Skift Travel News Blog

South America’s Avianca has rolled out a subscription program just for businesses.

The Colombian airline has partnered with Caravelo, a company that builds subscription platforms for airlines. The new program follows a similar tie-up it announced with Europe’s Wizz Air earlier this month.

Avianca Access differs, however, as it’s targeting corporate travelers only, who gain access to potentially cheaper travel without their employers having to commit to an annual quota.

There are four schemes: Access 10, for 1 to 10 travelers, which costs $10 a month or $96 a year; Access 25, for 11 to 25 travelers (at $25 a month); Access 50, for 26 to 50 travelers ($50 a month); and Access 100, for 51 to 100 travelers ($100 month.)

Employees can make unlimited date or hour changes without any penalty.

“I am happy to confirm that business-to-business-travel subscriptions are now a reality, and we have worked with Avianca to create the world’s first airline subscription program aimed at small and medium enterprises,” said Inaki Uriz, CEO of Caravelo.

The company added it had not yet been publicly launched by the airline, but has been operational since November 2022.

A public launch is expected later this year.

Avianca is currently looking to merge with Viva Air.

Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has launched a flight subscription program, opting for the same platform that Alaska Airlines uses.

The European airline has partnered with Caravelo, a company that builds subscription platforms for airlines. They claim the program, called MultiPass, is a first for Europe.

It will initially be available for six months for the Italian and Polish markets. Passengers will be able to fly domestic Italy and international Poland routes, booking up until five days before departure.

For a fixed monthly fee, the subscribers can choose between one way or round-trip flights, and can also customize their plan with ancillaries.

Caravelo partnered with Alaska Airlines for its Flight Pass in February last year, while Frontier Airlines also recently launched its own, called GoWild!

Barcelona-based Caravelo also raised $3 million in funding in July last year. “In the past year, the industry has finally woken up to the power of subscriptions,” CEO Inaki Uriz said at the time.

For more on subscription models in travel, read Skift’s Megatrends from 2021.

European discounter Wizz Air will land in Saudi Arabia this December with a major expansion under the kingdom’s push to dramatically expand visitor numbers by the end of the decade.

Wizz plans to launch 20 nonstop routes to Dammam, Jeddah, and Riyadh from 11 European gateways, including its Budapest base, Rome and Vienna, between December and April, the airline unveiled Thursday. Its first nonstop flights, between Milan and Jeddah, begin December 3.

“Saudi Arabia is one of the most exciting countries in the world for aviation portraying an eclectic mix of travel opportunities with unmissable destinations, countless exciting attractions, and a thriving cultural scene,” Wizz CEO Jozsef Varadi said. “I see the Kingdom as a long-term strategic market for Wizz Air where we will continue to innovate and carry the flag of low cost flying for the benefit of Saudi residents and visitors as well as the country’s diversifying economy.”

The expansion is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan that aims to boost visitor numbers to 100 million by the end of the decade. The kingdom plans to invest as much as $1 trillion in the initiative. Part of the plan includes offering airlines financial incentives and subsidies to add flights to Saudi Arabia.

Wizz signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabian authorities about potential air service in May.