Travelport, a leading travel commerce platform providing distribution, technology, payment and other solutions, has announced Air India has signed up as the 50th airline for the company’s merchandising platform.

Travelport Rich Content and Branding is a highly progressive technology which enables airlines to more effectively control how their fares and ancillaries are visually presented and described on travel agency screens, bringing them more in line with the airline’s own website experience, a statement said.

The solution has received significant support and interest from airlines since its introduction earlier this year, it added.

When launched on Travelport Smartpoint agency desktops later this year, Rich Content and Branding will allow travel agents to access rich content and extended descriptions aggregated into their usual booking flow to better inform and encourage customers’ purchasing decisions around fares and ancillaries.

Speaking at the Global Business Travel Association in Los Angeles this week, Kurt Ekert, Chief Commercial Officer, Travelport, said: “We are extremely pleased with the industry recognition and support we have received on our Merchandising Platform.”

“The signing of fifty airlines for our Rich Content and Branding technology is a testament that our airline partners fully support and share our views on the way forward in how fares and ancillaries are presented to travel agents. Being able to leverage graphical content and providing a holistic brand experience will be a key factor for airlines to successfully differentiate themselves.

“At the same time, access to rich content allows travel agents to be more informative about product features and benefits, enabling them to influence customers’ purchasing decisions and increasing up-sell and cross sell opportunities,” Ekert added. – TradeArabia News Service