…
GuestLogix Inc., the world’s leading provider of onboard retail solutions to the passenger travel industry, announced a strategic partnership with Mobiletrails Limited, UK’s leading provider of interactive travel guide and information services for mobile phone users.
GuestLogix will integrate Mobiletrails’ ‘Travel Buddy’ technology with its popular onboard retail transaction platform, enabling its airline partners across the globe, including Asia Pacific, to provide a new service to in-flight passengers. The addition of Travel Buddy to GuestLogix retail technology will underpin a new OnTouch initiative that the Company will announce soon.
Mobiletrails offers a unique, interactive travel expert, known as Travel Buddy via the passenger’s mobile phone. It provides travellers with local information specific to their destination. Those who register for the Travel Buddy service receive destination-related information regarding events, attractions, and other offers, via text messages and mobile internet. Once the integration is complete, this capability will be available onboard exclusively via GuestLogix’ retailing platform. It is expected to take off in Asia Pacific in early 2010.
“Travel Buddy provides a convenient and easy to use technology that, once integrated with our platform, will enable our airline partners to offer another service onboard that further enhances their passengers’ travel experience,” said Tom Douramakos, President and CEO, GuestLogix. “We believe that integrating with Travel Buddy can create long-term growth opportunities for GXI, as we become even more connected to the travelling public. We look forward to introducing this capability to our airline customers soon.”
“Our Travel Buddy service was developed in concert with the UK travel industry and tested with one of Europe’s largest integrated travel companies,” said Adam Winterflood, President and CEO, Mobiletrails. “We are excited to be working with GuestLogix to provide additional new onboard services, and are looking forward to expanding our reach to the more than one billion passenger trips annually that will soon be supported by the GuestLogix platform.”
Under the terms of the GuestLogix and Mobiletrails partnership, the two companies have entered into a revenue share agreement, details of which have not been disclosed.
With a well-established and sizable customer footprint (824 million passenger trips under agreement), GuestLogix has heightened its focus on its onboard merchandising service, OnTouch. The Company’s partnership with Mobiletrails is further evidence that OnTouch is gaining momentum.
OnTouch Ground Connections and Shopping & More services are already deployed on a test basis with a major US carrier, including some flights from the Asia Pacific region. While it is too early to provide any specific statistics, GuestLogix is encouraged by the initial sales results and signs of passenger acceptance and adoption. GuestLogix is also in discussion with most other US airlines about implementing OnTouch, and the Company believes that the Christmas buying season will provide a great opportunity to prove out the benefits of its onboard merchandising service.
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.
