Jetstar Group and IndiGo announced a new virtual interline agreement last Friday, allowing Jetstar customers to book IndiGo connections and flights using the Jetstar Connect platform.

This strategic agreement will enable both airlines to tap into the rising demand for international travel, especially during the summer holiday season.

This new partnership is powered by Dohop technology and will launch on Jetstar Connect at the end of April.

“The integrated booking engine allows customers to select flights and purchase both bundled and unbundled ancillary products, with customers connecting between international flights provided with seamless passenger and baggage transfer,” the airlines announced in a joint statement.

“This strategic agreement will enable both airlines to tap into the rising demand for international travel, especially during this summer holiday season”

Boulter added that the partnership will enable “customers to book interline flights between the two leading carriers and enjoy access to a wide variety of destinations across Asia Pacific. This partnership will help us expand our international connectivity to yet another continent through Jetstar’s network.”

Jetstar’s Chief Customer and Commercial Officer

“The ability to partner with other LCCs through Dohop has opened up a new world of possibilities, helping customers enjoy more seamless connectivity throughout the region”

As a result of the new alliance, Jetstar and IndiGo aim to offer customers more destinations, frequency, and connectivity.

IndiGo joins Jetstar Connect, powered by Dohop

Jetstar Airways is a fully-owned low-cost subsidiary of Qantas. It is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and operates both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. Apart from its Australian and New Zealand operation, it operates Jetstar Asia in Singapore and Jetstar Japan in Japan.

Jetstar selected Dohop as the technology provider behind Jetstar Connect, the airline’s connections platform. It launched in 2019 with Tigerair Taiwan as its first partner and has since added new partners such as IndiGo in the summer of 2022. 

Jetstar has been part of the interline community for many years, but usually only one-way partnerships. Other airlines have been selling Jetstar flights, but as a low-cost and a ticketless carrier, Jetstar has not had the capabilities to sell other airlines’ flights. In 2017, Jetstar started looking for a solution that would allow them to sell interline itineraries on jetstar.com. During the discussions between Jetstar and Dohop, it quickly became clear that a self-connect solution like Worldwide by easyJet would not be suitable in Jetstar’s case because they operate in a region where international borders remain, and countries retain their own visa policy. The requirement for customers to go landside at the connecting airport would make the offering a lot less attractive, so the two parties agreed to launch an MVP that seamlessly aligned the offering of each airline, both in the booking flow and during travel.

“The proposition of Jetstar Connect is centred around offering customers seamless connectivity, and that means taking away the hassle of passengers having to collect and re-check their baggage. We want passengers to enjoy their flight journey and have their bags waiting for them at their final destination.”

With self-connect out of the question, Jetstar and Dohop worked together to create a solution that would surpass the usual offering and include luggage through-check.

Dohop made sure that when a booking was generated, both connecting airlines would get access to the full PNR in their respective system and be aware of the entire itinerary. This allows the airline that provides the first flight in a connecting itinerary, be it Jetstar or a partner, to issue the boarding pass for the whole trip. Check-in agents get visibility into all the journey legs and include a luggage tag to the final destination.

Consistency and seamlessness in the customer experience are important to Jetstar so it was crucial that the booking flow on Jetstar Connect would look and feel like Jetstar.com. 

The ancillaries, including luggage offerings, are also aligned between the connecting airlines, so the type of luggage, be it a 7kg carry-on or 20kg checked-in luggage, offered by both Jetstar and its partners is synchronized and reflected on the booking page. When choosing ancillaries for a connection, the passenger chooses only one bundle, which will be reflected on both legs of the connecting journey. 

The flexibility to adjust the ancillary offering to that of Jetstar has been one of the drivers for choosing new airline partners for the Jetstar Connect platform.

“The first criteria we look at when choosing an airline partner is their flying schedule and having a common connecting port. Singapore is a key strategic transfer hub for Jetstar, so we have been focusing on making the transit experience there superior for the customer. Product offering and alignment is key to offering customer choice in how they travel, so the capability of bundling bags, meals and seat selection with that of an airline partner is very important to us. Other technical criteria that makes a partner a good match is the ability to accept credit card payments and relevant currency setups.”

In the future, Jetstar plans to continue to offer the best of both worlds through the Jetstar Connect offering: a customer experience as close to traditional interline as possible, without the associated costs and complexities, adding more airline partners and continuing its network expansion and growth.

“Our goal for Jetstar Connect is to turn it into a well-known platform that complements our Jetstar brand by inspiring more people to travel to new destinations!”

No compromise needed. How Jetstar Connect offers a customer experience close to traditional interline without the associated costs and complexities.

Worldwide by easyJet was launched in September 2017. It allows easyJet to sell connecting flights across their own network and also connections to partner airlines. Initially launched with only two partners, Norwegian and WestJet, the product has grown to include partner airline Aurigny, a regional airline servicing Guernsey in the UK, and international flag carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates.

