Why CFOs love iXiGO.com

In these times of flat top lines and receding bottom lines, cost cutting is an imperative from which no CFO can shy away. Some key findings according to a recent survey conducted by CFO Research Services in collaboration with Amadeus and research carried out by Effective Travel Management:

• Around 50% of the CFOs / finance professionals interviewed for the respondents believe that booking directly on Airline / Hotel websites offers significant (medium to high) opportunity to save costs. (Source: Cost Control and Beyond)
• A major proportion of respondents feel that effective feedback tools save costs (25%) and improve operational efficiency (17%) (Source: Cost Control and Beyond)
• It is possible to enjoy cost savings of ~10% just through Advance Air Booking (5.7%) and booking Restricted Fares (4.8%)* (Source: Effective Travel Management)

* Note: As restricted fares are typically available in advance, there is a 1.5% overlap in savings from improved performance in these two areas.

iXiGO.com offers several tangible benefits to the CFO looking to keep costs in check:

• Book Direct – iXiGO.com searches directly on the airline sites. It also provides access to the world’s largest inventory of hotels, offering the greatest option to users while displaying fares from various booking sites (including direct hotel sites).
• Reduce Costs through “Visual Guilt” (Price Comparison) – It is a well researched fact that when people are presented with options and shown visually that they can get the same product for substantially less, they feel compelled to do the right thing (i.e. buy at the lowest price). iXiGO.com allows travelers to search and compare the same property across different vendors, thereby ensuring the lowest possible cost to the firm.

• Leverage Feedback of the Crowd – iXiGO.com searches multiple travel review sites, providing “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) professionals a single window access to the wisdom of the crowd.

• Plan Ahead (Advance Air Bookings) – iXiGO.com’s fare outlook graph allows the business traveler to save costs by planning ahead.
  

• Search Lowest Business (or Economy) Fares – iXiGO.com enables the harried business traveler strike the ideal balance between cost and comfort by providing the flexibility to search both Business as well as Economy class fares across all airlines.
  
• Search Fare Trend on Preferred Supplier – Definitely a boon for the “DIY” traveler who can now view the next 30 days’ Fare Outlook for all airlines on their frequently flown sector(s).

• Monitor Fare Trend on Most Frequented Sectors – iXiGO.com makes it easy to monitor fare trends by "pushing" them to the busy professional's Desktop or Web based RSS Reader.

• Rail as a Viable Alternative – Super fast search allows the cost conscious traveler to easily identify the routes where rail becomes a viable alternative to air.

Smart CFOs understand that all travel portals are NOT equal - booking through Online Travel Agents (OTA) adds an extra layer of cost and makes true price discovery impossible due to opaque pricing strategies followed by the OTAs. It is also easier to make last minute bookings and modifications while dealing directly with the airlines. Most OTAs have a blackout period, hence in many cases flights which are displayed on airlines' site - as well as on iXiGO.com, may not even get displayed on the OTA!

We guess these are reasons enough for smart corporate users from firms as diverse as Puma, Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, ITC, L&T, Ranbaxy (and more...) to patronize iXiGO.com! :-)

iXiGO9 Bonanza Super Winners

They came, they searched, they booked, and went home winners!! Recently concluded iXiGO9 Bonanza was a splendid success with our support team being flooded with redemption requests. And why not, on iXiGO.com, fliers not only got the best air fares, but also assured gift vouchers on every Jet Airways booking done after redirecting through iXiGO. Voucher values ranged from Rs 300 all the way upto Rs 2000.

Here is a partial list of our Super Winners (people who won more than Rs. 1000 for their air bookings). We wanted to list out all the winners, but then that would have run into hundreds of pages!! :-)

1. Sangam, Pune
2. Ramesh, Pune
3. Arun, Bangalore
4. Dhananjay, New Delhi
5. Subhash, New Mumbai
6. Mayank, Jaipur
7. Sehul, Mumbai
8. Sandipan, New Delhi
9. Nirmalya, New Delhi
10. Rohit, New Delhi
11. Shailajan, Pune
12. Vinayagam, Itarsi
13. Karthic, Mumbai
14. Rajesh, New Delhi
15. Nagaraja, Hyderabad
16. Anitha, Pune
17. Anup, Bangalore
20. Shaila, Bangalore
21. Arvind, Mumbai
22. Lee, Bangalore
23. Dheeraj, Mumbai
24. Anant, Balasore
25. Rajiv, Bhowanipur
26. Nitin, New Delhi
27. Sanjay, Guwahati
28. Sachin, Indore
29. Saji, Kochi
30. Dorab, Mumbai
31. Jairath, Chennai
32. Vandana, Ahmedabad
33. Chowdary, Itarsi
34. Pandey, Patna
35. Dinup, Pune
36. Anshuman, Bangalore
37. Mridula, Bangalore
38. Atul, New Delhi
39. Champa, Mumbai
40. Arunima, New Delhi

And the list goes on...!

Do check out Monsoon Madness and dive into the fun!

