BMI enlists Expedia for flight-accommodation bookings

Thursday 28 February 2008

Flight Search Technology

Flights and accommodation will now be packaged together as part of a new deal between a leading online travel agent (OTA) and a major UK airline.

According to Travel Mole, an exclusive two-year deal has been struck between Expedia Distribution and BMI, providing for accommodation and flight packages to be sold directly through the airline's website.

Set for full integration into the BMI website – but under Expedia co-branding – customers at BMI points of sale in the UK, US, Spain, Netherlands and France will have access to both accommodation plus flight packages and accommodation only options.

It was claimed that the deal will place a particular focus on city centre properties, a choice that would correspond to BMI's strong presence at London Heathrow airport, one off the most central of the capital's hubs.

Combined flight and accommodation bookings could come in helpful as BMI mainline services from Heathrow expand to new destinations in Sierra Leone, Iran and Lebanon, where travellers unfamiliar with the locations may otherwise struggle to find suitable hotels.

Expedia already works with airlines such as Iceland Express, Ryanair, Norwegian Air, Icelandair and Alitalia, providing its packaged flight-accommodation booking options.