AirBerlin's Exquisite Program Lets Travelers Bid for Flight Upgrades
Laura McQuarrie — February 3, 2015 — Marketing
In order to give travelers a business class experience for the price of an economy ticket, AirBerlin is launching a fun flight upgrade program called Exquisite.
With Exquisite, travelers holding economy class tickets are able to state how much they are willing to pay for a seat upgrade, which will then go to the highest bidder. These changes happen 12 hours before departure, so that there isn't a last minute scramble happening. This is a clever way to create an easy in to the business class section, give travelers a taste of the kind of service they'll get by upgrading their seats, while freeing up more economy seats. AirBerlin's Exquisite service is new to long-haul flights and requires all travelers to enter credit card information at the time of bidding, although only winners are charged when the auction has come to a close.
With Exquisite, travelers holding economy class tickets are able to state how much they are willing to pay for a seat upgrade, which will then go to the highest bidder. These changes happen 12 hours before departure, so that there isn't a last minute scramble happening. This is a clever way to create an easy in to the business class section, give travelers a taste of the kind of service they'll get by upgrading their seats, while freeing up more economy seats. AirBerlin's Exquisite service is new to long-haul flights and requires all travelers to enter credit card information at the time of bidding, although only winners are charged when the auction has come to a close.
Trend Themes
1. Auctioned Flight Upgrades - Airlines could introduce auctioned upgrades for customers holding economy tickets.
2. Dynamic Pricing - Dynamic pricing could be implemented to let customers bid on flight upgrades.
3. Gamification in Travel - Gamification could be incorporated into travel industry promotions to encourage customer engagement.
Industry Implications
1. Airline Industry - Airlines could use auctioned upgrades to create new revenue streams and offer customers a taste of premium features.
2. Travel Tech Industry - Travel tech companies could use dynamic pricing technology to offer auctioned upgrades, providing customers with better deals and improving marketing efforts.
3. Hospitality Industry - Gamification could be incorporated into hospitality promotions to enhance customer experience and engagement.
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