ANIXE technically supports the product revolution of Gulf Air
As of 28.10.2020, Gulf Air - the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain - is implementing new branded fares designed to meet customers' changing needs.
ANIXE - as a reliable technology partner - was engaged to prepare the technical infrastructure that will effectively maintain the change process, support, and present new products and price logic. This is another improvement cycle that Gulf Air is implementing, utilizing the pandemic period to strengthen its market position.
The Bahraini national air carrier has been preparing for this bold and definitive change in its product offer for a long time, undergoing several months of research in which the crucial part was a behavioural analysis of passenger habits and preferences. Based on this, guidelines were drafted that outlined the framework for this project. As a result, the new fares are characterized by modernity and simplicity of look&feel. The overhaul included a new pricing structure, revamped fare differentiation categories, additional rich-media content and a new presentation layer.
The existing range of 8 tariffs - Deal, Basic, Friendly, Freedom (each available within Economy and Falcon Gold business class) has been simplified and reduced to 5 tariffs: Light, Smart, Flex for Economy and Smart, Flex for Falcon Gold. With the new tariffs, product differentiation changes in terms of configuring the number of baggage pieces, a wide range of conditions for changing a ticket or new, additional benefits for customers. The new model is, therefore, better understandable for customers and helps them make a choice more easily.
The technical aspects of the Gulf Air fare change process were only half the task. ANIXE proposed to completely redesign the frontend of the B2C module for self-booking by building it in cutting-edge - Angular Technology - which perfectly complemented the broader picture of the change. The new visual layer - designed in consultation with creative Gulf Air departments and ANIXE's UX experts - is even faster and clearer and gives it a look in line with today's best UX practices.
Moreover, the new technology allows for better compatibility (search engines, metasearch), dynamic data display based on integrated providers (e.g. PROS and Routehappy), easier modular expandability and is built based on the latest security standards.
The new framework also offers much better support for responsive web design. It uses a new set of APIs and allows streamlining of mobile applications, which definitely affects the speed of implementation and significantly reduces maintenance costs. Thanks to the scale of operation, ANIXE can use its own libraries of modern components and functionalities of angular: “ANIXE Styleguide” (inc. controls, interactive tables, drag&drop functionalities, tooltips, etc.) - previously developed by the in-house UX department, which significantly accelerates the process of developing new systems. The use of the new unified API allows for a reduction of the cost and time of implementation of changes significantly.
The new B2C module is the first of the modules based on the latest technological kernel of the Resfinity AIR frontend... Other B2B modules, Redemption Booking Engine and Manage My Booking, will be designed with the same technology and implemented by Gulf Air in the near future.
“Changing product and pricing strategies can be challenging, particularly for complex businesses, which airlines are for sure. However, implementing branded fares will generate additional value for Gulf Air and its customers. Combined with the completely new user experience caters to the future. We are happy and proud that we had a chance to support Gulf Air in developing this project, sharing our 15 years of experience in the airline industry.” - says Mr. Radoslaw Tomczyk, ANIXE's Chief Commercial Officer.
“We’re excited to introduce ‘Boutique Fares’, a refreshed concept of branded fares, to our worldwide customer base, resulting from a fruitful collaboration with ANIXE. This will not only give our passengers the freedom to choose what they need during their trip with us, but it will also allow them to have more control over how much they spend when purchasing a ticket from Gulf Air. They can now decide what they pay by choosing the fare that suits them better.” - says Mr. Vincent Coste, Gulf Air’s Chief Commercial Officer
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