Flightroutes24, the global B2B marketplace for flight content, is back under the control of its original founders and is poised for expansion. Not only is it planning to broaden its geographical reach, but it’s also diversifying into new verticals. The company is set to introduce hotel content in 2023, marking a significant expansion beyond its traditional flight-focused services.
Meeting Customer Demands
Nancy Zhou, the co-founder and vice president of business development at Flightroutes24, explained the motivation behind this move: “Our customers were telling us they want a one-stop shopping experience instead of having to work with several partners. So we thought, we already have customers, why not have more products for them?”
The Introduction of Hotel Bookings
To meet this demand, Flightroutes24 is launching a hotel booking channel, essentially offering a comprehensive ‘flight + hotel’ product. This strategic decision aligns with the goal of becoming a “leading global travel content aggregator.”
The Hotel Advantage
Hotels present an attractive proposition for Flightroutes24 due to their higher profit margins compared to flights. The airline industry is becoming increasingly competitive, with the rise of low-cost carriers and the adoption of direct booking strategies by full-service airlines. This move into hotel bookings diversifies Flightroutes24’s revenue streams and enhances its offerings to travel agents and customers.
Flightroutes24’s Journey So Far
Founded in Hong Kong and Shenzen in 2014, Flightroutes24 initially focused on providing local and global air content to Chinese travel agents. At the time, the Chinese outbound travel market was on the rise, and the company aimed to offer competitive airfares to Chinese travelers.
In 2019, Flightroutes24 expanded its operations outside China, bringing overseas travel agents onto its platform. This decision proved timely when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel in China, with the company’s overseas business helping to sustain the company.
Global Expansion
Flightroutes24 now boasts thousands of global partners and serves over 60 countries. Approximately 80% of its business comes from overseas agents, while the remaining 20% is from China. The company covers a wide spectrum of air content, offering a mix of its own content and partner content, encompassing over 700 airlines and 500,000 routes.
Future Opportunities
Looking ahead, Flightroutes24 sees opportunities not only in geographic markets but also in technology. As carriers increasingly rely on technology for selling, Flightroutes24 is investing in its tech products to support trade partners globally. The company plans to invest in data services and SaaS solutions to stay competitive and meet the unique needs of partners in different regions.
Challenges and Competitive Edge
Expanding globally presents challenges, including building trust and ensuring that both partners are profitable over time. Flightroutes24’s competitive edge lies in fare competitiveness, system stability, user-friendliness, risk control, product variety, and service quality.
TL;DR
Flightroutes24, a global B2B flight content marketplace, is expanding its services to include hotel bookings in response to customer demand for a one-stop travel solution. The company, now under its original founders, aims to leverage its technology and expertise to serve travel agents and partners worldwide, focusing on markets in Europe and the US. This expansion comes as the company diversifies beyond air content and invests in technology solutions to support its global trade partners. Flightroutes24’s competitive advantage includes fare competitiveness, system stability, user-friendliness, risk control, product variety, and service quality.
Hi, I’m Oren, founder at BIGINTRO, a content strategy agency that helps B2B companies drive growth. We develop search, social, PR, and content marketing strategies tailored to business goals. I also have a dog named Milo.