How visual content is reshaping flight shopping for travelers, airlines and resellers

The concept of customer-centricity in travel retailing has been a key notion for suppliers and resellers for years – initially in theory and in recent years in a growing number of innovations and implementations that have begun to permeate all sectors.

In hospitality, technology suppliers and brands have been collaborating to give guests more choices, for example, with attribute-based shopping functionality that enables guests to choose specific room attributes like floor and view when they make a booking. IHG, working with technology from Amadeus, has been one of the early adopters in this realm.

In the airline industry, one of the pillars of customer-centricity is rich content – giving flight shoppers a clear and visually compelling booking experience similar to what they are accustomed to getting from online retailers such as Amazon, where detailed product photos and videos are the norm. 

One of the earliest providers of rich content solutions for airlines was Routehappy, founded by Robert Albert in 2011 and then acquired by the airline-owned technology provider ATPCO in 2018. Today ATPCO counts more than 30 channels, including online travel agencies, metasearch sites, corporate booking tools and global distribution systems, with integrations of Routehappy’s Premium Universal Product Attributes, providing a range of detailed information in the form of images, videos, cabin tours and targeted messaging from 42 airlines. Additionally five airlines use UPAs in their direct sales channels.

A newer entrant into the rich content ecosystem is 3D SeatMapVR by Renacen, launched in late 2016 and now with more than 20 airline clients including Emirates, United, Etihad and Iberia using its solution to show customers a three-dimensional, immersive view of their aircrafts’ interior, seats, services and more.

The consensus from airlines and channels using these solutions is that they are seeing clear and quantifiable benefits of greater customer satisfaction, higher conversion rates and greater revenue.

“Customer engagement has increased quite a lot. The time customers spend when looking for a seat and at the seat map has increased, and the satisfaction scores have increased because customers understand it better,” said Juan Diego Mora, head of ancillaries and merchandising for Iberia, which integrated the 3D SeatMapVR solution about four years ago and is just starting to work with ATPCO’s Routehappy UPAs.

Mora would not share specific figures but said, “Sales have also increased of the more expensive seat types because customers can see the benefits of flying, for example, with extra leg room.”

Diego Cachero Rodriguez, founder and CEO of 3D SeatMapVR by Renacen, said on average his clients report that more than 20% of their users interact with the seat map tool and there is on average a 6- to 10% increase in conversion and sales of extra-room seating products.

Widespread adoption

ATPCO would not share details on conversions, but a survey it conducted last year also corroborates a potential revenue lift from visual content. Of 500 respondents, more than two-thirds said they would book a flight that is up to 33% more expensive if it is paired with visual content, as opposed to a cheaper flight with no visual content. And the improvement in customer experience is even more evident as ATPCO said its UPA content is available in 28 languages and with alt-text for visually-impaired consumers. 

“We are at an exciting inflection point,” said Chris Phillips, chief commercial officer at ATPCO.

“… our more visual UPA content is nearing 50% coverage. Channels are now seeing the financial and customer satisfaction benefits of delivering this content to consumers, and we are on track for another exceptional year of UPA integrations growth. If you are a regular flight shopper, whether on corporate booking tools or [online travel agencies], you will start to see more visual content with each flight search, regardless of where you are searching.”

Among the travel brands using UPA content are Expedia, Trip.com, Sabre, Amadeus and Spotnana and airlines including United and Lufthansa Group carriers.

Expedia launched the content in its mobile app seat maps late in 2023 and senior director of product management for air Connie Chung said they are already seeing results.

“We have observed increased engagement on our seat map experience in terms of travelers choosing their preferred seats while shopping on Expedia,” Chung said.

“... travelers have more relevant information on their hands before they decide to pay for a seat during flight shopping on Expedia. For partners, this is a great way to differentiate their flying experience by highlighting their seat amenities for travelers looking for the most comfort.”

And Sabre began presenting the UPAs to its agents more than five years ago and began distributing it to OTA customers in the first quarter of 2023.

“Rich content gives travelers increased transparency around what they’re getting, what the onboarding experience is like and what products and services are included with their ticket,” said Carsten Wick, Sabre’s senior director of product management.

“It gives agencies the opportunity to capitalize on cross-sell and upsell opportunities that drive brand loyalty.”

Spotnana’s travel partnership lead, Seth Anagnostis, said the ability for travelers to self-service is a key tenet for the company.

“There’s obviously some products that the traveler will understand best when you’re able to visualize that,” he said.

“You can look at structured data that says there is a lie-flat seat ... but that’s the type of thing that, until you can visualize that experience, it’s hard to understand what you are buying.”

Anagnostis said this type of solution is particularly valuable for a company such as Spotnana that is aggregating content from multiple sources - the global distribution systems, new distribution capability (NDC), low-cost carriers and direct connects – in a single booking flow. 

“In particular we are starting to see unique offers come from the airlines we plug into. These have a ton of value for the traveler and in some cases can be supplemented and enhanced where the traveler is able to better understand what the fare is and what’s included in it by seeing a bit more color behind it,” he said.

From optional to expected?

As airline shopping has moved beyond decisions based simply on fares and schedules, 3D SeatMapVR founder Rodriguez said carriers have come to realize the benefits of a visual representation of their offers.

“If you compare the cabins 20 years ago and today, the airlines are investing huge money, billions, in improving customer experience in the premium cabin … and it makes sense to make those investments in a proper way, with a true representation. But if you don’t display it in 3D, the customer may not understand what they are buying,” he said.

And said Mora, until recently the concept of ancillary revenue and merchandising was an optional strategy to gain a competitive advantage. Now, it is a must-do.

“Customer expectations have changed … and if you don’t do it, actually, it penalizes you and makes you much less competitive,” he said.

“That’s why airlines have evolved. The ancillaries and merchandising departments didn’t exist per se in many legacy airlines 10 years ago. … So now we have the right focus, and airlines that don’t focus on this are missing part of the game. You are leaving money on the table.”