Finnair signed a strategic IT partnership with Amadeus to support their vision for digital transformation. The goal is to maintain close contact with their customers so that they can tailor their shopping experience and make it as relevant and personalised as possible.

Finnair, Skyscanner and Amadeus join forces to boost conversion with Altéa NDC

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Travellers are reshaping how trips are bought and sold These new consumers shop from anywhere, on any device. Their decisions are based on transparent comparison and they want their purchase to be as quick and simple as possible.

Catering to this shopping trend, metasearch tools provide instant comparison at a glance, displaying the route/connections, total journey time and price of a wide range of flights. More and more travellers today rely on these tools to help them make their selection.

The challenge is that metasearch tools are based on a referral scenario: To find out more about an airline’s offer (What are the ancillaries involved? Is there an additional booking fee at the end of the flow? etc.), as well as to make a booking, you must redirect to another website such as an OTA or the airline.com. This interrupts the shopping flow and can impact conversion.

Thanks to Amadeus Altéa NDC, travellers can now have a better view of the range of airline offerings and book these offers directly in Skyscanner.

Context and challenges faced by the Airline

1/3of travellers use metasearch atshopping phase

*Source: PhocusWright; Amadeus estimates

70%of airline.combookings areintermediated*

What does Altéa NDC bring to Finnair?Amadeus Altéa NDC is the latest addition to Amadeus’ range of IT solutions for the real-time distribution of fares and ancillaries, as well as an additional option for airlines and online travel retailers wishing to implement assisted bookings flows.

A seamless extension of the airline.comSince the implementation of Amadeus Altéa NDC in January 2017, Finnair can now directly display and sell their offers - including flights, ancillary services – in the Skyscanner booking flow.

An opportunity to upsellWhat’s more, Finnair's customers can also upsell their Fare Families within this platform, displaying information on the price difference and the benefits of the recommended upgrade.

A smooth shopping experience, from ‘look to book’Travellers on their side, have all the elements at hand to assess and compare the true value of a ticket. Once they’ve made their decision, the sale can be completed without leaving the Skyscanner platform and from any device, including mobile phones*.

* the Skyscanner mobile app is available only in the selected markets where Amadeus Altéa NDC solution is currently deployed, according to Finnair’s strategy

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Altéa NDC implementation with FinnairIn order to support their digital transformation, Finnair decided to implement Amadeus Altéa NDC. This paves the way to distributing Finnair’s content directly to metasearch and travel retailers.

Finnair is piloting the solution with Skyscanner, one of the world’s leading metasearch sites.

‘‘As the world’s leading travel search engine, Skyscanner is the first comparison point for over 60 million monthly travellers and we’re always looking for new ways to create a more seamless user experience that ultimately boosts conversion for our partners. Our industry-leading Direct Booking platform offers a frictionless experience for travellers and enhanced results for carriers. We are confident that the latest integration of the Amadeus Altéa NDC will ensure that we stay ahead of the curve and continue to open up new and deeper partnership opportunities with airlines moving forward.”

Stuart Middleton, Commercial Director at Skyscanner

Taking customer experience to a next level: ö More elements to

make an informed decision

ö Quicker, with a smooth booking flow

ö More accurate: no more unexpected price variations when redirected

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Key ResultsSince the launch of Amadeus Altéa NDC in January 2017, Finnair has witnessed a steady upward trend in successful bookings in the markets that have implemented the solution. The airline closed the first semester with a 30% growth in bookings, while the click to book rating has jumped four points – from 8% to 12%.

With Amadeus as their IT partner, Finnair has been able to unlock additional revenues that they were potentially missing out on before, while bringing customer experience to the next level.

Improve Click-to-Book rating

from 8% to 12%

Increase bookings

30% growth* by end of 1st semester 2017

*Increase in adoption on SkyScanner connection

“Finnair is growing at record levels. In the next few years we will be investing in all our main channels. Amadeus Altéa NDC adds yet another option for our partners to sell the full range of Finnair content. Also, the NDC API allows us to work more easily with startups. Case in point: we were the host airline for the recent IATA Hackathon* in San Francisco.”

About FinnairFinnair is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland. From its Helsinki hub, the airline transports over 10 million passengers to over 60 European, 13 Asian and 4 North-American destinations. It serves over 110 destinations in 37 countries around the world in Asia, Europe and North America.

In 2016, Finnair’s revenues amounted to EUR 2,317 million – 78.4% coming from passenger transportation and 5.4% coming from ancillaries

Finnair is the fifth oldest airline in the world with uninterrupted existence. Its major shareholder is the government of Finland.

About Amadeus Altéa NDCAmadeus Altéa NDC (New Distribution Capability) is a IATA-certified solution which enables Altéa customers to distribute advanced merchandising offers to third parties. It supports end-to-end NDC booking flows, from shopping to purchasing, and provides “Offer & Order” management capabilities. Thanks to Amadeus Altéa NDC, airlines can differentiate their offer by deploying innovative capabilities (e.g. dynamic pricing, advanced personalisation) and transmitting rich product information (e.g. fare families, ancillary services, rich media).

Rogier van Enk, Vice President Distribution, Commercial Excellence & Data Science, Finnair *Held in August 2017 in Sillicon Valley