Google puts ITA acquisition to use again with new airline reservation system for Cape Air
It may be starting out fairly small, but Google has just made its first push into the airline reservation business. That comes courtesy of its 2010 acquisition of ITA Software, which has already resulted in the Flight Search service and OnTheFly app, and has now also produced a new reservation system for Massachusetts-based Cape Air. That may not look all that different from other airlines' systems on the surface, but Google says that there's plenty different going on under the hood, noting that it was built "from scratch using modern, modular, scalable technologies." That last bit is perhaps the key one, with Google further adding that the system is "built to scale to support airlines of all sizes." In other words, it seems safe to assume that Google has its sights set a lot higher than small regional airlines. Those interested in trying out the system or booking a New England trip can do so now on Cape Air's site linked below.
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Cape Air Debuts New Airline Reservation System From ITA Software by Google
HYANNIS, Mass., March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cape Air, one of the nation's largest independent regional airlines, announced today it has launched ITA Software's new airline platform. Cape Air teamed up with ITA Software, the organization named by Fast Company magazine as one of the "Ten Most Innovative Companies in Transportation" to be the first airline to implement a new reservations platform that will streamline bookings and greatly enhance the end-to-end passenger experience.
Cape Air customers will benefit by:
Effortless shopping of one-way, round-trip and multi-city flights and fares.
Self-service tools that allow a customer to quickly process changes to reservations and itineraries.
A system comprised of flexible reservation features designed with one idea in mind – to ensure the customer's booking flow is easy and secure.
Consumers can now use Cape Air's new airline reservation system via new web sites for both Cape Air (capeair.com), and Nantucket Airlines (nantucketairlines.com). Enabled by the high-tech, advanced nature of ITA's technology, the web sites are designed to create a personalized, rewarding experience for Cape Air's customers and are portals for travel to Cape Air's destination cities across the US and Caribbean.
Equally as important to the technology advancements was the opportunity for these two Massachusetts-based organizations to collaborate on a project that will reshape the travel industry. From Cape Air's Hyannis-based headquarters and ITA's Cambridge-based offices, over 300 employees worked on the development, testing and launch of the new system across the entire Cape Air flight network.
"Today's announcement is an important step for the future of Cape Air. We're proud of the achievement made by our teams to build the next generation in travel technology," said Dan Wolf, Founder and CEO, Cape Air . "Our customers expect the best from Cape Air, and by investing in technology, our passengers and employees will benefit by faster and easier handling of booking and changing reservations"
"Our team at ITA has been working to build a modern airline platform from scratch on open systems technology," said Jeremy Wertheimer, Vice President, Google, Travel, "Cape Air has been the perfect partner in helping this effort".
About Cape Air:
Now in its 22nd year, Cape Air is one of the largest independent regional airlines in the United States annually flying over 650,000 passengers to destinations around the world including New England, New York, the Caribbean, Florida, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest and Micronesia. With a fleet of sixty-four Cessna 402s and two ATR-42s, the employee-owned company operates up to 600 flights per day. Based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, Cape Air also operates flights under the Nantucket Airlines brand. Cape Air is a codeshare partner with Continental Airlines (soon to be United Airlines) in the Caribbean and American Airlines in the Midwest. In Micronesia Cape Air operates as Continental Connection or United Express. In addition, Cape Air has ticket and baggage agreements with most major airlines. Cape Air's unique brand of customer service, MOCHA HAGoTDI,* has earned the airline accolades as 'Best Airline' on Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and in the United States Virgin Islands. The airline has been recognized for outstanding philanthropy in the communities it serves and Cape Air Founder and CEO Dan Wolf was recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year™ Award.
* Make our Customers Happy and Have a Good Time Doing It
www.capeair.com
SOURCE Cape Air
