London, 29 January 2019 — Kiwi.com, a pioneer in applying state-of-the-art technological solutions to the travel industry, announced the formation of a strategic partnership with Pulkovo International St. Petersburg Airport, aimed at building a Hosted Stopover Program for self-connect and Virtually Interlined passengers at Pulkovo Airport.

Under the new airport partner program, Pulkovo Airport is joining efforts with Kiwi.com to deliver a fast, comfortable and hassle-free transfer product for the benefit of passengers and all of the full-service and low-cost airlines operating at the airport. Pulkovo Airport welcomed over 18.1 million passengers in 2018, which represents a 12.4 per cent increase in traffic numbers year-on-year.

The Virtually Interlined product will give passengers the reassurance of the backup that Kiwi.com provides, such as customer service, way-finding and advanced passenger communication — for example, if a flight is going to be delayed a notification will be sent to a passenger and alternatives suggested. This will be the first self-connect project in Russia’s airport industry.

Using Kiwi.com’s unique algorithms, machine learning capabilities and data insights, passengers from over 150 countries are able to buy more than 3,650 unique flight combinations, across both full service and low-cost airlines, for travel via Pulkovo Airport. 

“We are excited to launch the self-connect project at Pulkovo, partnering with Kiwi.com, a global leader in online booking services. Combining St Petersburg Airport’s excellent transfer infrastructure and perfect location between Europe and Asia with Kiwi.com’s unique expertise, we strive to develop a revolutionary product on Russia’s market. In partnership with Kiwi.com we will be able to significantly enhance transfer service for travelers, providing passengers with personalized connection offers and the airlines with new market opportunities via St Petersburg,” said Vladimir Yakushev, Chief Executive Officer of Pulkovo International Airport operator Northern Capital Gateway LLC.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Pulkovo Airport to assist in delivering this transfer product benefiting both passengers and all full-service and low-cost airlines which operate out of this key Russian airport. The airport is growing massively and at Kiwi.com we are matching this growth as we strive to make travel better for both users and providers,” said Zdeněk Komenda, Chief Business Development Officer at Kiwi.com.

With more than 40 per cent of global passengers now by-passing traditional booking practices and beginning to create their own itineraries, stopovers and transfers, the new Virtually Interlined model will be perfectly placed to tap into this growing trend.

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact the PR team, Bill or Hugh at [email protected] or on 0161 996 4708

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About Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com (formerly Skypicker) was founded by Oliver Dlouhý and Jozef Képesi in 2012. Powered by its proprietary algorithm that allows users to combine flights from nearly 500 airlines (virtual interlining), including many that do not normally cooperate, and its industry-leading Kiwi.com Guarantee, it is one of the fastest growing technology companies in Central Europe. It entered the 2017 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA list in 7th place, becoming the highest ever ranked Czech company. Kiwi.com today handles 90 million-plus daily search queries and offers 225,000-plus price updates per minute, allowing users to obtain the best deals via notifications and Price Alerts.  To learn more about Kiwi.com’s unique B2B offerings for airlines and airports, please contact [email protected].

About Pulkovo Airport

Pulkovo St Petersburg Airport is the fourth busiest airport in Russia in terms of passenger numbers. In 2018, Pulkovo served 18.1 million passengers, which is 12.4 per cent more than in 2017. The route network of St. Petersburg includes 162 domestic and international destinations to which 75 airlines perform scheduled flights. The modern infrastructure and operational efficiency allows Pulkovo Airport to provide passengers with world-class services.

St Petersburg has an excellent geographic location for convenient and easy flights between Europe and Asia. In 2018, the city has been named the best destination for cultural tourism by the World Travel Awards.

Since 2010, Northern Capital Gateway LLC has been operator of Pulkovo airport, implementing its reconstruction and development project under a public-private partnership agreement with the city of St. Petersburg.