Business and group booking platform Engine has expanded its
flexible booking offering to include flights, citing the wide usage of the
feature with hotel bookings.
The platform, which claims use by more than 900,000
travelers, has offered both the Flex option—which lets travelers change or
cancel hotel reservations without penalty even if it's outside of a hotel's
policy window—and a
FlexPro option that offers that capability on a monthly or annual
subscription basis. Last year, Flex and FlexPro bookings accounted for 40
percent of total Engine bookings and totaling 70 percent of its total customer
spending, the company said. Those bookings have led to more than $202 million
in savings, Engine reported.
"Flex has become one of the most valuable tools for our
customers," according to Engine senior director of product Adam Tornquist.
"When plans change—and for [small and midsized businesses], they often do—our
customers know they’re covered."
Engine—formerly Hotel Engine—now has added a Flex option for
flights, having launched
flight and car rental booking capabilities alongside its original hotel
option last year. With that option, travelers can cancel flights, including
nonrefundable flights, up to two hours prior to departure and receive travel
credit on Engine. The option is available for most U.S. airlines and some
carriers outside of the U.S.
Engine originally introduced its Flex options for its
clients as an alternative to travel insurance, which can require several weeks
of waiting to get refunds. That "just isn't designed for how SMBs
operate," according to Tornquist. "With Flex for Flights, we’re
continuing to level the playing field, giving growing companies the same tools
and agility as large enterprises."