| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 15/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 5 |
| Copyright: Other |
Airtours makes mark on world of e-commerce
Airtours claims its new e-commerce strategy will revolutionise the industry. Linsey McNeill reports
AIRTOURS has unveiled its long-awaited £100m e-commerce strategy, which encompasses the Internet, digital TV, mobile phones and in-flight, on-board and in-hotel room entertainment systems.A global umbrella brand, mytravelco, will be used to sell Airtours products and those of its partners through these various electronic distribution channels.
Mytravelco is already the leading brand of Airtours’ recently acquired US travel distribution company TSI.
Mytravelco will be accessible from personal computers, digital TV, mobile phones, seat-back videos as well as in-room and in-cabin entertainment systems.
A mytravelco Web site will be launched in the UK this autumn and the mytravelco brand will replace the Going Places brand on the interactive digital Open TV channel.
Airtours has also done a deal to broadcast mytravelco services on TV via the UK-based Travel Channel and Travel Deals Direct.
Mobile phone users will be able to access mytravelco through the BT Genie service and the different technologies will be integrated so customers will be able to start transactions on one and finish them on another.
In addition to the mytravelco Web site, Airtours will launch a site next month to auction off late-availability holidays which will be an expansion of its Late Escapes brand. Lateescapes.com will also have a separate site, flycheap.com, to sell seats on Airtours’ European airlines by the end of 2000.
Airtours finance director David Jardine said the use of these new technologies could knock 5% a year off the operator’s distribution costs, giving it an annual saving of £25m.
Airtours chairman David Crossland said: “This is the biggest change in the industry in more than 30 years.”
To drive bookings through the new distribution channels, Airtours is launching a mytravelco loyalty scheme for customers to earn points to use for discounts on Airtours products.
Men in black: Byrne, left, and Crossland, right, with Airtours new media director Jonathan Hart
Airtours e-commerce strategy
n Mytravelco umbrella brand accessible via the Internet, mobile phone, digital TV and in-flight, in-room and in-cabinentertainment systems
n Lateescapes.com Web site to auction off bargain holidays and late-availability packages
n Flycheap.com Web site to sell seats on Airtours’ European airlines, offering services from 52 airports in the UK andcontinental Europe to 87 destinations worldwide
n Mytravelco shops with self-booking terminals, similar to Internet cafes
n Mytravleco loyalty programme through which clients can earn points on holiday bookings and excursions, which can be used for discounts on Airtours’ products and services
n A joint venture with the Bank of Scotland to provide financial services including a Visa credit card