profitable revenue stream upon implementation.
About AACO:
The Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), established in 1965 within the framework of the Arab League of States, is the regional association of the Arab airlines who have their home base in country members of the Arab League. AACO serves the Arab airlines, representing and defending their common interests regionally and globally, through creating joint frameworks that aim at developing economic and safe operations of its members. AACO has 27 Member airlines: Air Arabia, Afriqiyah Airways, Air Algerie, Air Cairo, EgyptAir, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Felix Airways, Gulf Air, Iraqi Airways, Jordan Aviation, Kuwait Airways, Libyan Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Nouvelair, Oman Air, Palestinian Airways, Qatar Airways, Rotana Jet Aviation, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sudan Airways, Syrian Arab Airlines, Trans Mediterranean Airways, Tunisair, Yemen Airways. Overall, AACO member airlines offer 2,714 daily flights to 300 airports in 97 countries.
About Optiontown:
Optiontown pioneered the field of “post-purchase revenue management,” enabling its 11 partner airlines to monetize even unsold seat inventory in a way that delights their customers. Its current suite of services includes: the upgrade travel option (UTo), which enables economy customers to upgrade to business class; the empty seat option (ESo), which enables customers to secure any empty economy seats next to themselves; and the flexibility reward option (FRO), which enables airlines to automatically shift customers from oversold to lower-demand flights in exchange for pre-agreed compensation. Optiontown, which was founded based on years of research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) near Boston, holds more than a dozen patents around the world, with many more pending. Its airline partners are: Aeromexico, Air Baltic, Air India, AirAsia X, Arik Air, Blue1, Kingfisher, Malaysia Airlines, Malév, SAS, Spanair.