Etihad Airways and ATPCO seal third-party airfare retailing partnership

Etihad Airways and ATPCO seal third-party airfare retailing partnership

Content is now live on 40 sales channels including Amadeus, Ctrip, KAYAK, and Flight Center

by Avery Ketcherside

Etihad Airways has agreed a long-term retailing deal with airline and travel industry fare distributor ATPCO.

The partnership allows the airline carrier to use ATPCO UPAs (Universal Product Attributes) in all third-party distribution channels.

Etihad Airways’ UPA content is now live on more than 40 sales channels, including Amadeus, Ctrip, KAYAK, and Flight Center.

ATPCO said it also supports Etihad to communicate its brand voice and tone in multiple languages regardless of the channel in which the flight is being sold.

UPAs provide time-sensitive and relevant content for airline fares, products, and services with messaging, images, videos, and cabin tours designed specifically for carriers.

A cross-functional team at Etihad has been working closely with ATPCO’s retailing team to create UPA content for the carrier that showcases what customers can expect on particular Etihad flights while shopping on third-party channels.

Martin Drew, senior vice president of sales and cargo of Etihad Aviation Group, said: “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.”

Ailsa Brown, head of sales and partner success of Europe, Middle East, and Africa 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 omni-channel environment quickly and efficiently.”