The number of mobile barcoded boarding passes issued by the global airline industry is expected to grow from 280 million this year to 480 million in 2013, according to a new whitepaper from Juniper Research. (via MarketingCharts). In short, the global airline industry is expected to increase the number of mobile boarding passes it issues by 71% in the next two years.
For advertisers, it is another data point that suggests new – and atypical – online or mobile ad opportunities will becoming available as technology in this lucrative space continues to adapt to changing industry, economic and consumer trends.
Ryanair is already exploring new ways to target travelers. It is partnering with London-based Ink to sell ads on travelers boarding pass, targeting them based on demographics and his or her route - the ads will be from retailers at the airport of departure.
As travel becomes ever more digitized new opportunities will emerge, starting with mobile ads to accompany the anticipated 480 million mobile boarding passes expected by 2013. Also search is undergoing a major shift, which should open up new opportunities, as well as disrupt current models. Airlines such as American Airlines are leaving – or being asked to leave - the online travel agency sites, like Expedia, as they experiment with their own search models.
Meanwhile other sites, such as Kayak, are stepping up their search capabilities. Microsoft's Bing recent signed an agreement with it to provide Bing users with flight search and pricing data. Users who type the phrase "fly to…" followed by a city name into the Bing search box can pull up the lowest priced ticket to that destination. The feature is powered by airfare prediction technology from Farecast.
Meta-engines
These changes are not being lost on travelers, who are being advised to change their ticket purchasing search habits if they want to score the best deal. In the April 2011 print issue of Money magazine, writer Amy Chen advises readers to forget about shopping on online travel agencies like Expedia or Orbiz and instead “start your search on Kayak.com, Fly.com and TripAdvisor.com – meta-search engines that aggregate fares from a number of sources.”
With all the airlines pulling out of the online travel agencies – other examples include Delta’s severing of ties with CheapOair.com, Bookit.com – the meta-engines offer a more exhaustive search.
