European Airlines Lead 2018 a la Carte Revenue Estimate at $22.5 Billion with Asian Carriers 2nd at $18.8 Billion – CarTrawler

Feb 19, 2019

CarTrawler Global Estimate of a la Carte Revenue yields regional details from the worldwide total of $65 billion

Dublin, Ireland & Shorewood, Wisconsin, 19 February 2019:  IdeaWorksCompany, the foremost consultancy on airline ancillary revenues, and CarTrawler, the leading technology platform providing full end to end transport solutions for online businesses, recently estimated airline a la carte revenue at $65 billion worldwide for 2018.  The CarTrawler Global Statistics of a la Carte Revenue adds regional details and 2014 comparisons to the figures from the earlier November 2018 release.

Each year IdeaWorksCompany, through the sponsorship of CarTrawler, analyzes the ancillary revenue disclosures for airlines all over the world.  These results are applied to a larger list of carriers (which numbered 175 for 2018) to estimate ancillary revenue activity for the world’s airlines.  A la carte activity is a significant component of ancillary revenue and consists of the amenities consumers can add to their air travel experience.  These include fees paid for checked baggage, assigned seats, buy-on-board meals, early boarding, and onboard entertainment.

A la carte revenue, or the optional extras consumers can add to their airline shopping carts, has demonstrated outstanding growth globally. The overall revenue number has more than doubled in a short five year period.  It’s no surprise the amount has grown in Europe and North America.  The largest increases have occurred in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.  The passenger growth on airlines in these regions is responsible for a good portion of the results.  But clearly, something else is happening here, with traditional airlines engaging in more a la carte activities, and the increased presence of low cost carriers.  Ancillary revenue is indeed changing the airline business all over the world.

Aileen McCormack, Chief Commercial Officer, CarTrawler

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