How Virtual Interlining Can Save You Time and Money

Booking multiple flights and accommodation for lengthy or complex trips can be a time-consuming and stressful process. Juggling connections between different airlines all while researching the best prices often means travellers have to compromise on certain aspects of their itinerary.

What if there was a way to simplify trip planning and seamlessly connect flights without worrying about tight layovers or lost luggage in transfers? As one of the leading online travel agencies (OTAs), Volario is pleased to introduce a service that takes the headache out of multi-segment travel – virtual interlining.

Through strategic partnerships with over 300 airlines worldwide, Volario now offers virtual interlining on our booking platform. This innovative service allows customers to purchase separate flight segments that appear as a single combined itinerary. Behind the scenes, Volario coordinates with partner airlines to ensure seamless transfers between flights.

Let’s take a deeper look at how virtual interlining works and the key benefits travellers can enjoy:

What is Virtual Interlining?

In the traditional airline model, two carriers have an interline agreement if they cooperatively handle passengers transferring between their flights. This means checked bags will be transferred and the second airline is responsible if the first flight is delayed causing a passenger to miss their connection.

Virtual interlining mimics this process without actual contractual agreements between airlines. Instead, the OTA acts as an intermediary to consolidate separate flight bookings and take responsibility for re-routing passengers if connections are missed due to delays.

From the customer’s point of view, virtual interlining presents a single combined itinerary for the full trip duration. All flight and passenger details are synchronized through the OTA’s internal systems and databases. This offers a familiar flight-booking experience without the hassle of piecing multiple reservations together manually.

Behind the Scenes Coordination

While travellers simply see one comprehensive reservation, Volario works diligently behind the scenes to enable virtual interlining and make travel seamless for passengers. Using the innovative Interlining products from Airsiders, Volario can:

• Negotiates fare rules and conditions with each partner airline to ensure flexible re-booking options if delays occur. This level of coverage is typically only available through interline agreements.
• Consider live flight schedules and statistics to select optimal connecting times that minimize delay risk. Routes with a minimum 2-hour layover are preferred.
• Monitor daily operations and proactively rebooks affected passengers if flight cancellations or significant delays trigger missed connections. Altered reservations are displayed automatically in the traveller’s account.
• Coordinate with airports and airlines on matters like transfer procedures, lost luggage recovery between carriers, and applying interline baggage policies.
• Maintains IT systems integrated with Global Distribution Systems (GDS) to track in real-time the status of each individual segment booking under the virtual interline umbrella.

7 Key Benefits for Travellers for Virtual Interlining

By handling the behind-the-scenes heavy lifting, virtual interlining offers peace of mind and cost savings that benefit both leisure and business travellers.

1. Simplified trip planning – Search, book and manage your whole itinerary on one platform like a single multi-city reservation with one airline. No juggling separate confirmations.
2. Stress-free connections – Volario monitors flights and rebooks you proactively if delays put your subsequent segments at risk. You won’t miss flights or destinations.
3. Seamless luggage transfers – As per interline policies, your bags will be automatically transferred between carriers like a single multi-leg booking. Less chance of lost luggage headaches.
4. More flexible rebooking – Volario negotiates relaxed fare rules from partner airlines, so flight changes due to delays incur minimal or no change fees compared to standalone bookings.
5. Potential savings – By accessing consolidated fares from our network of 300+ airlines rather than booking direct, virtual interlining could save you money versus piecing an itinerary together yourself.
6. Wider route options – Volario provides reach to airports that may not be serviced by your preferred carrier alone. This expands your origin-destination possibilities for multi-city trips.
7. Superior customer service – As the central point of coordination, Volario is accountable for your entire journey and available 24/7 via web, app and phone support if any issues arise.

The Future of Virtual Interlining

The rise of virtual interlining wouldn’t be possible without advancements in technology. Powerful algorithms analyze vast amounts of flight data in real-time, considering variables like price, layover times, and traveler preferences. Machine learning further refines these searches, ensuring that the combinations offered are not only cost-effective but also practical.

As technology continues to advance and the demand for cost-effective travel solutions grows, the potential for virtual interlining is vast.

We can expect a number of advancements to virtual interlining in the future:

• Improved Algorithms: As machine learning models become more sophisticated, the efficiency and accuracy of virtual interlining searches will improve.

• Broader Airline Participation: As more airlines recognize the benefits of being part of virtual interlining platforms, travelers will have even more options and combinations to choose from.

• Enhanced Passenger Protections: To address concerns about missed connections and luggage transfers, platforms might develop more comprehensive protection policies, further increasing the appeal of virtual interlining.

• Time Efficiency with Virtual Interlining: One of the biggest advantages of virtual interlining is that it allows travellers to save time by giving more flexibility over different airline routes.
  
  
• Optimized Layovers: One might think that having more layovers would increase travel time. However, virtual interlining platforms can find combinations with minimal layover times, ensuring that travelers spend less time waiting at airports.

• Alternative Routes: In cases of flight cancellations or delays, having a virtual interlined itinerary can provide more rerouting options, potentially getting travelers to their destination faster than if they were reliant on a single airline’s schedule.

• Streamlined Booking: Instead of spending hours searching for the best flight combinations across multiple websites, travelers can rely on virtual interlining platforms to do the heavy lifting, saving precious time in the booking process.

Expanding Partnerships and Capabilities

Since launching virtual interlining capabilities, Volario has witnessed rapid partner airline sign-ups and an enthusiastic response from customers. The service continues to mature with daily improvements based on operational learnings and traveller feedback.

Our roadmap for 2023 focuses on several priority areas. This includes negotiations with major airports in high-demand regions across the globe. Innovations in software development aims to further automate rebooking workflows and proactively identify additional delay-triggered rerouting opportunities whenever possible.

Volario is helping to deliver customers a frictionless travel planning experience from A to Z whether exploring nearby cities or further flung international destinations.

Consider the benefits of virtual interlining for your next trip

As global travel rebounds post-pandemic, time-crunched travellers and cost-conscious corporations demand innovative solutions. Virtual interlining addresses these needs through effortless multi-segment trip management with a single point of accountability.

Volario is proud to deliver this industry-leading service and remains committed to strategic expansion that benefit both partners and customers. If simplified trip planning while flying various carriers sounds appealing, explore Volario’s virtual interlining options for your next multi-city adventures abroad.