In an effort to drive sales on unsold Premium Economy and Business Class seats, Vistara partners with Plusgrade to launch their new upgrade program, Vistara Upgrades.
MONTREAL – Plusgrade, a leader in ancillary revenue and merchandising solutions for over 70 airline and cruise operators, announced they’re powering the new Vistara upgrade program, Vistara Upgrades. With the business travel expected to take longer to bounce back, and leisure travel becoming the clear recovery driver, Vistara's new upgrade program aims to leverage the higher capacity in superior cabins as an added benefit to their passenger experience.
This new partnership is a pioneering example of airlines expanding ancillary offerings as a way to offset revenue losses experienced in 2020. Finalized during a time of uncertainty, the resilience of this collaboration speaks volumes about the power that a great ancillary program can have and provides insight into how the industry plans to rebuild strength in the coming months.
“Vistara’s new upgrade program is expected to play a major role in building passenger confidence and loyalty in the long term. With support from Plusgrade, more passengers will have access to the personal space, comfort, privacy and high-end service that come with a Premium experience,” shares Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer at Vistara. “These are all things that our travelers are looking for as they consider returning to the sky.” Backed by over 10 years of accumulated learning and data from the industry, Plusgrade’s program offers a set of dynamic tools that airlines of all sizes are leveraging today to address fluctuating inventory and passenger expectations.
“We help our airline partners ensure, as the door on the aircraft closes, they’ve captured every possible dollar by merchandising travel experiences, while also increasing passenger loyalty and satisfaction by providing their passengers with the best journey,” says Chris Engle, CCO of Plusgrade. “We are thrilled to have Vistara join our community and expose more passengers to the incredible premium experiences onboard a Vistara jet”.
Vistara’s upgrade program key features:
- Passengers can select whether to upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy or Business Class through an online portal
- Travelers will be able to take advantage of Plusgrade’s full suite of offer submission
- options: bid for upgrades and instant upgrades
- Eligible passengers will be alerted of the opportunity to upgrade via targeted emails
- Additional touchpoints, like web check-in and mobile app invites, are planned to be released following the launch.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
