Routehappy and Expedia Help Flyers Find Happiness
Share
Routehappy, the differentiation-focused data platform for air travel, today announced their partnership with travel brand giant Expedia. The partnership entails full access and integration of Routehappy’s proprietary Scores & Happiness Factors API, allowing Expedia users to filter results by seat, amenities and speed.
“We think flyers need better information when they shop, and that airlines and distributors deserve a platform to supply it,” said Robert Albert, CEO of Routehappy.
In Routehappy speak, Happiness Scores are measured on a scale of one to 10 (10 being happiest), based on data from hundreds of sources that are continuously updated and validated. With the new partnership, Expedia users searching flights will now see RouteHappy Scores listed below flight information. In the example below, a flyer can decide between two flights on two different airlines within the same price range. In this case, the American Airlines flight is on a brand new 777-300ER, ranking it higher than the Air Canada flight listed above it.
The partnership will also allow Expedia users to quickly identify availability of in-flight amenities including Wi-Fi, entertainment, power and the newest addition, fresh food.
When asked which happiness factors carry the most weight with passengers, Albert highlighted the individual differences in passenger service preferences. “When my mother flies, she doesn’t care about leg room or Wi-Fi, she wants a great entertainment system. When I fly, I want Wi-Fi and short layovers,” Albert told APEX media. Albert did however acknowledge Wi-Fi as an important factor to monitor as we see more and more airlines becoming Wi-Fi equipped. “This factor will become performance-based rather than availability-based,” noted Albert.
So what’s next for Routehappy? Albert points to the launch of personalized data, a trend we are seeing pop up across the travel industry. But within the Routehappy realm, the trend towards personalization will not only apply to passengers, it will apply to airlines as well via Routehappy Hub, a tailor-made platform that allows airlines to distribute their unique product offerings across airline.com search results, digital advertising and distributor websites. “If you fly Hawaiian Airlines, they now let you ship a box of pineapples home for free,” said Albert and notes that these kinds of unique services are not always made clear to passengers yet add value.
“Routehappy’s products are focused on differentiation to benefit airlines, distributors, and flyers alike. We’re thrilled to be working with Expedia as they lead the next wave of flight shopping innovation.”
ˆ’Robert Albert, CEO, Routehappy
As passengers, we’re excited to witness this next wave of flight searching innovation as more choice in travel becomes the new normal. As airlines and vendors we have even more to be excited about, with collaborations similar to that of Routehappy and Expedia will offer new platforms for airlines to showcase the services they have invested in.