Skift Travel News Blog

Short stories and posts about the daily news happenings around the travel industry.

Airlines

JetBlue Wants to Make Group Travel Easier With New App

2 years ago

Ever tried to plan a trip with friends? The multiple planning emails, messages, Airbnb wish lists, can all get a bit overwhelming when one just wants to hang out with their pals. Well, JetBlue Travel Products has an app for that.

Troupe, which launched on Wednesday, is an app that allows groups to plan their trips together in a coordinated fashion. Users can “suggest, vote, and comment on dates, destinations, activities and stays,” as well as “manage RSVPs, create polls, share notes, add suggestions, and vote as a group to build consensus and lock in a plan before they book” in the app, according to JetBlue Travel Products.

JetBlue Troupe App
(JetBlue Travel Products)

“As we continue to look for fresh solutions to ease friction in travel and expand JetBlue’s reputation for great service, the Troupe app aims to simplify group travel planning and perfectly aligns with our goal to build new travel offerings that transform how people travel,” JetBlue Travel Products President Andres Barry said.

Troupe joins the growing universe of ancillary travel products JetBlue offers travelers in its push to become something of a broader travel tech company. The airline launched Paisly, a website that offers travelers trip add ons to their flights, including activities, hotels, and rental cars, last year. And, in 2020, it debuted JetBlue Vacations.

In July, JetBlue said its travel products division was on track to meet its target of $100 million in operating income this year.

Airlines

JetBlue Expands Booking Site Paisly in Time For Summer

2 years ago

JetBlue Airways has expanded its offerings on its travel product add-on site, Paisly, with new activities and more hotels just in time for what is expected to be a busy summer travel season.

Paisly, which is part of the airline’s JetBlue Travel Products business, has added more activities through travel experiences site Peek — these include things like parasailing, scuba diving, and paddle boarding in Miami, for example — and increased available hotel inventory to more than 4,000 properties, according to a statement Wednesday. In addition, the year-old site boasts additional customer service functionality and a new “look and feel.”

A collection of experiences offered by Peek. (Peek)

And, with a nod to the importance of loyalty, offers travelers points in JetBlue’s TrueBlue frequent flyer program and credits towards Mosaic status for purchases through Paisly.

“We realized that online travel sites for booking hotels, cars and activities still lacked exceptional service,” JetBlue Travel Products President Andres Barry said. “As we continue to grow as a travel company, our goal is to develop technology that allows us to take ownership over the customer’s entire experience.”

Paisly is part of JetBlue’s broader push to become more of a travel technology company than just an airline. JetBlue Travel Products generated $45 million in annual earnings before interest and taxes last year, and is on track to more than double that to $100 million in 2022.