Airbus has watched as airlines partner with Routehappy to showcase their differentiating features.
Now it is getting in on the action to ensure that travelers don’t overlook the differentiating features of its aircraft, particularly the A380 and A350.
Airbus has formed an alliance of airlines that fly its aircraft to help them create targeted merchandising content showcasing unique Airbus attributes.
The initial members of the alliance are Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.
Airbus now has its own branded Universal Product Attributes on the Routehappy Hub that can be displayed alongside those of alliance member airlines.
Among the distinguishing features of its newer aircraft, Airbus highlights seat width, personal space, inflight entertainment, connectivity and jetlag-friendly ambient lighting.
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 on which they will fly.
Despite this, Airbus believes passengers are given little information about the aircraft when booking their flights.
The UPAs also are now live on Travix’s CheapTickets websites in European and Asian markets.
They are also available on Webjet, Australia’s largest online agency, which recently found that displaying UPA’s could significantly increase conversion rates.
Travix, based in Amsterdam, operates 41 websites under five brands in 37 countries.
Its CheapTickets brand is displaying the Airbus UPAs in English, German, French and Dutch.
The UPAs will be available on additional sales channels in the coming month. Among them will be the Sabre Red Workspace, Sabre Travel Network’s travel agency desktop.
It's not the first time Airbus has marketed its aircraft directly to consumers. In 2016, it launched iflya380.com, a website that showcases photos by happy A380 passengers and includes a booking engine.