Cleartrip & SpiceJet Announce Google Flights Partnership to make booking Flight Tickets easier

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai, September 22, 2017: Cleartrip and SpiceJet, one of India’s leading online companies, today announced a partnership with Google Flights to make it simpler for consumers to view flight schedules and fares right within the Google Flight search page. This integration will help reduce the time for consumers to access information and book tickets.

Launched in India in 2015, Google Flights offers Indian travelers the ability to quickly and easily explore destinations and find the best flights at affordable prices. Google relies on airlines, online travel agents and third party data providers who chose to provide their data for inclusion into Google Flights. This data is updated in real-time. People can access Flight Search by clicking on “Flights” on the navigation bar on Google’s search results page as well as by going directly to www.google.in/flights.

Speaking on the partnership, Balu Ramachandran, Head of Air and Distribution, Cleartrip said,  "Customers love Cleartrip for its products, and we have been working hard for the last few years to dramatically alter the reach, as we are confident that the product will take care of conversion and retention. We are excited about this partnership to bring Cleartrip in front of contextual travel customers, furthering our objectives of reach and efficiency".

Speaking on the partnership, Ajay Singh, CMD - SpiceJet said, “Google Flights is an innovative offering that makes travel planning fun and intuitive. At SpiceJet, our endeavor has always been to provide the highest value to our customers, and this partnership enables us to to provide more options to India’s rapidly growing air travellers.” Once users are on Google Flights, they can quickly and easily conduct searches for different flight routings, using an interactive map to explore possible destinations and view live ticket prices. After selecting the flights they want, users can click the “Book” button to proceed to the Cleartrip or SpiceJet websites to purchase their tickets without having to fill in their flight choices again.

Commenting on the partnership, Vikas Agnihotri, Industry Director, Google India said, “India's online travel sector is incredibly vibrant and has seen extensive growth and innovation.

According to a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the Indian travel market is projected to grow to $48 billion by 2020 with the biggest contributor, air travel expected to grow at 15% to $30 billion. For Google, a new entrant in the highly competitive online travel sector in India, this partnership with Cleartrip and SpiceJet is important as it helps expand our offering, and provides consumers with another way to conveniently plan and book their travel.”

About Cleartrip:

Launched in July 2006, Cleartrip is a leading online travel company in India. Based on a straight-forward premise of “making travel simple” for its customers, Cleartrip achieves this with a clean and clutter-free website, a site that is fast to load, quick in providing relevant information, simple to navigate and offering an easy booking process. In 2016 it forayed in the hyperlocal activities space under the banner of Cleartrip Local to become the most comprehensive travel app ever. Cleartrip Mobile was listed in Apple’s App Store ‘Best of 2014’ list and has also been featured as the ‘Editor’s Pick’. In 2016 Cleartrip received the coveted WITovation award in the Best Mobile category.

About SpiceJet:

SpiceJet is India’s favourite airline that has made flying more affordable for more Indians than ever before. SpiceJet operates 380 average daily flights to 50 destinations, including 43 domestic and 7 international ones. The airline connects its network with a fleet of 35 Boeing 737NG and 20 Bombardier Q-400s. The majority of the airline’s fleet offers SpiceMax, the most spacious economy class seating in India, as an additional fee option.

SpiceJet was conferred the CAPA Chairman’s Order of Merit for fastest turnaround in FY 2016 (Feb., 2017) 'Asia's Greatest Brands - 2016',  ‘Global Asian of the Year Award’ for Mr Singh,  & 'Asia's  Greatest CFO 2016' at the AsiaOne Awards at Singapore ( Jan., 2017).  These added to the tally of global recognitions received throughout 2016.  Some of the key accolades that were conferred in 2016 are ‘World Travel Leaders Award’ received by Mr. Ajay Singh at WTM London (Nov 2016), ‘Best Check- in Initiative’ award by Future Travel Experience global awards in Las Vegas (Sep 2016), Smart Check In Initiatives awarded at CIO 100 India Symposium & Awards in Pune (Sep 2016), ‘Best Employee Engagement’ amongst 104 corporate entries at the 4th DMA - Thomas Assesments National Award for Excellence in Talent Management in New Delhi (Aug 2016), Best Transportation brand as well as the Best Airline Brand in India for 2016 by Brand Trust Report (Apr 2016) and the four Best Domestic Airline Awards, one for each of the four regions of India by DDP TravTalk.

About Google India

Google India Private Limited (Google India) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Google Inc.  It is engaged in the business of marketing & selling advertisement space and rendering Information Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES).