Skyscanner Enlists Finnair for Most Robust Airline Instant Booking Yet
Skift Take
As we've noted before, a lot of industry professionals argue that metasearch and online travel agencies will converge. Skyscanner's new way of selling Finnair's fare families may be a sign of trends to come.
Finnair is testing a booking technology that lets travelers use price-comparison company Skyscanner to buy flights and additional services while remaining on the Skyscanner website.
Some users in Germany see the tests, though it's not consistently available yet. Most other users worldwide of Skyscanner (recently acquired by China's Ctrip) will start seeing the option "shortly," the companies say.
The move is significant for the online travel industry. Most airlines now sell more than mere seats. They sell bundled products, such as a basic economy ticket that doesn't include a seat assignment or the right to stow bags in the overhead bin. But travel companies struggle to display these in an apples-to-apples way with tickets that come with lots of perks.
Skyscanner is standing out for being the first to display an airline's so-called fare families in a way that is both instantly bookable and easy to compare with other choices.
Skift tested the service by doing a search in Germany. Skyscanner's instant booking option was one of many listed to book flights on a particular day. The direct booking option wasn't the cheapest. But it stood out because its "button" was red, unlike the other options which were green.
The big news is that Finnair's fare families are displayed. By clicking the red button, we were offered Finnair's fu
