Press Releases

The inclusion of seat fees in President Biden’s recent State of the Union address strongly suggests it is time to review the state of assigned seating fees. The $4.2 billion estimate covers the assigned seat fee revenue generated by eight key US airlines (Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit, and United) for their US domestic networks in 2022.  Airlines Assign Big Revenue Priority to Seat Selection was issued today as a 15-page report. It includes the results of booking queries conducted at six US airlines to sample the range of assigned seating fees from the back of the cabin to the preferred zone in front. Methods used by American and Spirit are featured to show distinctions between global network airlines and low cost carriers.

CarTrawler 2022 Global Estimate of Baggage Fee Revenue reveals 39% increase from 2021 figure of $20.9 billion.   IdeaWorksCompany, the foremost consultancy on airline ancillary revenues, and CarTrawler, leading global B2B provider of car rental and mobility solutions to the travel industry, recently estimated ancillary revenue at $102.8 billion worldwide for 2022.  This CarTrawler Global Estimate of Baggage Fee Revenue identifies baggage as a $29 billion component and provides a summary of baggage fee policies for 20 top airlines.  Baggage fees are now a regular revenue source for airlines in Europe, North America, and Latin America. For global network carriers, these are typically associated with “basic economy” fares; for low cost carriers, baggage fees are typically charged to all consumers.

Click here to download the color graphic referenced in the press release (free to use).

IdeaWorksCompany identifies eight ideas by airlines all over the globe:  AirAsia, Cathay, Delta, easyJet, Eurowings, Emirates, Jetstar, United.  The desire to do something new, better, or unique, will almost always create disruption for competitors. Better yet, innovation can also be designed to please passengers and boost revenue. This is something the eight airlines featured in the latest report sponsored by global travel tech provider CarTrawler already know. Airline Revenue Innovations: A Global Sample of the Coolest Products and Services describes how the carriers in the report are reinventing their services to be distinctive, more profitable, and industry leading.

Cashiers and clerks just take customer orders. True salespeople identify the individual needs of a customer, and do their best to provide a solution. This is something the six airlines featured in the latest report sponsored by global travel tech provider CarTrawler already know. The 12-page Booking Path Magic Converts Consumers report describes how the carriers in the report are enhancing the capabilities of the booking path by making them more responsive to consumers.

CarTrawler sponsored research reveals US & Canada airlines grabbed 38.3% of global ancillary revenue and 66.5% of frequent flyer and commission-based revenue.  The US & Canada edged ahead with a larger share of global ancillary revenue from last year’s result of 37.1%, with a robust gain of nearly $15 billion. The recovery of long-haul traffic for Europe’s airlines helped the region replace Asia/Pacific for the 2nd slot with a $9.7 billion jump over the 2021 estimate. This year’s release includes a first-ever estimate of the global revenue provided by frequent flyer programs and commission-based activities. At $36 billion, this new statistic represents a meaningful 35% share of the $102.8 billion ancillary revenue estimate for 2022.

IdeaWorksCompany identifies the ancillary revenue methods of 10 brave pandemic-era startups in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the US.  New airlines compete by identifying customers who are not well served by larger and established carriers.  This is the secret to surviving as a start-up airline: find an underserved market and apply all the youthful passion and nimble moves you can muster.  That’s how these 10 low cost carriers hope to flourish in a post-pandemic era: Air Premia, Akasa Air, Avelo Airlines, Breeze Airways, Flyr, LIFT, Lynx Air, Norse, PLAY, and Vietravel Airlines.  World’s Newest Airlines Embrace Ancillary Revenue at First Flight is sponsored by global travel tech provider CarTrawler and reviews the ancillary revenue efforts of ten airlines that leapt through challenging hurdles during the pandemic.

The CarTrawler global estimate reveals the “double benefit” of ancillary revenue; it provides needed income for airlines and delivers overall lower costs for consumers.  CarTrawler, the leading provider of online car rental distribution systems, and IdeaWorksCompany, the foremost consultant on ancillary revenue, project airline ancillary revenue will increase to $102.8 billion worldwide in 2022, compared to $65.8 billion in 2021 and the $109.5 billion record of 2019. The CarTrawler Worldwide Estimate of Ancillary Revenue represents an increase built upon a 2022 passenger jump, with consumer support for a la carte services and co-branded credit cards showing gains.  The ancillary revenue method represents a powerful airline retail system. The base fare will fluctuate as determined by supply and demand, while the ancillary revenue components provide a layer of stability in the topsy-turvy world of a global business.  The press release offers six consumer-oriented strategies which represent best practices for airline practitioners.  In addition, ancillary revenue data from the last 10 years is provided in two tables in the press release.

Click here to download the two graphics from the press release (free to use).

The 2022 edition of the CarTrawler Yearbook of Ancillary Revenue by IdeaWorksCompany, released today, describes the 2021 ancillary revenue activities and results for 75 airlines. The gradual waning of the pandemic during 2021 – with passenger traffic improving 27.8% above 2020 – lifted ancillary revenue results for all categories of airlines, all over the world. Average ancillary revenue per passenger was $29.96 among 75 airlines disclosing results for 2021. This is an $8.42 increase from the 2019 pre-pandemic result of $21.54 per passenger, the last year that offers a relevant comparison. For the past two years, ancillary revenue has yielded amazing cashflow for airlines. Consumers benefit from a la carte products and the choice of minimum price or maximum convenience. The billions in revenue realized by the 75 airlines included in this yearbook may well represent the difference between a difficult survival or disappearance from the route map of the global airline industry.

Click here to download a graphic of the top 20 ancillary revenue carriers (free to use).

The Yearbook of Ancillary Revenue is now available for sale in the store.

Allianz Partners, a global leader in travel protection and consumer specialty insurance, and IdeaWorksCompany, the foremost consultant on ancillary revenue, have released the first edition of The Allianz Partners Big Book of Travel Data by IdeaWorksCompany.  This new publication, which expands on IdeaWorks’ former Big Book of Airline Data, provides a world of industry data for airlines, hotel groups, car rental companies, and online travel agencies, and is collated by alphabetical order, size, region, and more.  The 110-page “Big Book” is available free of charge via download at AllianzPartners.com and IdeaWorksCompany.com. The compilation of data allows for interesting comparisons; here is the list of revenue leaders in each category in 2021:

• $78 billion for OTAs: Trip.com Group (gross bookings). China-based company operates the Ctrip, Skyscanner, Trip.com, and Qunar websites.
• $39.7 billion for hotels: Marriott International (estimated room revenue).
• $29.9 billion for airlines: American Airlines (company revenue).
• $23.9 billion for car rental: Enterprise Holdings (company revenue). The company operates the Alamo, Enterprise, and National brands.

The Big Book of Travel Data is now available for sale in the store.

From global network airlines to low cost carriers, baggage is the top a la carte revenue performer.  The latest report from IdeaWorksCompany describes innovations focusing on carry-ons, baggage check-in, and booking path displays.  Fees for carry-on bags are the latest development in the global quest for ancillary revenue.  Low cost carriers have always led the way here and this encouraged more and more traditional airlines to adopt fees.  The 20-page report includes better baggage business examples from these carriers:  Aer Lingus, AirAsia, Air France, American, Delta, EasyJet, Frontier, JetBlue, Jetstar, Qantas, Ryanair, Spirit, United, Volaris, and Volotea.