As easyJet’s network has grown, other airlines, especially long-haul carriers, have begun to show interest in partnering with them to provide their customers with access to onward connections from their destinations. This allows easyJet, in turn, to cater to a market they didn’t have access to before without the additional cost and complexity of a long-haul operation.

easyJet is a ticketless carrier with a proprietary reservation system and thus there was no obvious technological solution for how to display and sell connections to a potential partner carrier or even sell connections across the easyJet network. Furthermore, easyJet wanted to make sure that these connections would provide a comparable yield to the point to point flights typically sold on easyJet.com, so ancillaries were a key element to include.

“We have been delighted with the appetite of partner airlines to expand Worldwide across our network thanks to our reputation for great value fares, excellent onboard service and our strong positions at Europe’s leading airports and we continue to broaden our focus to offer this unique connecting service at more of our biggest airports.” says Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet.

The first piece of the puzzle is the technology required to surface the additional O&Ds created by combining the networks of two airlines and allowing those to be booked in a single, seamless checkout process for the customer. Dohop’s technology is PSS agnostic which means that any airline can be integrated into the Dohop ecosystem, thus making Dohop the essential layer that connects the two airlines.

Because there are two confirmations being issued by the two airlines for a single connected journey, the key missing link is the protected connection. Normally, a customer with two separate tickets experiencing am inbound flight delay would be exposed to losing their onward connection and having to buy a new ticket. Our protected connection service is provided by our multilingual 24/7 call center, available via phone, chat, and email. In the case of a missed connection, the passenger is provided with a new ticket to their final destination.

At the point of a customer booking, each airline issues their respective confirmation emails to the customer and receives immediate payment for their part of the journey. Both bookings are through the airline’s direct channel and the airlines own the customer relationship. Dohop’s solution also allows any ancillary to be sold during the booking process along with providing full seat maps for both carriers. Dohop also provides the ability to offer a full suite of fare families and fare classes as required.

Dohop’s technology can instantly enable connections over any overlapping points in the networks of two airlines looking to build a partnership. easyJet started by connecting only over Gatwick Airport but now connects at over 170 airports across Europe.

Dohop can facilitate connections to any partner airline or within an airline’s own network. easyJet started by connecting their own flights and also WestJet and Norwegian and now this has been extended to a total of 17 partners.

Distribution is key. Leveraging the airline’s existing commercial agreements with the major global metasearch players, Dohop’s pre-built connection to Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Kayak provides plenty of distribution to the connecting flights.

easyJet’s success factors for expanding their network through the Worldwide offering.

Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railroad operator is in a unique position as a state-owned national rail company actively supporting Germany’s climate goals.

Their primary objectives have long focused on sustainability and environmentally friendly travel. As one of the largest users of green electricity, Deutsche Bahn has been operating electrically powered ICE and IC/EC trains with 100% green electricity since 2018. 

Due to the increased focus on sustainability in Germany, Deutsche Bahn is one of the world’s front-runners in air-to-rail passenger transportation.

As a result of climate change objectives and the high taxation of domestic flights within Germany, airlines have been urged to reevaluate their short-haul and sustainability strategies, making intermodal collaboration more advantageous.

Airlines can maintain their competitiveness and support an environmentally friendly strategy while also reducing the carbon footprint of their passengers by working with Deutsche Bahn.

Head of Intermodal Cooperations at Deutsche Bahn

“Intermodal connections are very important to us. We want to enable joint offers with our partners to provide passengers with a seamless and hassle-free experience when combining modes of transport, in our case especially the air-to-rail or rail-to-air mode. A carbon neutral journey to and from the airport is our general aim for the customer, and for that we need to give the travellers an alternative offer to shorthaul domestic flights within Germany.”

A NEW WAY OF INTERMODAL TICKETING, POWERED BY DOHOP

In 2021, Deutsche Bahn and easyJet joined forces to offer air-to-rail connectivity. With the help of Dohop’s API-based solution, Deutsche Bahn can sell combined air and rail services, including scheduled services, seat maps, ancillaries, and more in a single booking process, to and from all 5.600 German railway stations.

“We started this innovative partnership between ourselves, easyJet and Dohop 2 years ago, right in the pandemic. This is the newest intermodal cooperation model we have in place. It’s fully dynamic, it’s scaleable, it’s theoretically available from all our 5600 railway stations, so it’s a state of the art solution, no GDS involved which makes the cost side very interesting especially for low-cost carriers. We are very happy with the solution and we are looking forward to continue to offer it to passengers.”

The Dohop-powered solution differs from the traditional interline agreements that have been powering a similar partnership between Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa for years.

