EasyJet chooses CarTrawler as exclusive car hire supplier

Carrier to retain Europcar as media partner in industry first

Travel technology firm and car hire aggregator CarTrawler has been appointed the exclusive supplier of car rental product to budget carrier easyJet.

The four-year deal comes as easyJet relaunched its Holidays division, offering its customer the chance to create their full trip on their website and app.

CarTrawler said easyJet will be able to expand its car rental offering to a broader range of customers with more choice across destinations, rentals and providers.

EasyJet has integrated the CarTrawler car rental marketplace to provide an improved customer experience.

CarTrawler will now completely oversee all online car rental services for easyJet as part of their biggest deal in recent years.

In an industry first, however, easyJet will retain Europcar as its media partner.

This was described as an “innovative tri-partnership with CarTrawler that sees Europcar advertising promoted to passengers across easyJet touchpoints both on and offline”.

Aileen McCormack, chief commercial officer at CarTrawler, said: “This new partnership is the biggest deal we have signed in the past four years.

“It underlines the scale and pace at which CarTrawler is operating, and is fantastic news for the millions of customers who fly with easyJet each year.

“Smart innovation and a superior customer experience are at the heart of everything we do, so it makes sense for CarTrawler to partner with a sophisticated, forward- thinking airline like easyJet.

“At CarTrawler, we are heavily invested in the future of travel through our intelligent use of data-driven insights and cutting-edge technology.

“This partnership is yet another example of how we are transforming the travel marketplace, building brand loyalty and giving customers what they want, when they want it.

“We are the only B2B mobility platform that provides end-to end connections to every significant mobility provider globally.

“Our SmartBlock technology is the most advanced retailing technology in the market. I couldn’t be more delighted that we can now offer these benefits to easyJet, an airline that flew over 90 million passengers in 2019 across almost a thousand routes out of 156 European airports.”

Andrew Middleton, commercial director at easyJet, added: “We’re excited to bring to the market our new partnership with CarTrawler because it’s essential to offer the best range, quality and value through a seamless digital experience for our customers.

“We’re also proud to be extending our fifteen year relationship with Europcar through a new media partnership that will see Europcar, as our preferred supplier, promoted across our passenger journey at key moments across the year.

“easyJet and CarTrawler are one step ahead of the competition, and I’m excited to see what we can do together over the course of our partnership.”

CarTrawler was chosen after a competitive tender involving some of the biggest names in travel tech globally.

The Dublin-based firm claims it has significantly grown market share for each of its European airline partners.

McCormack stated: “CarTrawler was chosen due to our unsurpassed, global travel technology expertise. We always consider our partners’ core requirements, building B2B customised solutions, not re-skinned B2C offerings.

“Our work maximises market share, and in turn revenue for our partners by building their brands, not our own.”