Farelogix and Mobiata Partner to Deliver Airline Merchandising on Mobile Devices

MIAMI and ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Farelogix, a leading provider of distribution technology and services for the travel industry, and Mobiata, a leading provider of best-selling mobile travel applications, today announced a partnership to deliver advanced airline merchandising capabilities to mobile devices, beginning with iPhone and Android smartphones, and soon followed by Blackberry devices. Through this collaboration, airlines can market and sell ancillary products and services to onthego air travelers via their mobile phones.

Mobiata integrated FMS2™ – the flexible Farelogix merchandising solution that manages how airline offerings are branded and sold – into its best-selling FlightTrack and TripDeck travel applications. With the combined solution, airlines can activate the merchandising features in Mobiata's applications to provide travelers with timely offers based on passenger location or at other points during the purchase and itinerary review process. For example, travelers with carry-on luggage could receive priority boarding offers while en route to the airport; while travelers that either missed a flight or are experiencing weather delays can receive an offer for a day pass to the airline lounge.

"Airline merchandising is not new, but this growing phenomenon of airlines selling more than just seats has now gone mobile to address both buying behavior and demand," said Jim Davidson, CEO of Farelogix.

"Consumers generally make their airline reservations through a travel agency, online travel site or corporate booking tool where the lowest overall cost is a primary requirement," said Ben Kazez, President of Mobiata. "Many travelers would welcome access to a new world of convenience and add-on choices available directly from their mobile device prior to departure."

According to Kazez, until now, ancillary services have been limited to check-in kiosks or airline websites. With the combination of merchandising technology from Farelogix and Mobiata's mobile applications, ancillary services from participating airlines will be available on-demand for travelers on their mobile phones, regardless of their location.

Airlines can offer individual travelers a variety of add-on services, such as seat upgrades, priority boarding, checked bag, a meal, in-flight entertainment, Internet access, airline lounge access, and more at timely intervals after a flight has been booked, but before travel takes place. These services can be specially priced or "bundled" for the airlines' most valued frequent flyers, while occasional travelers can pay a small premium to be treated like a frequent flyer.

"It all comes down to providing choices to travelers, and making the process easy and accessible," explained Davidson. "Farelogix is known for making airline merchandising technology work for the airlines, and Mobiata is the leading developer of easy-to-use mobile applications. It's an unbeatable combination in providing airline merchandising options to the traveling public."

Airline merchandising will be available on FlightTrack, which offers unlimited real-time commercial flight tracking and flight status updates all over the world, and TripDeck, which enables complete itinerary management for virtually every component of a business or personal trip. "We designed both FlightTrack and TripDeck to provide a convenient tool to track and manage travel details from the road, which makes integration of airline merchandising a natural fit for both apps," added Kazez.

Farelogix makes these new mobile merchandising capabilities available to any airline utilizing its XML direct connect adapter and/or airlines using the Farelogix FMS2 (Flight Merchandising System) with its XML or website.

About Farelogix

Farelogix is a leading provider of lower-cost, high-value distribution and optimization technology to the global travel industry. Farelogix counts among its customers some of the largest travel companies in the world. Farelogix is a privately held company with offices in Toronto, Canada and Miami, Florida. For additional information, visit www.farelogix.com.

About Mobiata

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mobiata creates best-selling mobile travel applications. Mobiata's FlightTrack app has topped the iPhone Travel bestseller list ever since the product's launch in November 2008. Mobiata's FlightTrack Pro seamlessly synchronizes TripIt flight itineraries. Mobiata's HotelPal enables users to browse and search from hotels worldwide with live availability and rates. Since its founding in December 2008, Mobiata applications have been featured by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Forbes, Washington Post, TechCrunch, USA Today, Macworld, PC Magazine, and in Apple TV and print ads. Mobiata offers mobile travel design and development services, enabling third parties to drive their projects to success. For more information, visit www.mobiata.com.

SOURCE Mobiata