JetBlue Airways is pushing to grow non-flight bookings through a new platform created by its JetBlue Travel Products subsidiary.
The ByBlue platform, available now but undergoing further development, currently is geared toward rental car booking via its partnership with Avis Budget Group. When travelers book through JetBlue's website, they will get an offer for a car rental based on their travel plans. While airlines selling other travel services is nothing new, JetBlue Travel Products president Andres Barry said the ByBlue platform will differ by being "a highly personalized platform that does the work on behalf of the customer."
For example, customers traveling alone would get a primary offer of a certain type of vehicle that matches their past renting habits, while the platform might offer a sport utility vehicle if the ticket was booked along with their family. Once a traveler clicks on an offer, the ByBlue landing page fills in most information automatically, based on traveler details, travel dates and the destination, JetBlue Travel Products head of technology Ciprian Acatrinei said.
"From the moment they see an offer in their email, the majority of it is done in less than 90 seconds," Acatrinei said.
Unlike previous platforms, the offers also refresh within the email, so if the price changes from the time it is sent and when the traveler clicks on it, it also is updated within the message, Barry said.
In testing so far, conversion rates have trended 30 to 40 times higher than previous email marketing efforts, Barry said. About 80 percent are booking the top offer, Acatrinei said.
By the end of the current quarter, ByBlue should be "a more complete platform," Barry said, with hotel offers as well as travel insurance from Allianz on deck to be added. While it will have limited implications for corporate travelers booking through preferred travel platforms, he does see uses for business travel.
"It lends itself to that well, as it's a product that can read the signals and see whether they're likely on a business or leisure trip," Barry said. "We think there's huge potential there, especially with [small and medium-sized enterprises]."
The ByBlue travel platform is one of several ways the subsidiary, which has its own headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, aims to bulk up bookings via JetBlue. Purely on the leisure side, it has relaunched the JetBlue Vacations travel package offers, adding new perks such as change fee waivers, priority boarding, a support desk and "Insider Experience" with local greetings and assistance at select destinations. It also is looking to build a new group travel tool as well as a payment tool via a partnership with "a major financial institution," Barry said.