Evinta.IBE opens up multiple revenue channels for airlines

Evinta.IBE – a multi-channel booking platform –revolutionises the way in which airline tickets are sold by applying new technology on old sales channels.

Airlines have always provided richer functionality and better fares to Web customers. Why? Because they want to lure passengers away from traditional sales channels which are both expensive and rigid. Yet International Air Transportation Industry (IATA) statics show that over 50% of the world’s flights continue to be sold through travel agencies. These agents rely on global distribution systems (GDSs) to display and compare airline fares. These GDSs charge airlines up to $ 12.00 per ticket sold. This stupendous cost is forcing airlines to focus their attention on direct sales at the risk of abandoning their travel-agency-preferring customers.

But what if you could still use traditional travel agencies without paying heavy GDS fees? This is what Evinta.IBE sets out to do. It leverages in e-Technologies to distribute airline inventory and fares to all sales channels – airline website, call centre, direct sales offices and stations, IATA travel agents, non-IATA travel agents, corporate customers and    online travel agents (OTAs).

Evinta.IBE currently integrates with a host of central reservation systems. Hence it is able to access ticket fares and seats from where the airlines already publish.

Ability to “unbundle” the product is another defining ability of Evinta.IBE. Unbundling the ticket means that passengers can pay a basic price for the flight itself and then choose add-ons such as insurance, preferential seating, special meals and priority boarding. These ancillary revenues amount to $32.5 billion worldwide. Customarily, these services are made available only to the online booking public. But now, airlines on Evinta can offer a range of optional services and innovative products to travel agents and corporate accounts as well.

John Keells Computer Services (JKCS) which is a key player in aviation technology is the creator of this multi-channel internet booking engine.

“Evinta.IBE has earned its place in the aviation industry by its proven ability to cater to any airline of any size and nature,” said JKCS Chief Operating Officer J.C. Ekanayake. “33% of the world’s five-star airlines use Evinta Internet Booking Engine, along with number of other carriers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We power all new and traditional sales channel for these airlines. More than 1.5 million flights are booked through Evinta booking engines worldwide per annum. This bears testimony to Evinta’s ability to fully support airline business needs and revenue streams,” he added.

For a cost conscious airline industry, systems like Evinta are ideal since they do not involve high implementation investment costs. On a fully Internet based system such as Evinta, airlines can simply pay-per-use. With Evinta.IBE, airlines can achieve more than 30% reduction in annual costs. They can reduce staff costs, administrative costs as well as logistical overheads.

With its potential to embrace all passengers and buying habits, Evinta is an ideal distribution tool. It enables airlines to provide a fully-fledged customised Internet based airline shopping experience to all.

Instead of being pushed out of the picture by the Internet, travel agents can fully engage with airlines and even set-up their own network of sub-agents with different levels of commissions and service fees.

Since airlines are constantly on the verge of change and development, Evinta.IBE has broadened its arms to new trends to support them. Crew bookings, mobile booking applications, social media applications are some of the additions that are in the JKCS roadmap for Evinta.

Annual passenger numbers are approaching 3 billion, inviting more aggressive and intense competition from existing and future players. This makes the aviation industry one of dynamism, customer centralisation and consistent growth. For airlines today, increasing their market presence and their sales is of vital importance. Evinta.IBE ensures that its clients are two steps ahead: closer to novel technology with support to grow in line with the dynamics of the industry.