TravelPass and Cape Air team up on subscription travel
Press Release 19 September 2016
US-based Cape Air will be the first North American carrier to offer fully flexible subscription travel to its customers following the signing of a four-year contract with digital subscription service provider TravelPass in August.
Known for outstanding customer service, Cape Air chose TravelPass to replace their current paper-based ticket book system, not only to strengthen revenue management, but also to automate and digitize booking processes and open up for a higher degree of personal customization for a demanding clientele.
“We are always exploring ways to enhance digital interaction with our customers,” said Linda Markham, President of Cape Air. “We are a specialized company serving very unique markets, and our clients expect exceptional service from the time they decide to book a trip. We believe TravelPass will allow us to meet those expectations while helping us to strengthen our business model.”
“They liked what they saw initially,” says David Taylor, Senior Vice President for Business Development in TravelPass, “but they really started getting excited when they began to explore the possibilities that TravelPass functionality could offer, especially to build loyalty.”
Differentiating digitally
Taylor notes that airline loyalty strategies are fairly similar across the board. “By using TravelPass, Cape Air can set themselves apart by offering an improved digital interface to win over and retain customers,” he maintains.
A recent IBM Travel Experience Index study supports this strategy. IBM reported that customers value the quality of digital transactions as much as the physical. And while passengers are largely satisfied with the physical experience of flying, the digital experience is lagging behind.
“Travelers are less pleased by their digital experiences,” the report states, referring to airline websites, mobile apps and social channels: “The channels are less responsive than they could be, and are not easily personalized to specific traveler preferences. Airlines would do well to invest more time and resources into improving their digital channels.”
Which is just what Cape Air intends to do, says TravelPass CEO Svein Therkelsen: “They are going to take sophisticated digital personalization very far, everything from ease of use to customization. They are an innovative player and they will continue in that direction to improve their customers’ digital experience using TravelPass.”
TravelPass provides subscription travel technology to airlines, enabling them to offer prepaid trips, unlimited trips and pay-as-you-fly to their frequent customers. Travelers experience outstanding flexibility, and buyers enjoy cost efficient travel management.
Cape Air is one of the largest independent regional airlines in the United States. Cape Air has demonstrated its dedication to innovative thinking from its inception, with a dedicated feeder service model that has grown from three flights a day between Provincetown and Boston in 1989, to a fleet of 88 aircraft, 525 flights a day and nearly 700,000 passengers annually.
For more information contact David Taylor: dta@braathensit.com