Planning a great bike trip - the dos and donts

Ever rode beast at speed so fast, that the world around turns into a vivid blur? There is nothing around but a vast stretch of barren land, ice covered mountain peaks or maybe the vast expanse of the sea on one side. Its like being the only one in the middle of a small barren universe. Complete Isolation. Oneness with the self. And then the wind, which was relentlessly lapping on to your face with undying fervor, mysteriously starts to talk...
Or wait.. is that GOD himself?

There are many people who go for bike trips all throughout the year. In fact even as I write this post or you read it, there will be thousands of people all around the globe taking their machines on some wonderful escapades. While the very idea of a bike trip sounds exciting to everyone, it requires a little bit of preparation in advance in order for it to be a thrilling, yet safe experience :)

Be as meticulous in your preparation as you can be. Here is the list of dos and donts that will be helpful if you are preparing for a bike trip somewhere.
Dos

• Try to book hotels in advance - If you book a hotel/accommodation before you start your journey, you avoid the last minute shock of finding no decent accommodation available. Or at least you can check out online if there are reasonable number of hotels available during your travel dates. If yes, then it might be safe enough to book upon arrival. And of course the best and cheapest hotel deals can be found at www.ixigo.com/hotels
  
• These things MUST be taken - Map, Water bottles, first aid kit, pain killers, torch, puncture repair kit, biscuits, glucose, phone numbers of police stations/hospitals on or near the route, rain coat(if you going to mountains esp.), ploybags to cover electronic devices/important stuff in case it rains, a wind cheater, camera
  
• A GPS device can come in handy and be cool as well
• Always keep a tab on the distance you have covered since the last petrol refill. Keep refilling the petrol tank to full capacity after traveling a good distance. You never know how distant the next petrol pump is. If you are driving on a stretch where there might be no petrol pump for 2-300 kms, then carry some fuel with you.
  

Donts

• Never ever ride without wearing helmet. I know you might be tempted to do that, but DON'T ever take off your helmet. A combination of a solid skull + safe thrill/fun is definitely better than a crushed skull bone any day
• Avoid traveling during nights. Generally in remote places/hills there are no street lights on the roads. Mountains are especially dangerous during nights. Even the truck guy is in a hurry to cover as much as he can during the night. And they are not the most careful/responsible drivers either . So in any case it is quite unsafe to ride during nights/ after sunset
  
• Do NOT drink while driving. While this might seem too preachy, it is perhaps the sanest thing you can do. Most of us tend to ignore commonsense over whims when our hearts cry out for cheap thrills. Resist this temptation at any cost
  

Making your trip awesome

• Estimate your expenses before-hand. Then carry 30% extra, just for the times of emergency or a sudden urge for being pampered :)
  
• Carry a camera. There will be a lot of "Kodak moments". From old dilapidated forts, to beautiful pine covered hills, the occasional chai shop, and or general horsing around. Be rest assured that you will have a range of memories that you will cherish.
• Take breaks. Go easy. You are not in an F1 race. The point is to enjoy your ride.

Once you are done with all this preparation and start on the journey, leave your office/girl/guy trouble, bitching landlord/landlady, abusive maidservant/manservant, nosy friends, nagging parents, taunting relatives and the overachieving cousins behind. It's time to unplug and be at peace.

TripAdvisor back to BookingBuddy model on flights ?

We just noticed that TripAdvisor in the US is no more showing meta-search results, but is showing brand buttons for people to click on to go to the respective booking site (a la BookingBuddy)

Hmmm ... website glitch or intended "meta"-morphosis ?

Team iXiGO

IPL Live!!

20th April 2009


Here is a quick Snapshot from Cape Town, South Africa:

1st match: Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians at Cape Town - Apr 18, 2009
Mumbai Indians won by 19 runs.

Last year’s runner up couldn’t find the going easy in their first match thanks to some sheet-anchor batting and clinical bowling attack by Mumbai Team. I guess this IPL is bundled with many more such unexpected surprises…….

2nd match: Bangalore Royal Challengers v Rajasthan Royals at Cape Town - Apr 18, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers won by 75 runs.

Defending Champions Rajasthan didn’t fail to surprise this time around by recording lowest score of the tournament, dubiously held previously by Kolkata :-)

3rd match: Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab at Cape Town - Apr 19, 2009
The match will be remembered more for the commercials and rain than cricket that people paid money for. Delhi Daredevils amusingly won by 10 wickets (with 7 balls remaining) (D/L method) having to chase 54 runs in 6 overs.

4th match: Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders at Cape Town - Apr 19, 2009
The star-studded team of last year finally lived upto its name this time around with all bowlers reaping rewards of their tidy line and length. Deccan Chargers won by 8 wickets (with 41 balls remaining).

Live from the ground:

5th match: Bangalore Royal Challengers v Chennai Super Kings at Port Elizabeth - Apr 20, 2009 at St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth

Time: 4:30pm IST

Our countdown has begun; Bangalore would love to keep the momentum going, with Chennai looking to get back into winning ways. Hope Chennai makes a wise team selection unless last time. For Bangalore, the onus is now on their top three batsmen to tighten up.

We will be back soon with more updates from the grounds of South Africa……….. It’s time to cheer up our teams now…….. till then eat cricket, drink cricket and sleep cricket!

IPL Starts Tomorrow!!

