Frequently Asked Questions

A single technology layer that connects airlines to 16+ products and thousands of suppliers through one API/integration. Without it, each supplier requires separate negotiations, contracts, and integrations — a process that typically takes 13+ months per supplier. With Arcube, one integration unlocks 16+ categories in weeks.

Arcube gives airlines access to 16+ ancillary categories: eSIMs, lounges, transfers, eVisas, insurance, car rentals, and more, through a single API, widget, or white-label integration. There are no suppliers to negotiate with, no engineering overhead, and no upfront cost.

• ●eSIMs – Coverage in 217 countries and territories, activated instantly from a passenger's phone before they land
• ●Airport lounges – Access to 1,800+ lounges worldwide, bookable at the point of sale
• ●eVisas – Digital visa applications for popular destinations, processed without leaving the booking flow
• ●Airport transfers – Pre-booked transfers at 4,000+ airports across every major region
• ●Fast-track security – Priority Lane access at major airports, reducing wait times at departure
• ●Baggage protection – Covers delayed, damaged, or lost baggage on every flight
• ●Insurance – Comprehensive travel insurance including medical, cancellation, and trip disruption cover
• ●Carbon offsets – Passengers offset the emissions from every flight at checkout
• ●Car rentals – 1M+ vehicles from 700+ suppliers, available globally at competitive rates
• ●Meet and greet – Personal airport assistance from kerb to gate, available at key hubs
• ●Public transport passes – City transit options bookable alongside the flight, covering major destinations
• ●Concert and events (Tours & Experiences) – Tickets to concerts, sports, and experiences at the destination

New categories are added continuously.

• ●Travel insurance – Near-universal demand across leisure and business travellers, with high attachment rates at the point of booking
• ●Airport transfers – Available at 4,000+ airports globally, consistently one of the highest-converting post-booking ancillaries
• ●eSIMs – Covering 217 countries, purchased ahead of travel and easy to upsell across multiple touchpoints
• ●Lounge access – 1,800+ lounges worldwide, popular with both premium and economy passengers seeking comfort
• ●Car rentals – 1M+ vehicles from 700+ suppliers, strong demand on leisure and long-haul routes
• ●eVisas – Mandatory for many international itineraries, making them a natural and high-intent add-on

The traditional approach involves researching suppliers, negotiating contracts, and building integrations independently. End to end, that typically runs to 13+ months per product.

With Arcube, a single integration covers 16+ ancillary categories and can be live in weeks. New categories are added to the platform continuously, with no additional engineering work required from the airline.

Arcube charges no upfront fees, no licensing costs, and no minimum commitments. The model is purely revenue share. Arcube earns a percentage of each ancillary sold, meaning costs are fully variable and tied directly to performance.

No. Arcube sits on top of an airline's existing tech stack via a single API, embeddable widget, or white-label integration.

This means airlines can launch 16+ ancillary categories without major changes to their PSS or booking flow. Any required setup (such as SSR mapping or light integration) is minimal and handled as part of the onboarding process. Airlines can go live quickly without waiting for an NDC migration or full Offer & Order transformation.

Three integration options are available:

• ●API – Full control, embedded directly into existing airline systems
• ●Widget – Pre-built components requiring minimal development resources
• ●White-label – A complete branded marketplace hosted by Arcube

All three support real-time pricing, multi-language content, AI personalisation, and analytics. They can also be mixed across different touchpoints.

With Arcube's widget, integration into an existing booking flow typically takes 15 to 25 days. A full API integration takes 35 to 45 days. Neither requires changes to the airline's core booking system.

Arcube's platform operates independently of the airline's core booking system. Our integration delivers ancillary content in under 300 milliseconds with 99.9% uptime, meaning there is minimal to no risk to booking flow performance or availability.

Non-ticket revenue typically comes from ancillaries sold alongside the booking. The challenge is that building supplier relationships and integrations in-house requires significant time and resource. Platforms like Arcube remove that overhead entirely, giving airlines access to 16+ ancillary categories on a pure revenue share model with no upfront cost or operational burden.

This varies significantly by route, passenger mix, and how many touchpoints are used. Airlines that sell ancillaries only in the white label sites leave significant revenue on the table. Those using multiple touchpoints including booking flow, Manage my booking, post-booking, pre-departure, and post-flight typically see materially higher revenue per passenger. The products with the strongest attach rates tend to be insurance, transfers, and eSIMs.

The main drivers are relevance, timing, and breadth of offer. Showing passengers a relevant ancillary at the right moment in their journey outperforms a generic catalogue. Arcube has proven a 10.3% increase in average order value by combining AI personalisation with a broader product catalogue across multiple touchpoints.

The fastest route is through an aggregation platform rather than direct supplier integrations. Direct integrations take 13+ months per supplier on average. Arcube's single integration gives airlines access to 16+ categories in weeks, with no supplier negotiations or engineering overhead required.

