FLYOFF partners with Transavia for Tinder-style bookings

There is no shortage of entrepreneurs willing to take on the air travel market, and whereas the mainstream segments are already taken by the industry's giants, there may be some space for new players betting on innovative approaches.

One that caught our attention is FLYOFF, a Paris-based startup that is targeting millenials with its Tinder-style video-and-mobile based booking platform.

FLYOFF came into being after the two founders, both avid travlers, realized that, when it comes to travel, often the more spontaneous the experience is, the more fun. An angle that they felt was not correctly addressed by existing solutions.

In fact, FLYOFF has taken a very visual, inspirational approach to air ticket booking.

Tell FLYOFF your location, how many people want to travel and the length of the stay and you will be shown a number of videos about destinations. Just like on Tinder, you swipe right if you like what you see.

You then tell the system how much you are willing to pay and the system matches your request with the partner airlines' existing inventory, that will be able to send an offer.

If you accept the airline's offer, you are then redirected to the partner airline website to complete the booking.

FLYOFF, a project hosted by the Paris Travel Incubator, is currently in beta testing and has already a partnerhsip with Transavia, the low cost airline of the Air france/KLM Group, itself no stranger to innovation!.

Similarly to what happens with last minute seat upgrade apps, the whole process is personal and anonymous. This way airlines (and, in the future, other travel indsutry players) are able to offload slow-selling inventory.

But the founders think there is potential beyond the mere sale of discounted tickets (on a phone conversation, FLYOFF founder, Clement Garrigue, tells me users typically expect discounts on the order of 25% to book through such alternative channels). The company's focus on millenials is of interest to companies from outside the travel sector, such as banks, that could be interested in using it as a channel to reach out to this market segment with offers designed to build long-term commercial relationships.

FLYOFF is currently in talks to close a €500k second round of funding.