Farnborough: Airbus to Launch A380 Booking Search Engine

Farnborough: Airbus to Launch A380 Booking Search Engine

LONDON — Airbus will launch a new online travel search engine this week, allowing passengers to search and book flights on the A380. The idea is to capitalize on and highlight the passenger experience benefits of booking flights on Airbus’ superjumbo, which are often configured with premium seating configurations and feature unique passenger experience features like a standup bar.

Airbus worked with 13 A380 operators to develop the website iflya380.com, and while the search will occur on the new booking site, passengers who actually want to book will be redirected to the site of the operating airline. The booking assistant is one of few locations (barring any online travel agency [OTA] powered by a service like RouteHappy), where passengers can view side by side comparisons of all 13 A380 carriers and the on-board services they provide.

The website displays an interactive menu of all A380 operators worldwide. (Credits: Chris Sloan)
The website displays an interactive menu of all A380 operators worldwide. (Credits: Author)

The model is simple, passengers can enter their departure and destination airports, dates, number of travelers, and preferred class. The engine will present any available flight options involving the A380 and the passenger will be taken to the airline’s booking engine in a secure transaction with a guarantee of the same price quoted on the website.

“As a global leading aviation company we are exploring new digital avenues and Iflya380.com illustrates this transformation journey.” said Marc Fontaine, Airbus Digital Transformation Officer. “Booking systems today do not allow the passengers to easily choose their preferred aircraft and we decided to fill that gap by easing the access to the iconic A380 aircraft for everybody.

For the first time, a booking service puts the aircraft type as the criteria for flight selection. This seamless experience is a win for Airbus A380, it’s a win for the airlines operators and it’s a win for the passengers.”

Chris Sloan reported from Farnborough and Vinay Bhaskara from Boston.

contributor
Chris Sloan is a curious human with far too many passions and advocations: a long-time aviation journalist, television producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur, photographer, businessman, drone operator, wanderluster, storyteller, and dad. On the side, he runs the webseum of commercial aviation, TheAirchive.net.

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