Spanish agencies are among the first in Europe in the sale of complementary services
The purchase of ancillary services in travel agencies continues to grow in our country, specifically 60% more compared to the first half of 2016, according to Amadeus Spain. This percentage places Spanish agencies at the head of Europe in the purchase of ancillaries, behind only the Scandinavian countries, Germany and France.
Spain is also the country where most airlines offer this type of service through online and offline travel agencies. Specifically, 69 airlines allow the check-in of additional pieces of luggage; 68 companies offer seat reservations; 42 allow the transport of pets; and 27 offer the possibility of booking in-flight meals. In addition, 36 lines provide for the travel of unaccompanied minors and 51 for the transport of sports equipment.
The services most requested by travelers are, in this order, the selection and reservation of seats, the transport of luggage and the service for accompanying minors. There was a particular increase —— in relation to the data for the same period of the previous year— the transfer of sports equipment (bicycles, skis, golf equipment, fishing rods, surfboards and snowboards) and the purchase of meals on board.
According to Ludo Verheggen, director of marketing at Amadeus España, “the notable increase in the percentage of bookings made by travel agencies that include at least one complementary service confirms the indirect channel's efforts to offer increasingly personalized experiences to its customers”.
GLOBAL FACTS
Globally, and at the close of June 2017, 130 airlines have contracted Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services to sell their ancillary services in travel agencies (Malaysia Airlines and Middle East Airlines are some of the most recent ones), and 101 have already implemented the solution. By the end of 2016, two-thirds of worldwide bookings processed through Amadeus offered the option of being accompanied by an ancillary service.
On average, each airline usually offers four additional services, although some companies, such as TAP Portugal and Air Caraibes, offer more than a dozen different types of ancillary services to their customers, with Niki and Czech Airlines offering up to nine. Some 30 companies have more than five services that can be incorporated into flight experiences.