It is PSS agnostic which means that any airline, including legacy and low-cost carriers, can be connected without the need for an interline or codesharing agreement, with the added convenience of a streamlined booking process and increased accessibility to locations throughout Germany for the benefit of passengers. 

The benefits for airlines are also significant. In addition to giving their customers more flexibility and a more personalized travel experience, airlines benefit from expanding their reach in catchment areas near airports.

So, two of Dohop’s most forward-thinking airline partners have started intermodal partnerships with the German rail operator: easyJet and Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling.

“There is strong demand for intermodal and that’s why we are creating more and more offers for our partners and international airlines to enlarge their catchment areas and to fill up their flights with passengers from all over Germany, and of course we are looking for new target groups and new customers who are considering continuing their journey by train.”

Deutsche Bahn has noted several benefits from operating the intermodal solution offered by Dohop. Dohop’s solution makes use of the Deutsche Bahn API, making it viable, affordable, and easy to integrate.

Using already-existing sales logic from Deutsche Bahn and easyJet, the partnership was facilitated without the need for new standards. Additionally, the scalability can accommodate all stations, connections, upsells, and intricate multi-stop connections. No additional resources are needed from Deutsche Bahn or easyJet as the mandatory Dohop connection service handles all irregular cases in the event of delays and cancellations.

The collaboration was made possible without the need for lengthy traditional interlining or codesharing agreements.

The vision for the future is clear and flexibility is a big part of it.

“I believe we will see fully dynamic intermodal offers in the future, with more than two modes of transport, especially the first or last mile, available on all existing and new sales channels, and of course the passenger must be aware of it through a digital solution.”

Intermodal into the future. Spearheading intermodal passenger transport, Deutsche Bahn leverages new technology to offer carbon-neutral, seamless experiences.

Dohop has raised a multi-million Euro follow-on investment to accelerate growth and continue transforming travel connectivity across the globe

We raised a multi-million Euro follow-on investment to accelerate growth and continue transforming travel connectivity across the globe.

Icelandic technology provider Dohop has raised an undisclosed growth equity round from Scottish Equity Partners (SEP).  This investment will enable Dohop to further accelerate growth and develop its innovative virtual interlining offering, allowing airlines and scheduled transport providers to sell complex itineraries without the need for codesharing or traditional interline agreements. 

Since SEP’s initial investment in November 2020, Dohop has expanded its network of partner airlines by 25+ carriers across five continents, resulting in a network of more than 50 carriers globally, including AirTransat, Vueling, LATAM, easyJet, and many others. The initial investment also enabled Dohop to grow its team by 31% in ten countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Iceland. 

With this new investment, Dohop plans to hire additional international talent and expand its development capabilities to address the unprecedented demand from airlines who are looking to increase their networks and create new connections. The industry, which has historically been constrained by cumbersome traditional interline processes, is now turning to more agile technology solutions in order to offer passengers more choice and convenience when traveling. 

Dohop also intends to continue broadening its partner airline ecosystem and improving travel connectivity through its virtual interlining solutions. The travel industry is showing positive signs of recovery and Dohop has already seen a significant rise in revenue in 2022, with further growth expected.

“Our technology enables partnerships between airlines and offers passengers more destinations and travel customisation. With the support of SEP, our airline ecosystem has grown substantially, and we will continue to connect the world’s leading airlines, airports, and scheduled transport providers across the globe. We are delighted to have SEP’s continued support in our mission to revolutionise travel connectivity.”

“With the easing of global travel restrictions, airlines are keen to expand their networks and distribution capabilities, and we are delighted to provide Dohop, the leading provider of interlining technology, with further funding to address a four billion annual passenger market.”

Dohop is an Icelandic technology company with 17 years of experience in developing innovative solutions in the field of aviation and travel. Dohop’s core technology is focused on helping people to find and create connecting itineraries. Being at the forefront of digital innovation in the field of virtual interline technology, Dohop has developed solutions such as Dohop Interline and Dohop Intermodal for forward-thinking airlines, alliances, and airports around the globe, including easyJet, Transavia, Air France, Eurowings, Vueling, and Air Transat. 

Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) is one of Europe’s leading and most experienced technology growth equity firms, helping founders and management teams to achieve their global ambitions. Providing investment alongside expertise and access to an international network, SEP works closely with the companies it invests in to maximise business growth and value. Previous travel tech investments include global travel search business Skyscanner. SEP is a signatory to the UNPRI, the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. 

Icelandic technology provider Dohop secures significant further investment from SEP

IndiGo joins Jetstar Connect, powered by Dohop

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No compromise needed. How Jetstar Connect offers a customer experience close to traditional interline without the associated costs and complexities.

easyJet’s success factors for expanding their network through the Worldwide offering.

Intermodal into the future. Spearheading intermodal passenger transport, Deutsche Bahn leverages new technology to offer carbon-neutral, seamless experiences.