Travel tech platform Spotnana has significantly expanded its provision of European rail content through the integration of Trainline Partner Solutions’ latest API.
Spotnana says the connection will also help deliver a “next-generation shopping experience” and functionality that includes split-ticket pricing in the UK and self-service changes and cancellations.
The integration sees the company now providing rail content in Germany (Deutsche Bahn), Switzerland (SBB), Italy (Trenitalia) and Spain (Renfe), as well as in the UK which Spotnana already provided via a previous, simpler Trainline API integration.
Its European coverage will be further expanded in the coming months with the addition of all remaining Trainline partner rail carriers “expected in the next few months as we finalise accreditations,” said Bill Brindle, VP of travel operations at Spotnana, in a blog posted today.
In addition to split-ticketing and self-service changes via Spotnana’s mobile app and online booking tool – including the cancellation of individual tickets in a multi-ticket trip – the integration also enables users to select seats, purchase ancillaries such as meals and wifi, and apply discounts from rail cards and loyalty programmes.
Customers can also apply existing Spotnana controls around maximum price, class of travel, booking windows and out-of-policy exception codes, and track the carbon emissions of booked trips.
Rail journeys can also be displayed alongside air in search results where an option exists that enables the traveller to reach their destination by train within five hours of the flight arrival time.
“We are delighted to provide the widest possible array of European rail options along with the most advanced and user-friendly booking and servicing capabilities for travellers,” said Brindle, who added that the connection was built and deployed “in just months”.
“European rail is one of the most complex offerings to solve for in corporate travel because it requires investing in a broad range of unique features and negotiating complex licensing agreements,” he said.
The company indicated that it holds direct licenses with some rail operators and has sub-licenses via Trainline as the license holder for others, adding that a TMC using the Spotnana platform would see its own license apply instead.