Vueling selects Navitaire Edge Shopping for high look-to-booked ratios

Firms deepen working relationships

Barcelona-based airline, Vueling, is rolling out a new solution by Navitaire, an Amadeus company, designed to tackle high look-to-booked (LTB) ratios. 

Elevated LTB ratios, which see customers searching for but not purchasing tickets, can drive up system costs, strain infrastructure, and signal poor conversion from shopping to sales. 

The new Edge Shopping solution - which the firm demo'd to its clients last year at its Navitaire Partner Conference in Las Vegas - helps airlines reduce their L2B ratios, drawing on a distributed cache for inventory, schedules, and fares to reduce database transactions.

Built specifically for Navitaire's New Skies, PSS, solution - which is the current offering from the travel technology firm before its offer and order management system, Stratos - Edge Shopping automatically adjusts to demand, helping to reduce pressure on Vueling’s systems during busy periods. 

It removes shopping ‘looks’ from overage calculations, giving the airline more freedom to grow across other sales channels without added system overload.

The roll out should mean Vueling can now increase capacity confidently, without adding strain or disrupting live operations. 

Javier Alvarez, Vueling IT director, said: “Edge Shopping allows Vueling to safely grow shopping while helping maintain operational stability and accuracy, all while keeping our look-to-booked ratios in check. 

"The solution has reduced our dependence on external data providers, while a smooth transition of traffic to Edge Shopping has led to a better shopping experience for our customers.”

The integration of this new tool by the carrier, is just one of the ways it's working with its technology provider, as part of its wider plans to continue being innovative, which Alvarez said is "part of its DNA".

Maher Koubaa, managing director, EMEA of Amadeus, said: “Vueling’s adoption of Navitaire’s Edge Shopping is a smart way to turn heavy shopping traffic into better business outcomes. 

"The solution maintains New Skies® stability while improving response times and controlling look-to-booked ratios - helping Vueling lower operational strain and lift conversion across channels.”