Kiwi.com claims multimodal first by interlining air and ground services

Multimodal search and booking has come into play at Kiwi.com, as part of a major expansion of the core product into new areas.

The online travel agency had initially worked on the premise of allowing passengers to book pairs (or more) of flights that were not traditionally connected through its "virtual interlining" platform.

This week it has added ground transportation into the mix, the company says.

Its portfolio of 500 airlines will eventually be joined by various forms of ground and sea transport, such as rental cars, rails, taxis, ride hail services, ferries and buses.

Initially, major bus operators (National Express, FlixBus, etc.) will be available for booking, followed by around 40 smaller, local operators.

Rail content will be targeted in the second phase, Kiwi.com says, with three large national rail operators and two low-cost-style providers 

All products will be bookable and will come with a guarantee: If any part of a journey doesn't work out, or is cancelled, Kiwi.com says it will book the customer an alternative trip to their destination.

CEO Oliver Dlouhy says the Kiwi.com service is different to other multimodal platforms in the market, such as GoEuro and Rome2Rio.

He adds: "We are the first global company to be able to offer a comprehensive inventory including flights and onward connections, all bookable online.

"We state specifics and join‐the‐dots by ‘interlining’ the various elements. We are not just a discovery tool; we indicate exactly what any chosen trip, routing and transport will cost and we suggest alternatives.

"We aim to be very transparent and really give the power back to the traveler for them to be inspired by the choices that we instantly display, enabling them to decide upon their preferred options."