Ancillary services provide an invaluable revenue stream for airlines and airports. However, while airlines are earning huge amounts of revenue, airport revenues are lagging behind. Similar to airline websites, official airport websites hold considerable potential for revenue generation. Traditionally, these websites were mainly used to provide information on flight departure and arrival times, parking options and rates. Nowadays, airports recognize that their official websites are not just communication tools but also valuable revenue sources. For example, booking a parking space online has become standard practice across the vast majority of the official websites of European airports. Additionally, more and more airports are now offering Fast Track, Lounge access and Meet & Greet through their websites to boost ancillary revenue. But are there other strategies to increase revenue? Absolutely!
We, Ancillary Revenue Booster by AirMundo, conducted a study analyzing the websites of 255 European airports. Resulting in…
6 Strategies to Boost Ancillary Revenue Through Official Airport Websites
- Car Rental Page
- Taxi Page
- Destination Page
- Fast Track, Lounge Access and Meet & Greet
- App, Newsletter and Social Media
- Don’t Wait
1. Car Rental Page
A car rental page exists on 245 out of 255 airport websites (96%). These pages typically list the car rental companies available at the airport, including their contact details, opening hours and locations. Including a car rental booking widget on this page is a logical next step. If you’re already providing information, why not allow visitors to book a rental car? Currently, 54 airport websites (21%) have added such a widget, with Rentalcars.com (25x) and Discovercars.com (11x) being the most common. For the remaining 79% of airports, adding this feature is essential for generating additional revenue.
Importantly, when visitors browse a car rental page, they may also be interested in renting a car at their destination, not just at the airport. This presents an additional sales opportunity.
2. Taxi Page
A taxi page exists on 249 out of 255 airport websites (98%). These pages typically detail where to find taxis at the airport and list the taxi companies available. Like car rental, it makes sense for people to find a taxi booking widget on this page. Currently, only 20 out of 255 airport websites (8%) feature a taxi booking widget. Adding this feature can significantly boost revenue for the remaining 92% of airports.
Importantly, when visitors browse a taxi page, they may also be interested in booking a taxi at their destination, not just at the airport. This presents an additional sales opportunity.
3. Destination Page
In general, airports on their official website offer a list of airlines operating to/from the airport and a list of destinations where people can fly to from the airport. However, 78 out of 255 airports go a step further by offering detailed destination pages with useful information. This approach makes sense since people living close to the airport often want to explore where they can fly from their “home” airport. More importantly, from a business perspective, destination pages offer additional revenue opportunities. By enabling visitors to book commission based third-party services like flights, accommodations, rental cars, taxis, activities and through partners such as Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Rentalcars.com and Welcome Pickups, airports can earn commissions on each sale. The more destinations, the more sales opportunities.
Airport Transportation Guides provided by Ancillary Revenue Booster take the stress out of travel and help airports generate ancillary revenue (commissions for taxi transfers, car rental, public transport, accommodations, activities and much more).
4. Fast Track, Lounge Access and Meet & Greet
If an airport offers services such as Fast Track, Lounge access and/or Meet & Greet, these should be prominently available for booking online, ideally on the homepage alongside airport parking.
5. App, Newsletter and Social Media
Once affiliate links, widgets and Airport Transportation Guides are integrated into the official airport website, revenue will begin to grow. To maximize results, these strategies should also be extended to other online channels like official apps, newsletters and social media.
6. Don’t Wait
The sooner an airport implements these strategies, the sooner it can start earning more ancillary revenue. The effort required is minimal compared to the potential rewards.
- This research only covered the English versions of airport websites. Seven airports did not have an English version: Ajaccio, Bastia, Figari South Corsica, Montpellier (French only), Liège (French/Dutch only), Trabzon (Turkish only) and Tuzla (Bosnian only).
- Obviously, there are differences between airports, some are used more as departure airports (e.g. Scandinavian and UK airports), some are used more as arrival airports (e.g. southern European islands and winter sports destinations). Airport Transportation Guides will work better for “departure” airports and widgets at car rental and taxi pages will work better for “arrival” airports.
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