Opodo

Opodo was founded in 2001 by a consortium of European airlines, including British Airways, Air France, Alitalia, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, Austrian Airlines and Finnair. The initiative followed attempts by the US-based online travel company Orbitz to expand into the European market, prompting several European carriers to establish their own joint platform. In 2002, David P. Scowsill was appointed CEO, replacing interim CEO Simon Tucker. In 2004, Opodo was acquired by Amadeus IT Group for €62 million. In 2006, Opodo launched its Italian website and introduced “one-way combinable” fares, allowing customers to combine tickets from different airlines within a single booking. In 2011, Opodo became part of eDreams ODIGEO following the merger of Opodo, eDreams and GoVoyages under private equity ownership. In 2012, Opodo launched its first 4in1 travel application to search and book flights, hotels, last‑minute deals and holiday packages within a single mobile platform. == Products and services ==

Opodo Prime Opodo Prime is a subscription travel service launched in 2017, that offers members discounted pricing on flights, hotels and holiday packages in exchange for an annual fee. The service forms part of the subscription programme operated across the eDreams ODIGEO group and contributes to its recurring revenue. Opodo Prime hotels In June 2020, as part of the expansion of the Prime travel subscription service operated across the eDreams ODIGEO group, hotel accommodation benefits were added to the programme to book a broad range of properties at discounted rates for the same annual subscription fee. Flight price index dashboard In June 2020, Opodo introduced a flight price index dashboard in the UK that compared current airfares with prices from the previous year to help users identify trends in ticket costs. The tool drew on aggregated fare data from hundreds of airlines to provide year‑on‑year price comparisons for consumers. == Reception ==

Customer service In 2022, Opodo implemented enhanced customer support measures by leveraging eDreams ODIGEO’s investment in AI and autonomous customer service technology, with independent industry reporting indicating deployment of agentic systems and generative AI to improve responsiveness. The group’s subscription model coincided with higher customer satisfaction and Trustpilot ratings for Opodo and its sister brands, with automated systems handling the majority of requests and measurable improvements in service metrics. International trust eDreams ODIGEO, Opodo’s parent company, also received a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation in the United States, providing an external validation of the company's customer service and operational compliance. == References ==