South Africa’s top low-cost airline to grow travel packages with SiteMinder
South Africa's largest low-cost airline and operator of the South African arm of British Airways, Comair Travel (JSE: COM), has set its sights on growing its dynamic package offering for domestic travellers. The company has partnered with SiteMinder, the global hotel industry's leading cloud platform, to provide a direct connection for SiteMinder's 30,000 hotel customers and expand package options to complement the more than one million flight, car rental and accommodation bookings made through Comair's online platforms each year.
Comair Travel's hotel development and distribution manager, Russell Hine, says the move offers the dual benefits of greater online visibility for local hotels and a one-stop solution for consumers who otherwise suffer from browsing fatigue.
"For hotels, Comair's partnership with SiteMinder provides an opportunity to be seen on three highly-successful marketing channels – Kulula.com, Vitality Hotel Collection and mtbeds – and gain diverse reach in the South African market. And, of course, for consumers it means more accommodation options to select from as part of a complete travel package," says Mr Hine.
"Consumers typically book their flights first, but we know through our clients that they would want to book their accommodation and car rental at the same time, if given the option. They are tired of looking at multiple booking sites and never truly knowing whether they got the best price and package. By us offering a broader suite of accommodation options to complement the lowest flights in the country, consumers can be confident they are receiving the best package."
The four-star Bantry Bay Suite Hotel in Cape Town is the first to list its property on Comair Travel's distribution channels through SiteMinder. Says the hotel's revenue manager, Jaco Jacobs, "We use SiteMinder for all our distribution needs, so we are very thrilled to have the Comair Travel connection added to our product offering. Through their partnership, we now have the ability to distribute contracted rates and, in addition, offer best available rates. No more excel close out sheets and manual updates."
Comair Travel has offered flights within South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands for more than 70 years. The company also recently became the first South African airline carrier to offer dynamic packages to Mauritius.
Lisa Horne, General Manager – South Africa at SiteMinder, says, "SiteMinder is proud to offer such an important connection as Comair Travel to South Africa's hotels, and support the country's travel sector in this way."
About SiteMinder
As the leading cloud platform for hotels, SiteMinder allows hotels to attract, reach and convert guests across the globe. We serve hotels of all sizes with award-winning solutions for independents and groups alike, wherever they are in the world.
SiteMinder's products include The Channel Manager, the industry's leading online distribution platform; TheBookingButton, a wholly-branded booking engine for direct bookings via the web, mobile or social; Canvas, the intelligent website creator for independent hoteliers; Prophet, the real-time market intelligence solution that takes the guesswork out of pricing rooms; and GDS by SiteMinder, a single-point of entry to a six-figure network of travel agents and the world's major global distribution systems. With more than 30,000 hotel customers and 600 of the industry's top connectivity providers as our partners, today we have presence in more than 160 countries on six continents.
For more information, visit www.siteminder.com.
About Comair Limited
Comair Limited is a South African aviation and travel company, offering scheduled and non-scheduled airline services within South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, as its main business. The company operates under its low-fare airline brand, kulula.com, as well as under the British Airways livery, as part of its British Airways. license agreement. Managed and owned by South Africans through its listing on the JSE, Comair has been operating successfully in this country since 1946. Comair is the only known airline to have achieved operating profits for 71 consecutive years and has a safety record which is internationally recognised.
For more information, visit www.comair.co.za.
Maria Cricchiola
Director of Brand Communications & PR
+61 2 9056 7415
