Kiwi.com launches world’s first global intermodal booking platform

We’ve launched world’s first global intermodal booking platform. Technology connecting ground and air, all covered by the Kiwi.com Guarantee

It’s no longer a hassle to find transport from your home to the airport, and then on to your accommodation once you have landed. Kiwi.com will now connect flights to trains, rental cars, taxis, ride hailing operators, ferries, buses, and hotels — all into one itinerary. We have launched world’s first global intermodal booking platform.

We have announced the launch of technology that will make it easier for travellers to visit cities without airports. This development will provide bookable itineraries with specific times and prices for local train and bus stations — not just general travel information. This gives travellers the ability to find and book the optimum route, from start to finish.

Oliver Dlouhý, CEO and co-founder of Kiwi.com, said: “This was a natural progression for us. Having developed and championed Virtually Interlined flights by working with over 500 airlines, the obvious next step was to provide travellers with an intuitive door-to-door solution enabling them to plan and book a complete journey.

“Personally, I find it frustrating getting a great deal on a flight, having a smooth trip to a hub airport for skiing or summer sun resorts, and then having to search around several sites for complicated transfers to my specific preferred destination.”

Intermodal travel is when a range of different transport options are used in one journey. This could mean you take a bus to the airport to catch a flight and then hop on a train to your final destination once you have landed.

With more than 90 million daily searches on Kiwi.com and its distribution network, the new launch will provide a one-stop solution for travellers. It will showcase the optimal transport combinations — whether based on time, routing, distance or cost — according to the customer’s preferences.

We are adding more and more content daily to connect the currently unconnected. There will be more than ten thousand city pairings added over the next few months. This new intermodal approach gives the traveller maximum control over their plans — linking up cities without airports. If travellers want to maintain some spontaneous elements to their trip they can just book segments.

“When we put this out to test with travellers they embraced the saving of time, money and stress, all backed by the Kiwi.com Guarantee,” continued Dlouhý. “If their transport is delayed or cancelled, we will book them an alternative trip to their destination.

“Today’s travellers are increasingly savvy, and this additional insight and control enables them to plan and book complex itineraries using trains, rental cars, taxis, ride hailing, ferries, buses and hotels.”

Kiwi.com is the first global company to be able to offer a comprehensive online bookable inventory including flights and onward connections. We display specific, unique routes and join the dots by Virtually Interlining the various elements of a journey.

More than a mere discovery tool, Kiwi.com indicates exactly what any chosen trip, route and transport will cost and suggests alternatives that may suit travellers better. By being transparent and giving the power back to the traveller, Kiwi.com allows users to be inspired by the choices on offer and to make an informed decision.

Dlouhý added: “This is a large-scale and ongoing project, which we are adding to daily. I truly see this an important milestone in the travel industry — providing an A to B solution to cities that currently don’t have an airport.

“This should allow a lot more access to previously little-known places, opening up many more cities to tourism and visitors. We really are facilitating access to many new destinations, and with the current overtourism being experienced by some cities globally, this can only be a good thing.”

To learn more about Kiwi.com’s unique B2B offerings for airlines, please get in touch.