Six U.S. network airlines will place ads and destination information on online boarding passes printed by passengers at airline websites.
American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways have partnered with Sojern, an Omaha, Neb.-based company that will use its proprietary technology to place the ads.
Delta on Tuesday will be the first airline to launch the boarding pass ads for customers booked on flights to Las Vegas. Shortly after the launch, Delta said it will roll out the feature to all domestic destinations. The other airlines plan to launch Sojern’s service to domestic customers later this year.
Sojern content will include weather forecasts and event and restaurant information. Sojern said it is “working with a wide variety of advertisers who aspire to reach the quality demographics represented by airline passengers.”
“Our focus-group research has continually shown that passengers love the concept and praise the airlines for providing this innovative offering,” said Gordon Whitten, the founder of Sojern. “And, since the airlines connect to millions of high-income travelers about to embark on a trip, advertisers are also clamoring to get involved. It is truly a win for passengers, a win for advertisers and a win for airlines.”
Mark Bergsrud, Continental's senior vice president marketing programs and distribution, said, “This relationship will provide our customers with a new product they will appreciate and value, and will generate ancillary revenue for Continental.”
Al Lenza, Northwest’s vice president of distribution and e-commerce, indicated that the boarding pass ads will reach a great deal of passengers since 40% of Northwest customers use the airline’s website to check in.
Sojern is funded by two Silicon Valley venture capital firms, Norwest Venture Partners and Trident Capital. Their first-round investment in Sojern was $16 million. Also, each of the six airline partners owns an equity stake in Sojern.
Norwest’s other travel industry investments include Kayak, G2 SwitchWorks and Sabre Holdings. Trident Capital’s portfolio includes Kayak, Sabre Holdings and Pegasus Solutions.