Travel Buddy in new deal to sell services on board aircraft

Travel Buddy will be able to provide local guides to holidaymakers’ mobiles as they arrive in destinations thanks to a new deal to sell the service on board aircraft. Travel Buddy, owned by Mobile Trails and sold via travel agents as a mobile and text service, is offering the new service following a deal with GuestLogix,…


Travel Buddy will be able to provide local guides to holidaymakers’ mobiles as they arrive in destinations thanks to a new deal to sell the service on board aircraft.

Travel Buddy, owned by Mobile Trails and sold via travel agents as a mobile and text service, is offering the new service following a deal with GuestLogix, which provides retail services on flights.

Airline passengers who register for the service on board, via cabin crew’s hand-held terminals, will receive destination-related information such as events, attractions and theme parks, bookable via a call centre, when they disembark.

Travel Buddy commercial director Jason Rivolta said: “The ability to earn revenue from passengers while on board has always been a key revenue stream for airlines. The most exciting opportunity is that of a new off-board revenue stream for airlines that hasn’t existed until now.”

Travel Buddy currently works with TUI Travel, The Co-operative Travel, Disney, flythomascook.com and Monarch.

Earlier this year Travel Buddy launched a guide for travel agents on how to get more business using mobile phone technology.

More information:

* Travel Buddy launches agent guide on mobiles can increase sales (Travel Weekly, May 27, 2009)

* Fly Thomas Cook to offer text alerts through Travel Buddy (Travel Weekly, December 5, 2008)