Adjacency and custom zone rules enable airlines to quickly introduce flexible seat maps to ensure seat allocation is done according to physical distancing guidelines.
MIAMI – Farelogix announced that multiple airline customers – including a tier one U.S. carrier – are using the FLX Merchandise offer engine to support in-flight social distancing. The solution dynamically adjusts seat maps to ensure individual travelers are seated apart while on board a flight, while enabling flexibility for families traveling together.
“With our FLX Merchandise rules engine, we have always said ‘if you can dream it, you can build a dynamic rule for it’ and once again this is proving true,” said Jim Davidson, CEO of Farelogix. “To deliver the safest travel experience amid COVID-19, our customers are adapting FLX Merchandise to support an efficient approach to enabling safe physical distancing across a variety of seat configurations, on both narrow and wide-body aircraft.”
Airlines are taking advantage of FLX Merchandise’s adaptability to achieve social distancing in the sky, which goes far beyond simply blocking middle seats. Different “travel unit types” (i.e., family, single, couple) require flexible distancing logic in which social distancing rules may be relaxed under certain circumstances. Airlines can also easily modify rules, in real time, in response to fast-changing conditions or to adapt to particular origin/destination markets that may not require social distancing.
FLX Merchandise is delivered as an enterprise or cloud-based solution, and directly integrates with the airline’s technology stack or PSS. The PSS-agnostic engine enables airlines to create customized, dynamic product and service offers across multiple sales channels, including airline.com, mobile, check-in, kiosks, call centers, and travel agencies (direct or via GDS).
Over the past decade, the FLX Merchandise solution has helped airlines such as United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Emirates, and Etihad Airways generate billions of dollars annually in new revenues, delivering an ROI in literally days or a few weeks. Designed to be fast, flexible, and future proof, airlines are now using its capabilities for refundability rules, eligibility, zonal boarding, recovery, servicing support, and social distancing amid the pandemic.
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.
