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source_url: "https://simpleflying.com/low-cost-interlining-connectair-by-air-transat/"
title: "Building A Low-Cost Interlining Empire: Inside connectair By Air Transat"
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> **Original source:** https://simpleflying.com/low-cost-interlining-connectair-by-air-transat/

 

Published Sep 10, 2022, 12:06 PM EDT

Joanna has led Simple Flying from a startup to the world's largest online aviation publication. With a decades-long background in digital publishing and travel, her valuable insight on both the operational side and the aviation industry have beautifully combined to bring the Simple Flying vision to life. Moderator, commentator, analyst and journalist, Joanna has become a prominent personality in modern aviation media.

In 2021, Air Transat went all-in with the Dohop-powered solution for easier virtual interlining. The Dohop technology is the power behind other world-leading interlining initiatives, including Worldwide by easyJet and Jetstar Connect. [Air Transat](http://simpleflying.com/tag/air-transat) launched ‘connectair by Air Transat’ in November last year, partnering initially with British airline [easyJet](http://simpleflying.com/tag/easyjet) and Colombian airline [Avianca](http://simpleflying.com/tag/avianca).

Since its launch, Air Transat has added a wealth of other partners, including Azores Airlines, Aegean, Air North, Loganair, Pascan, SKY express, and [Vueling](http://simpleflying.com/tag/vueling). The partnerships mean Air Transat passengers can connect seamlessly onto these other carriers with a single booking, expanding Air Transat’s own network by more than 240 additional destinations.

   ![A321neo easyJet MSN8314](https://static0.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/A321neo-easyJet-MSN8314.jpeg?q=50&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1.5)

Photo: Airbus

Simple Flying caught up with Michèle Barre, Vice President, Network, Revenue Management and Pricing at Air Transat, to find out more about connectair by Air Transat and why the airline has embarked on this venture.

## Focus on partnerships

Air Transat has been heavily focused on leveraging partnerships to offer more destinations to its customers and to strengthen its network. The airline codeshares with [WestJet](http://simpleflying.com/tag/westjet), and has a partnership with French train company SNCF for its Train+Air service. But connectair is something new and exciting, and it’s a world away from traditional partnerships and codeshares, as Michèle Barre explained:

> _“Thanks to the technology powered by Dohop, it is very easy for us to add new partners to this platform as the API does the work of connecting both airlines’ offering. It only takes a few weeks to activate a partner, while it can take months for other types of airline partnerships to materialize. For our company and especially in this recovery period, it means less development on the IT side, maximum cost efficiency, and ultimately, extra revenue for our airline.”_

   ![Screenshot 2022-09-10 at 16.48.48](https://static0.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot-2022-09-10-at-164848.png?q=50&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1.5)

The platform even has a [bespoke website](https://connectair.airtransat.com/) to make it easier to book connecting flights. Photo: Air Transat

Dohop’s platform is what is known as ‘virtual interlining.’ It bypasses the traditional Global Distribution System (GDS) and allows bookings to be made via an API. The benefit of this is a lead time of just days to add a new airline partner, rather than the weeks or months that are typical with a GDS codeshare or interline. Barre believes it has wide-ranging benefits for the industry as a whole, commenting,

> _“This type of partnership is also truly valuable for the airline industry given our IT systems are traditionally ultra-complex. With virtual interlining, the API handles all communications and simplifies the process, allowing us to form partnerships easily and quickly. Another added benefit is our ability to fill our aircraft on a specific route with a diversity of itineraries, and not solely rely on point-to-point demand.”_

![Air Transat Airbus A321LR](https://static0.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Air-Transat_s-A321LR.jpg)

## How successful is connectair by Air Transat?

The connectair platform is less than a year old, and has already been popular with many of Air Transat’s guests. Barre noted that more than 2,800 passengers have already used the virtual interlining platform for their travels, and that [London Gatwick](http://simpleflying.com/tag/london-gatwick-airport) is the destination that carries the most Dohop passengers at present.

In terms of who they are connecting to, easyJet is the top partner, thanks to its extensive European network. Vueling, SKY Express, and Avianca have been popular too, but Europe is the most well-used region for interlining travelers. Final destinations for these passengers are most frequently Italy, Switzerland and Germany. Barre commented,

> _“connectair by Air Transat currently allows us to expand our number of origin-destinations to over 1,000 across Canada, Europe, Central and South America, North Africa and the Middle East, the latter two being new markets which Air Transat does not yet cover on its own. We are also in talks with more partners to add to our platform in order to offer even more destinations to our customers.”_

   ![A Sky Express Airbus jet airliner taxiing to the runway.](https://static0.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/maxresdefault.jpeg?q=50&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1.5)

Photo: SKY Express

So would Transat seek to operate a direct route that is not currently in its network, if the virtual interlining showed strong demand for that route? Barre says this is not on the radar at present, and the airline is more focused on providing customers with access to destinations it doesn’t serve itself. That’s not to say that the intelligence supplied by connectiar is not useful, but at present is being utilized more to build additional partnerships for the future.

## How does it work in reality?

Just like Worldwide by easyJet or any of the other virtual interlining platforms out there, connectiar by Air Transat allows passengers to book one single itinerary that crosses multiple airlines. This means that if they want to fly an unusual route – think Quebec City to Marrakesh, for example – they can do so with one single booking.

It’s not quite as convenient as a codeshare. Each flight must be checked into individually, and baggage must be retrieved and re-checked at the transfer airport. However, it does mean passengers can benefit from connecting to low-cost airlines, something that is not widely available via alliances and traditional codeshares.

The booking process allows passengers to see what's included with each airline, each carrier's baggage policies and even to select a seat for their flight.

-   ![Screenshot 2022-09-10 at 16.53.15](https://static0.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot-2022-09-10-at-165315.png?q=50&fit=contain&w=1204&h=2238&dpr=1.5)
    
-   ![Screenshot 2022-09-10 at 16.53.25](https://static0.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot-2022-09-10-at-165325.png?q=50&fit=contain&w=1208&h=2202&dpr=1.5)
    
-   ![Screenshot 2022-09-10 at 16.54.15](https://static0.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot-2022-09-10-at-165415.png?q=50&fit=contain&w=1208&h=2248&dpr=1.5)
    

The beauty of the connection is that it is guaranteed by Dohop. If a flight is delayed or canceled, Dohop will find the passenger an alternative flight on the same day. If the next flight is not departing until the following day, Dohop will accommodate the passenger in a hotel and provide funding for meals. Barre summed up the benefits of the program saying,

> _“Air Transat is all about giving people access to travel and making sure their trip is as enjoyable as possible throughout their journey. This includes offering a plethora of destinations for them to choose from and is also where Dohop’s technology comes into play. With connectair by Air Transat, we are able to offer an additional 240 destinations to our customers by simply connecting our network to our partners through our platform.”_

Air Transat’s interlining service is a key focus for the airline going forward, and we’ll likely see many more partners added in the coming months and years. And it’s not just airline partners that are being sought by the Canadian airline – Intermodality, allowing connections to trains, busses, ferries and more, is also high on the agenda, and something that is entirely possible to accomplish through a platform like connectair.

**Have you used connectair by Air Transat or any other virtual interlining platform yet? Let us know about your experiences in the comments.**