Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi government-owned airline, has entered into a long-term retailing agreement with US-based travel agency, Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO) to create and distribute UPAs (Universal Product Attributes) to all third-party distribution channels.
The long-term retailing agreement allows the airline to accurately, consistently, and visually exhibit its unique offers in its own brand voice and tone, in multiple languages, regardless of the channel where the flight is sold.
Etihad Airways provides world-class service and offers such as meals inspired by the destinations they fly to, business class suites with comfort and privacy, chauffeur service, and more.
A cross-functional team at Etihad has been working closely with ATPCO’s retailing team to create compelling UPA content that showcases amenities, features, products, and ancillaries’ travelers can expect on a particular Etihad flight while shopping on third-party channels.
Martin Drew SVP – Sales & Cargo Etihad Airways
“Etihad is focused on improving its distribution strategy to ensure its customers have the same rich booking experience on any other channel as they would have on etihad.com. Partnering with ATPCO means Etihad can create a single source of accuracy for its offers and products, and ATPCO can distribute this to the market on our behalf. Working with ATPCO’s talented retailing specialists who are creating this compelling content on Etihad’s behalf has meant that we can accelerate our digital transformation and increase ancillary sales.”
UPA content can be highly aimed by aircraft, cabin, route, time of day, fare, and more, giving passengers, as well as travel agents and their customers, time-sensitive and relevant content as they shop. UPAs bring unique airline fares, products, and services to life with messages, images, videos, and cabin tours.
The agreement will allow Etihad to create tailored and relevant offers and communicate its services more effectively with customers. The carrier has invested heavily in its product innovations and having the right product and offer to show up in flight shopping results, will let more customers view the benefits of flying with Etihad. Abu Dhabi-based Airways’ UPA content is now live on more than 40 sales channels, including Amadeus, Ctrip, KAYAK, and Flight Centre.
Ms. Ailsa Brown, Head of Sales and Partner Success, EMEA at ATPCO, added, “Evolving and modernizing the user experience for flight shoppers is a priority for ATPCO. Routehappy Content helps airlines differentiate their offerings in-flight shopping displays, ultimately improving conversion, upsell, and customer satisfaction. Having Etihad Airways onboard means they can now get their content to market in an omnichannel environment quickly and efficiently.”
