PROS announces Group Sales solutions to accelerate airline recovery efforts

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PROS, a provider of AI-powered solutions that optimise selling in the digital economy, has announced new editions of SaaS-based PROS Group Sales Optimizer (GSO), giving airlines like Etihad the power and control to offer group ticket sales through flexible, responsive self-serve channels.

By bolstering agency portals and eliminating in-person sales engagement, GSO is designed to help airlines increase conversion rates by up to 50% and revenue streams by up to 26% to further power their road to recovery.

With the airline industry fighting back from a historic 66.3% decline year over year in passenger demand globally, strategic carriers are demanding innovative solutions that can create tailored experiences for all passenger types, particularly group sales, a lucrative source of revenue. Travelers and travel agents want speed, transparency and efficiency when booking travel – and for that experience to mirror other digital retail interactions.

“PROS GSO transformed Etihad’s groups business by introducing dynamic pricing, automation, and self-servicing capabilities for Sales and Travel agents to book groups within 60 seconds,” said Bhaskara Rao Guntreddy, Etihad Head of Solutions and Innovations, Revenue Management, Commercial. “Our sales team benefits from its usability, workflows, and capabilities to grow group traffic in both quality and revenue. The collaborative partnership helped PROS and Etihad to support the aviation industry by innovating new functionalities critical for airlines in attracting future passengers as they come back online.”

GSO Editions is claimed to be the industry’s only comprehensive AI-based group revenue optimisation solution. Packages include:

• GSO Essentials: The first step to automating the sales process and harnessing the power of dynamic pricing in group sales management.
• GSO Advantage: The next step to increase self-service, create flexibility for travel agents and reduce GDS costs.
• GSO Ultimate: The final stop to end-to-end pricing, booking, payments and ticketing to revolutionize the airline group business.

“Innovation is the best and only path to airline recovery,” said PROS Solution Strategy Director for Travel, Aditi Mehta. “Bringing the group sales process into the 21st century is paramount to easily untap revenue sources paused during this extensive lock down period. PROS latest GSO solutions are a testament to just how deeply we understand the airline challenge and the need to deliver a superior digital customer experience to unleash revenue opportunities needed today.”

PROS GSO Editions is part of the PROS Platform for Travel, which empowers airlines to create and sell the most personalised package for each traveler in an increasingly complex marketplace. With PROS, airlines can optimize every shopping and selling experience, make better business decisions, respond quicker to market changes, and accelerate revenue growth while harnessing the power of digital retail.