Duffel raises additional $30M to launch new distribution platform

Fresh off its $21.5 million fundraising round in June, London-based startup Duffel has raised an additional $30 million in a Series B round led by Index Ventures.

Previous investors Benchmark and Blossom participated in the round, resulting in a total of $56 million raised by Duffel.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2017, Duffel has developed a distribution platform for online travel companies and corporate travel bookers aimed at simplifying the process of booking a trip directly with airlines’ reservation systems.

The company says its API can “pull real-time flight offers, make bookings, access live seat availability, and buy extra services” such as in-flight meals or luggage allocations.

After previously operating in stealth mode, the platform is now officially live with American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa Group, Aegean Airlines, Vueling and Iberia on board.

Says Steve Domin, co-founder and CEO of Duffel: “A new breed of online agencies want to access reservation systems quickly and seamlessly.

“By reinventing the underwiring between online agents and airlines we can transform the world of travel booking and reduce barriers to entry for innovative new companies that are offering travelers a whole new way of creating a holiday or trip.”

Duffel says that it will use the new funds to hire more engineers and to expand into new markets.

Jan Hammer, partner at Index Ventures, says: “We are incredibly impressed by the Duffel team, who we have supported since the days of their seed funding.

“There is an opportunity here to transform the booking experience for travelers and ease many of the pain points in the industry. From the launch of budget airlines to sharing economy businesses like Airbnb, travel has changed and Duffel will provide the tools, built from the ground up, that make the next wave of innovation possible.”

The platform also incorporates New Distribution Capability (NDC), the standardization initiative set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which seeks to improve content distribution limitations.

Says Olivier Hours, head of industry distribution programs adoption at IATA: “One of the objectives of the NDC standard is to foster innovation and competition in the distribution landscape. 

“Duffel represents both, and we identified them as a key player in the marketplace as they can contribute to accelerate volume growth, in particular by connecting new types of sellers.”