Skyscanner launches solution for airports to optimise routes and compete better

Metasearch site's Catchment Analysis makes use of the firm's Travel Insight Vision tool that provides insights based on real-time data demand

by Aidan Poole

Travel metasearch site Skyscanner has launched a solution to help airports expand route development opportunities and avoid losing business to competing airports.

Catchment Analysis provides insights into top routes, origins, and destinations that travellers are searching for based on real-time geo-location data collected from Skyscanner’s 90 million monthly users.

The firm said that customer segmentation analytics will help airports understand how passengers are influenced by the availability and cost of flights, and why passengers prefer to use nearby competitors.

Skyscanner said its insights are based on "true user demand", allowing airports to quantify passenger leakage based on factors including overall demand, day of the week, and country, region, state, and city catchment areas.

The solution uses the firm’s Travel Insight Vision tool, Skyscanner’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering, to reveal where people are looking to travel over the next 12 months, allowing travel providers to react to market changes, understand emerging trends, and optimise new routes.

Michael Docherty, head of data partnerships at Skyscanner, said: “According to our research 63% of travellers consider two or more airports when booking a flight.

“And as aviation continues to bounce back across the globe, the competition between airports to capture travellers’ attention and share of wallet has never been greater.

“Our new Catchment Analysis solution provides actionable intelligence – based on true user demand – to create strong business cases and strategies to beat the competition, open new routes and boost marketing performance.

“We continue to expand the features and functionality of Travel Insight Vision to make it the go to solution for any organisation wanting to understand the latest trends in global aviation.”

Bertrand Coquant, deputy director of aviation development at Groupe ADP, said: “We’ve found Skyscanner's search data to be invaluable in providing forward-looking insights into demand at a route level.

“This enables us to make strong business cases to airlines for new route development opportunities.

“We’re continually impressed with the dataset’s global scale and segmentation options.

“It forms a key part of our network planning across Groupe ADP and, importantly, can provide quick, actionable intelligence to help us respond to fast-moving market conditions.”