CarTrawler Appt. as Exclusive Car Rental Partner to Austrian Airlines

Sep 8, 2015

Dublin, Ireland, 8 September, 2015: CarTrawler has today announced a new, exclusive car rental partnership with Austrian Airlines, the flag carrier of Austria. Customers of Austrian Airlines now have access to the widest range of leading car rental suppliers across the globe through one integration with CarTrawler.

Austrian Airlines carries approximately 11 million passengers per year to around 130 destinations from the company’s hub at Vienna International Airport. Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, Europe’s largest airline group, and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global alliance of international airlines.

CarTrawler provides an online car rental platform to over 80 international airlines. With the global car rental marketplace valued at $64 billion, CarTrawler will provide the technology and expertise to enable Austrian to maximise its share of this opportunity. The overall ancillary sector is growing strongly, with a recent study sponsored by CarTrawler showing global airline ancillary revenue rose by 21% to $38.1 billion in 2014.

Ancillary revenue is an increasingly important driver of commercial success, and a major contributor to the bottom line of airlines across the globe. The secret to unlocking this revenue stream can be found in the data that customers generate with every transaction, and we’re delighted that Austrian Airlines is partnering with CarTrawler to make the most of that opportunity. Ancillary revenue is no longer just the preserve of low cost carriers – it is something from which all airlines are benefiting. The question is not who is doing it, it’s how well it is being done.

Michael Cunningham, Chief Commercial Officer at CarTrawler

Due to our collaboration with CarTrawler, our customers benefit from a significant expansion of our rental car offering. They can compare the offerings of numerous rental car companies for almost all Austrian Airlines destinations online before their departure, and quickly and conveniently book a suitable rental car, from compact cars to luxury limousines.

Alexander Leinhart, Partner Management at Austrian Airlines’ e-commerce business

About CarTrawler: CarTrawler connects business and leisure customers and online travel retailers with more road and rail transport solutions than they will find anywhere else. Over 80 international airlines and 2,000 travel retailers around the world trust CarTrawler to provide their customers with real-time access to over 1,500 leading and independent car rental agents, coach transfers, rail networks and chauffeur drive services at 30,000 locations in 174 countries. CarTrawler also owns and operates the Cabforce, Holiday Autos and Argus Car Hire brands. The company headquarters and Customer Centre of Excellence are located in Dublin, Ireland, with additional offices in Boston, London and Helsinki. CarTrawler is private equity backed by BC Partners and Insight Venture Partners. For further information, please visit www.cartrawler.com.

About Austrian Airlines: Austrian Airlines is Austria’s largest carrier and operates a global route network of approximately 130 destinations, being particularly dense in Central and Eastern Europe with 40 destinations. Thanks to its favourable geographical location at the heart of Europe, the company’s hub at Vienna International Airport is the ideal gateway between East and West. Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, Europe’s largest airline group, and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global alliance of international airlines. For additional information visit www.austrian.com