BERLIN, June 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Finnair has integrated Blacklane, the global professional driver service, as its preferred airport transfer provider.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6bc63ae5-1e25-4645-9ffe-53f2839c55ed
After booking a round-trip flight with Finnair, travellers now see Blacklane’s all-inclusive, guaranteed fares for four rides: transfers to and from departure and arrival airports. They can then book ground transportation between airports and hotels, offices or homes with a single click. Blacklane instantly confirms booked rides and sends travellers their pick-up details.
Finnair and Blacklane display the rides using the Amadeus Transfers solution. Amadeus links flights and rides with the Passenger Name Record (PNR) to allow flyers the most user-friendly and quickest booking process.
Blacklane empowers Finnair to offer flyers a trusted, high-quality driver service to hundreds of destinations worldwide. Rides will be available for cities that Finnair serves directly and through oneworld® airline partners.
Blacklane is available in more than 50 countries, 250 cities and 500 airports worldwide. The deal allows Finnair to offer its passengers all of Blacklane’s benefits, including:
- Tailored airport services, such as the driver meet-and-greet and one hour of complimentary driver waiting time for all airport pickups. In addition, Blacklane tracks flights and automatically adjusts pickup times according to new arrival times.
- Customer-friendly cancellation policies of one hour before pick up for one-way transfers.
- Strict duty of care. This includes real-time service control and affiliates employing only commercially licensed and insured drivers.
- Fair rates, which include all taxes, tolls, fees, and tips. Blacklane’s fares are a fraction of the cost of legacy suppliers.
- Driver contact information sent over text and email one hour before pick-up.
- 24/7 multi-lingual customer service.
Jaron Millner, Vice President, Direct Business, Finnair: “Finnair’s partnership with Blacklane will offer our customers a seamless, reliable and convenient transportation service to get to and from the airport. This collaboration with Blacklane and Amadeus is also a logical step in our strategy of positioning Finnair.com as the one-stop shop for our customers’ travel needs.”
Jens Wohltorf, Co-founder and CEO, Blacklane: “Travellers want a simple and intuitive booking experience for all of their travel needs. Finnair, Amadeus and Blacklane are breaking new ground to provide exactly this. By booking professional rides with flights, this state-of-the-art solution takes the stress out of travel the moment travellers walk out the door.”
Peter Altmann, Head of Amadeus Cars & Transfers, Amadeus: “Ground transportation is airlines’ next major ancillary opportunity. Flyers desire a trusted, reliable and consistent airport transfer service wherever they go. With Amadeus Transfers technology and Blacklane, Finnair can now provide the service that travellers demand, and set the way forward for the airline industry.”
About Blacklane (blacklane.com)
Blacklane is the global professional driver service, covering the first and last miles of your journey. We provide peace of mind for passengers and drivers in more than 50 countries, 250 cities and 500 airports around the world. We guarantee high-quality rides at fair, fixed and all-inclusive rates. All drivers are commercially licensed and insured. Our state-of-the-art systems and a multi-lingual 24/7 Customer Service team coordinate tens of thousands of quality cars in real time. You can schedule rides on our website or mobile apps or via distribution and channel partners.
About Finnair
Finnair flies between Asia, Europe and North America with an emphasis on fast connections via Helsinki, carrying more than ten million passengers annually. In 2017, Finnair's extensive network connects 18 cities in Asia and 7 cities in North America with over 60 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, was the first European airline to fly the next-generation, eco-smart Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and it is the first airline listed in the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. The only Nordic carrier with a 4-star Skytrax ranking, Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past seven years running. Finnair is a member of oneworld, the alliance of the world's leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travellers.
About Amadeus
Amadeus is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies). The Amadeus group employs around 15,200 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as over 70 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations globally and has a presence in more than 190 countries.
This year marks 30 years since Amadeus was founded. Throughout 2017, the company will be celebrating 30 years of collaboration with customers, 30 years of technological innovation and 30 years of helping power better journeys for travellers all over the world.
The group operates a transaction-based business model.
Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol "AMS.MC" and is a component of the IBEX 35 index.
To find out more about Amadeus please visit www.amadeus.com, and www.amadeus.com/blog for more on the travel industry.