Successfully pivoting to a frictionless Offer and Order retail ecosystem is now considered essential for airlines to boost ancillary revenue and encourage brand loyalty. Alongside hotels and insurance, car rental has been key to airlines’ ancillary offerings. Yet historically, consumer trust in car rental through airlines has been low, limiting revenue.
In an exclusive interview, Bobby Healy, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Meili, explains how the sector has changed to drive better ancillary revenue results. For a true friction-free booking experience, trust is at the heart of the experience. The customer has to be assured that they are getting the best deal with the airline, and can’t be tempted to shop around elsewhere.
Friction-free is not a technology thing. It’s not speed. It’s not the number of clicks you have to do. It’s about the consumer feeling like they’re in the right place. If they buy something here, they’re safe. They’re not going to get a better price, and they’re not going to have a bad experience.
Healy also discusses how Meili’s marketplace of established car rental brands hopes to transform an industry with an ‘awful reputation’. Unreasonable upselling in the pursuit of margins has in the past made airlines reluctant to associate with ancillary insurance and car rental. However, airlines such as SAS have doubled their revenue from car rental through partnering with Meili, with car rental now the benchmark for all other ancillary offerings.
SAS have got exactly the right approach. They’ve brought on a bunch of trusted car hire brands. The customers see brands that are important or meaningful to them. There’s no shock. And they tie it really well to their loyalty programme.
Looking to the future, Healy sees AI agents as transformative in the airline booking process. In ten years, he predicts booking through AI will be the dominant method, with significant repercussions for ancillary sales.
I think it’s a very positive disruption for direct booking. Because the agents that do transaction and discovery on behalf of the consumer don’t need aggregation. They are the aggregation layer.Â
🎥 Watch the interview to hear Bobby Healy’s full thoughts on ancillary revenue, car rental, and frictionless booking.
Questions asked include:
- How is the trend for ‘friction-free’ booking changing traveller habits and expectations
- Your platform is all about connecting car rental companies with airlines and travel operators. Why do you think car rental has historically been overlooked as a source of ancillary revenue?
- What kind of business opportunities does the Meili platform open up?
- How can building relationships with external brands and profiles improve airlines’ relationship with customers?
Join us at World Aviation Festival 2026 to discuss the future of airline retail, from friction-free booking to Offer and Order and agentic AI.Â
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