Goibibo.com releases new international air booking app; what's on offer?

Online travel agency Goibibo.com, which is part of South African digital media firm Naspers, has released a new international air booking application. The company also claims that it has witnessed a year-on-year growth of 200 per cent in its international air category.

As of now, Dubai, Bangkok, London, Hong Kong and Singapore are the top five international destinations for the company, while Muscat, Colombo, New York, Melbourne and Paris complete the top 10.

Here is a look at the new features of the app:

Aircraft layout and seat pitch: A handy feature, it enables users to see the aircraft layout, seat layout, seat pitch, facilities like entertainment, in-flight meals, and baggage information (such as size and weight), etc. in order to allow them to choose the perfect airline for their international travel.

Late night flight alert: A small icon to notify the customer that the selected option is a late night flight, in order to help them make an informed decision.

Fare graph: Gives customers a 30 day option with prices, as a result of which they can choose dates where they get lower fares. The feature also enables them to save by letting them see the fare trends and also the best date for booking a flight.

Long layover flight alert: International travel generally has a layover between flights. The feature alerts customers whether the layover is too short (increases the chances of missing connecting flight) or very long (like a day or more), so that they can choose the right option.

Super filters & refiners: The app also lets its user sort the results on the basis of fastest and cheapest flights. Other refiners enable customers to refine on the basis of transit airports, time bands, etc. For example, for travel to the US, a customer can choose Paris as an airport for connections.

Goibibo enables travellers to search, compare and buy from across categories and width of travel suppliers including air tickets, bus tickets, holidays, hotels and car rentals. It also offers mobile apps on the Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. Early this year, the company had introduced a closed wallet called 'goCash' wherein the user can opt for booking through the digital wallet. This comes in addition to conventional payment options such as credit card and net banking.

While making a cancellation on Goibibo, the user can get opt for refund to goCash, instead of refund to his/her debit/credit card. If chosen, this goCash amount is credited into his/her Goibibo account instantly and allows the user to then book any ticket on Goibibo.com. The company is a part of ibibo Group, which also owns properties such as redBus.in (online bus ticketing platform) and travelboutique (B2B online travel platform). Other Group properties include Tradus.com and Gaadi.com.

Founded by Ashish Kashyap, ibibo Group also owns a minority stake in Naspers' global payments business, PayU Global.