Ancillary pricing should account for route, timing, passenger type, and demand signals. Static pricing across all passengers and routes leaves revenue on the table. Arcube's platform allows airlines to configure pricing rules per ancillary, per route, and per passenger segment through the partner dashboard, without requiring changes to the airline's core revenue management system.

Key metrics include attach rate per ancillary, revenue per passenger, average order value, and conversion rate by touchpoint. Arcube's partner dashboard provides a real-time view of all of these, broken down by product, route, and channel, giving revenue teams the visibility to optimise offers and pricing continuously.

Arcube's personalisation engine analyses route, trip type, passenger profile, and timing to determine which ancillaries are most relevant for each traveller.

• ●A business passenger on a short-haul flight sees fast-track and lounge access first
• ●A family travelling to a beach destination is shown eSIMs, transfers, and insurance
• ●A solo traveller on a long-haul route gets car rentals and eVisas relevant to their destination

Serving relevant offers at the right moment converts better than a static, one-size-fits-all catalogue.

Yes. Arcube supports multiple touchpoints beyond the booking flow:

• ●Booking flow – Ancillaries presented at the point of purchase
• ●Manage my booking – Upsell opportunities when passengers return to manage their trip
• ●Pre-departure emails – Targeted offers sent ahead of the flight when travel intent is high
• ●Post-landing SMS – Destination-relevant products delivered as passengers arrive
• ●Pre-return WhatsApp – Offers served before the return leg, such as transfers and eSIMs

Post-booking is one of the highest-converting windows as passengers are actively preparing for their trip.

Single-supplier models tie airlines to one provider's pricing and availability. Arcube connects multiple suppliers per category, which delivers:

• ●Competitive pricing – Suppliers compete, keeping rates competitive for the airline
• ●Complete coverage – Minimal to no gaps in destination availability
• ●Automatic failover – If one supplier has availability issues, another fills the gap seamlessly

NDC improves how airlines distribute offers, but it doesn't solve the sourcing and aggregation of non-flight ancillaries. Arcube fills that gap, providing access to a global inventory of products like eSIMs, lounges, transfers, and insurance. It works with any setup, whether an airline is on legacy systems or fully migrated to NDC and Offer & Order.

Arcube also offers an NDC-compatible API, allowing ancillaries to be embedded directly into existing Offer and Order flows.

Effective personalisation does not require extensive passenger data. Arcube's engine works with destination, origin, travel dates, trip type, and passenger type to generate relevant recommendations. No personally identifiable information is required, which keeps the approach compliant and straightforward to implement.

Without an aggregation platform, managing multiple supplier contracts, integrations, and reconciliations requires a dedicated internal team. Arcube consolidates everything into a single integration and handles all supplier relationships, payments, customer support and reconciliations directly. Airlines manage everything through one dashboard.

Short-haul routes tend to convert well on fast-track security, lounge access, and airport transfers. Long-haul routes see stronger demand for travel insurance, eSIMs, car rentals, and eVisas, particularly on international itineraries where passengers need more travel support. Arcube's personalisation engine adjusts offers automatically based on route type.

Arcube supports distribution through travel agent portals, call centres, and NDC channels in addition to the airline's own website. Agents can access and sell the full ancillary catalogue on behalf of passengers, ensuring consistent availability regardless of where the booking was made.

Ancillaries give loyalty members more ways to earn and redeem points beyond flights. Offering miles on eSIMs, insurance, transfers, and lounge access increases programme touchpoints and keeps members engaged between trips. Arcube's Etihad partnership saw 50% of ancillary participants who were new to the Etihad Guest programme, suggesting ancillaries can actively drive loyalty enrolment.

Yes. Ancillaries offered at the point of booking or post-flight create a natural entry point for passengers who are not yet loyalty members. The Arcube and Etihad programme saw 50% of participants join the loyalty scheme through ancillary engagement, demonstrating that the right product at the right moment can convert a transactional passenger into a loyalty member.

Redemption rates improve when members have more options to spend their miles. Limiting redemption to flights and upgrades leaves a large portion of a loyalty currency sitting dormant. Expanding redemption to ancillaries such as airport transfers, lounge access, and eSIMs gives members more reasons to engage and spend, increasing the perceived value of the programme.

Low-cost carriers have typically focused on seats and bags but have not expanded into non-flight products. Aggregation lets them add high-margin ancillaries quickly without building supplier relationships from scratch.

Full-service carriers need premium experiences such as lounges, fast-track, and meet and greet, but face lengthy integration timelines without aggregation. Both benefit from AI personalisation calibrated to their brand and passenger base.

Five areas worth assessing:

• ●Category breadth – How many ancillary types are available out of the box
• ●Time to launch – Weeks with aggregation versus 13+ months per supplier independently
• ●Cost model – Zero upfront cost versus licence and integration fees
• ●Supplier depth – Single supplier per category versus multi-supplier competition
• ●Touchpoint coverage – Booking flow only versus multiple pre and post-flight touchpoints