Skyscanner launches booking provider quality ratings

Skyscanner launches partner quality ratings for providers that will give users the ability to distinguish between airlines and OTAs based on the quality of the booking service and not just on price alone. The quality ratings offer the opportunity for airlines and OTAs to gain feedback from Skyscanner users, rewarding companies who offer the very best in booking experience, and allowing travellers to base their decisions on more than just price. The new feature also provides an instrumental yardstick for travel providers who are able use to the feedback to improve the quality of their service provision. The ratings, determined from Skyscanner travellers over the past 91 days, score travel providers based on the quality of the booking site, additional fees, the after sales customer support experience and the accuracy of the prices shown. Travellers will see the score in the search results for a flight after they choose an itinerary. As part of the roll-out of the new feature, all of Skyscanner’s airline and OTA partners have been given access to the search engine partner portal Connect. The dedicated portal has been designed by Skyscanner to allow the meta site’s partners to fully understand how well they are performing in the market to help them improve and optimize their performance. Travel agent and airline partners have access to a host of analytics including detailed meta-data breaking down the feedback from customers, in addition to their current market share on key routes, and API performance. Skyscanner’s Chief Commercial Officer Frank Skivington, said, “Skyscanner aims to be a true product comparison marketplace, and the first choice distribution platform for airlines and OTAs. Our new quality ratings are intended to highlight airlines and online travel agencies who really strive to offer travellers the best customer experience and we feel strongly that users should be able to differentiate between travel agents or airlines based on the quality of the service they provide.”
“The new feature provides a useful additional benchmark by which partners can measure their ongoing efforts to improve the quality of their service and our tangible consumer data is a unique offering which provides key benefits and insight to all suppliers regardless of their size. We believe the introduction of user ratings is a positive step for the industry as a whole, rewarding quality customer service and transparency”.