In June 2016, Azul took a bold step forward, creating an innovative passenger offering, SkySofa, to its customers traveling on international flight in the Xtra Economy class.

SkySofa gives customers a chance to reserve center-row seats that turn into beds for couples and families. Travelers who book SkySofa like having extra legroom and travel comfort, being able to lie down and having the option to purchase this offering at a price that is less expensive than business class seating.

Currently, Azul’s SkySofa is offered on all international flights using Airbus A330 aircraft from Brazil to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in the United States, as well as to Lisbon in Portugal. SkySofa is offered to groups of one to four passengers and is very attractive to families traveling with children. There are up to five rows of SkySofa offered per flight.

Photo Credit: Azul

Customers who book SkySofa receive specially designed seat belts, two pillows, a sheet and a blanket. As a special benefit, they also get a complimentary access to Azul’s lounge in the São Paulo’s Viracopos International Airport (VCP).

SkySofa can be booked via Azul’s website and call center. Plans are under way to also offer this feature through travel agencies and mobile app, mobile site, and airport kiosks as well as to give passengers an option to upgrade to SkySofa during check-in.

To help Azul launch this innovative seating option, Navitaire worked closely with Azul’s subject matter experts to utilize existing functionality in the carrier’s New Skies® reservation system to configure and manage inventory, seat map configuration, pricing, booking flow and airport operations. Azul’s website provides travelers a clear visual illustration of SkySofa seats available for purchase. SkySofa can also be booked through SkySpeed using regular published fares with the addition of SSRs and seat fees. Navitaire created a robotic process to monitor each booking created with unique SkySofa SSRs. These SSRs triggers a process that automatically updates the allotment of appropriate seats from the economy class inventory. Unused SkySofa rows can easily be converted into individual extra leg room seats, available for booking, at any time prior to scheduled departure.

The 2016 Navitaire Customer Conference attendees had a chance to hear about SkySofa firsthand from Christian Delamare, Azul’s IT Business Solutions Manager; Raquel Puglia, Azul’s IT Business Solutions Coordinator; and Navitaire’s Mary Beesley. You can view Azul’s presentation online. (See related article on Customer Care site login credentials change.)

Azul’s customers have welcomed the SkySofa functionality and appreciate having the added choice and comfort, at a reasonable price. Congratulations to Azul for launching this innovative offering and to both project teams for their hard work to implement this complex program. This cooperation is a great example of the shared drive among Navitaire customers and employees to remain focused on delivering new market solutions designed to enhance the passengers’ travel experience. Well done!