News & Research

Forbes
Airline Profits Are Up, Thanks To Everything But Airfares
“Without ancillary revenue, the airline industry would be at a loss overall,” says Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks, the Shorewood, Wis.-based consulting group which tracks ancillary revenue.

2013 Airline Ancillary Revenue Lifts to $31.5 Billion – Up Nearly 1200% Since 2007
The annual CarTrawler survey of global airline ancillary revenue shows growth to $31.5 billion for 2013 ─ an increase of 1200 percent since the first such survey in 2007. IdeaWorksCompany researched the financial filings made by 114 airlines all over the world, 59 of which disclose ancillary revenue activity, to reveal that ancillary revenue reported by airlines reached $16 per passenger in 2013, easily surpassing global figures for profit per passenger. This press release describes highlights from this research and a top 10 list of best performing carriers in three categories.
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CarTrawler Survey of Airline Ancillary Revenue GRAPHIC

Southwest, airberlin, Virgin Australia Still Tops For Rewards, But Delta and Turkish Airlines Make Big Leaps Upward
Value-oriented airlines dominate the results in the 5th annual Switchfly Reward Seat Availability Survey. Airberlin, Southwest, and Virgin Australia have placed within the top six slots for every edition of the reward survey since 2010. For 2014 airberlin and Southwest share first place with outstanding 100% scores; every flight queried in the survey provided reward seats at saver-style levels. The 25 carriers in the survey remained the same as 2013, except China Southern replaced AirTran as the latter continues to be absorbed by its parent Southwest Airlines.
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Switchfly Reward Seat Availability Survey GRAPHIC 

Airline ancillary revenue projected to reach $42.6 billion worldwide in 2013
IdeaWorksCompany, the foremost consultancy on airline ancillary revenues, and CarTrawler, the leading provider of online car rental distribution systems, project airline ancillary revenue will reach $42.6 billion worldwide in 2013. The CarTrawler Worldwide Estimate of Ancillary Revenue represents a massive increase of 89% from the 2010 estimate of $22.6 billion.  The CarTrawler Worldwide Estimate of Ancillary Revenue marks the fourth year IdeaWorksCompany has prepared a projection of global ancillary revenue activity, and is the first year that CarTrawler’s sponsorship of this forecast includes a series of ancillary revenue reports.

Reported Airline Ancillary Revenue Surged to $27.1 Billion in 2012—Up 19.6% in One Year
IdeaWorksCompany, the foremost consultancy in the area of airline ancillary revenues, and CarTrawler, the leading provider of online car rental distribution systems, today announce the results of the CarTrawler Review of Ancillary Revenue Results for 2012.

Value Airlines Fill Top 7 Slots with Best Reward Seat Availability, and Among Global Airlines Singapore is Best.
IdeaWorksCompany releases results from the 4th annual Switchfly Reward Seat Availability Survey.

Airline ancillary revenue projected to reach $36.1 billion worldwide in 2012
The Amadeus worldwide estimate of ancillary revenue forecasts an 11.3% increase, surpassing $3.6 billion in new receipts.

Ancillary Revenue reported by airlines grew to €18.23 billion in 2011 and jumped 66% in two years
Analysis from IdeaWorksCompany, sponsored by Amadeus, reveals that United, Delta, American and Qantas are top ancillary revenue carriers for 2011 and 2010.

Corporate Travelers and A la Carte Pricing
Travel managers admit to Congress that a survey of member companies reveals 58% are unable to track the total amount travelers spend on a la carte fees.

A la Carte Shopping is Good for Consumers
The ultimate compliment for the consumer acknowledges their right to choose. IdeaWorks offers a trio of reasons why a la carte methods are good for consumers.