Travel tech leaders collaborate to bring immediate information to stranded passengers

15below, the market-leading provider of passenger communication software for travel companies,  and OpenJaw Technologies - world-class providers of travel retailing and AI platforms - have joined forces to give passengers a new innovative way to access vital information during travel.

Through a new collaboration between the two tech experts, 15below will inform passengers of changes to their flight status, inviting them to connect with their airline via OpenJaw’s advanced AI-driven chatbot to resolve queries or issues in real time.

Since 2002, OpenJaw has developed top-of-the-range tech solutions for leading airlines and travel companies including ANA, Cathay Pacific, and British Airways. t-Social is OpenJaw’s new automated customer service tool that enables passengers to communicate with their airline through their social media accounts including WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook Messenger and Twitter. When the query cannot be answered by the bot, it is passed over to a customer service representative at the airline, offering additional peace of mind in times of high stress.

The collaboration draws on the best features of both solutions to provide real-time, personalised responses with no waiting times or language barriers. The fully automated chatbot uses AI to respond to customers while integration with the 15below platform enables the chatbot to offer relevant, hyper-personalised responses. The result is a revolutionary offering which leaves passengers informed, no matter the time or day, and limits the stress associated with trying to obtain information during travel disruption. An additional key benefit for the travel company is the opportunity to offer unique, personalised upsell opportunities, such as upgrades and ancillary products.

Speaking about the new partnership, OpenJaw’s CEO Kieron Branagan, said, “The advanced AI capabilities of t-Social combined with the unique passenger information available through the 15below platform have created a truly revolutionary offering which quickly and painlessly offers passengers the information that they need at the exact time – and crucially via the channel – that suits them.”

15below works with 54 of the world’s largest airlines and travel companies - including the Lufthansa Group, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific - to help them proactively keep their passengers informed at every stage of their journey.  But the company recognises that even with the most sophisticated suite of notifications, some passengers will need more information or reassurance whilst travelling.

Nicholas Key, CEO at 15below said, “Since 2000 we have worked with some of the world’s busiest airlines, sending 1.8 million notifications every day to passengers on their behalf. And while we reduce the need for costly call-centres to handle calls from passengers with additional requirements, there will always be customers that need a little more help. That’s why we were thrilled to find such a strong synergy between the 15below platform and t-Social.”

Key continued, “These days passengers rightly have very high demands when it comes to customer service and airlines and airlines are now expected to be accessible 24/7. But the potential for travel companies to generate significant revenue, as well as the opportunity to collect additional contact information from passengers that have booked through third parties makes using t-Social powered by 15below a very compelling opportunity.”

The 15below platform is used by more than 50 of the world’s most successful airlines including Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Ryanair, Qantas, Norwegian, SWISS and Lufthansa, providing them with the technology to stay connected to their passengers throughout their journey – from booking to arrival and beyond. Travel companies around the world use the platform to send over two million notifications every day, in real-time, connecting them with more than 800 million passengers each year.