Using JetBlue as a partner, app-only travel operator Hopper, which claims to be the third biggest online travel agency in North America, was able to complete its scheduling and financial technology offerings.
Hopper and Capital One Travel have entered into a new partnership, which they announced on Wednesday; as a result, you can now purchase JetBlue tickets directly from the Hopper app. Until recently, JetBlue flights were not available on Hopper.
Kiera Haining, head of Hopper’s airfares marketplace, described the cooperation as “a significant gain for consumers” in an interview a few days ago, and she also noted that finalizing the contract was a top priority.
Hopper aims to roll out its fintech offerings, such as its price freeze, to JetBlue flights when the airline is included. That way, clients may, for an additional cost, guarantee a certain fare for a set time period.
Skift confirmed that Hopper’s price freeze and JetBlue tickets were both available via Hopper’s distribution partner, Capital One.
Hopper advertised a one-day price lock for $17 or 1,700 miles on a $264 JetBlue return ticket from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic booked via Capital One Travel. For $44 or 4,400 miles, you may put your JetBlue ticket on hold for seven days with Capital One.
If the price of the ticket goes beyond $500, Hopper will pay the difference. To give you an example, if you paid to freeze the ticket at $264 but the price later dropped to $250, you would still have to pay the lower rate of $250, but you would not get a refund for the amount you originally paid to freeze the trip.
In a statement, JetBlue said that Hopper will help the airline attract consumers who aren’t located in its primary service areas or who wouldn’t normally book directly with JetBlue.
JetBlue said it was “thrilled” to work with Hopper because it would allow the airline to reach passengers in areas outside of its traditional strongholds. In order to guarantee the most accurate representation of our product, we only work with a select group of OTAs [online travel agencies] who share our commitment to quality.
“While nearly three quarters of JetBlue customers are booking directly through the airline, working with the right OTAs helps us reach travelers who may not automatically go to jetblue.com when they go to book a flight, or who may be less likely to consider JetBlue because we have a relatively small footprint in their market,” the spokesperson said.
JetBlue thrives in the New York City, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando, Florida areas.
Code-share schedules are included in the JetBlue material that Hopper must get under the terms of the agreement.
Hopper said that the agreement included “all JetBlue branded material, including codeshare content.” All flights promoted by AA, including those flown by B6, are available via our agreement (JetBlue). With their help, we’ll be able to provide more flights promoted to B6 customers.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed by either side. According to Haining, JetBlue found Hopper’s expansion plans to be appealing.
One of JetBlue’s, and other airlines’, main concerns is whether or not its schedules, rates, and content are being accurately represented by a third-party site. Hopper lists the many JetBlue fare types.
Global distribution system Marketing Information Data Tapes, which track airline reservations, show that Hopper has surpassed Fareportal/CheapOair to become the third biggest online travel agent in gross bookings in North America, behind only Expedia Group and CheapOair.
According to Hopper’s report, the company controls 9.7 percent of all third-party airline reservations in the United States, and revenues for 2022 (covering travel and fintech) are rising four to five times year over year, on course to exceed $4.5 billion. The total gross bookings for Expedia Group in 2020 were $72 billion to provide some perspective.
Through the relationship, JetBlue can market to younger customers, especially outside of the U.S. East Coast. In its airline roster, Hopper addressed a glaring void.
Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hopper-fills-gap-jetblue-partnership-063000674.html
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