Finally the wait is over, Indian Premier League starts tomorrow with Rajasthan Royals vs Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings kicking off the first two matches of the tournament in Cape Town. Every team is looking great and raring to go for the DLF IPL Trophy 2009.

This is the first time that IPL is being held outside India in the beautiful country of South Africa. The host country for the IPL tournament is a wonderful place to visit and some really interesting 20-20 matches will be held here over the next one month. Twenty-twenty format has already come out as the more interesting and shorter version of the game and people really don’t mind getting hooked on to it as it finishes off in just under 3 hrs ☺ . There will be 2 matches on the same day starting at 4 PM and 8 PM IST. Some of the beautiful cities of South Africa where these matches will be held are worth visiting. Some of the fascinating places with eye-catching attractions are:

Capetown: Plan your tour to the Winelands and towns like Paarl, Stellenbosch or Franschhoek or Hoerikwaggo Table Mountain—Hiking or Cable cart or V & A Waterfront.

Port Elizabeth: Also known as “Nelson Mandela Bay” or “The Friendly City” or “The Windy City”. This city is also known as home for motor vehicle industry in South Africa. Port Elizabeth is also a major seaport, with the most significant ore leading facilities in the southern zone.

Durban: Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa. It is also a major center of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and beaches.


Johannesburg: Johannesburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is served by O.R. Tambo International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Africa and a gateway for international air travel to and from the rest of southern Africa.


Rajasthan Royals were the winners of the First IPL Tournament held in India in 2008, led by their Captain Shane Warne. Well, he is leading the team this year too.

So which team is your favorite this season? Who do you think will take the Trophy?
Any guesses?


Do check back for more interesting updates on the IPL as it moves along, till then have fun and enjoy the IPL matches!

The iXiGO Team

iXiGO.com to Support International Airlines’ Move to Zero Commissions in India

India's Largest Travel Search Engine to Support Airlines by Growing Direct Bookings



New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, April 16, 2009 - iXiGO.com, India’s fastest growing travel site, today announced that it supported the move by international airlines to zero commissions for travel agents and that it will continue working strategically alongside airlines in growing their direct sales and reducing their distribution cost.

14 international carriers in India have recently moved to zero commissions with a transaction fee system. These include Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air France, KLM, Delta Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines and Finnair. Though they acknowledge travel agents as an integral part of their business, they remain committed to reducing travel agency commissions to zero, pushing travel agencies to a transaction fee (or service fee) model. This is in line with their global policies and an increased focus on direct-selling through their own website with web-only fares, lowest fare guarantees and exclusive on-site promotions.

Announcing the company’s stand on the issue, Aloke Bajpai, Founder-CEO, iXiGO.com said – “iXiGO remains committed to growing direct web-sales for international airlines just like we have already successfully done for domestic carriers. We are in the process of signing partnerships with all major international airlines and we believe that the move to zero commissions will be beneficial for the entire travel ecosystem in the long-run. Instead of focusing on commissions, as an industry we need to focus on the value delivered to the consumer. Selling and distribution costs are a major burden on airline P&Ls and it is our responsibility to enable more efficiency in their cost of sales.”

iXiGO.com’s unique business-model has introduced a paradigm-shift in travel bookings and has made it India’s biggest airline-direct search engine enabling efficient customer acquisition for all airlines in India. Since bookings through iXiGO.com’s engine happen by transferring customers onto airline websites, the airline owns the customer and benefits from ancillary revenue and brand loyalty due to more effective marketing and direct distribution on the Internet. It is estimated that if efficient direct selling platforms such as travel search engines can transition just 10% of sales directly to the airline sites from intermediaries, airlines in India would cumulatively save at least Rs. 100 crores every year in distribution costs.

Nitin Gurha, VP, Travel Partnerships, iXiGO.com commented – “Travel agents will need to adapt to the transaction fee model prevalent in all large markets globally. They can make much better margins on hotels, tours & package bookings and also by offering value-added services like visas, insurance etc, so the impact on travel agency bottom-lines should only be marginal. Globally, travel agents have evolved into travel consultants and we don’t see a reason for that not happening in India”.

iXiGO.com, launched in June 2007, has grown exponentially in the last 12 months and is one of the biggest affiliates of airlines in India, driving transactions worth Rs.18 crores every month on airline sites. In addition to airlines, iXiGO.com searches more than 220,000 hotels across the world and bus operators within India.

About iXiGO.com:

iXiGO.com ® is India’s leading online travel search engine based out of Gurgaon. iXiGO.com searches across multiple airlines, hotels, and bus booking sites. Launched in mid-2007 by an entrepreneurial team of young IITians and INSEAD MBAs, iXiGO.com has been recognized by NASSCOM as India’s Top-100 Innovator; BusinessToday and WSJ-Mint have named it among India’s hottest startups for its unique market approach, product usability, and passionate management team. iXiGO.com is backed by BAF Spectrum, a Singapore-based seed-investment fund. For more information about iXiGO.com, visit www.ixigo.com.

Media contact:

Dharmendra Yashovardhan,
iXiGO.com,
+91 (124) 4045281,
dharmendra@ixigo.com