With the expected growth of Ouigo, which will account for 30% of the SNCF's high-speed offer in 2027 compared with 20% today, the railway company is opening up distribution of its low-cost offer to leisure and business travel agencies, abandoning its original principle of selling exclusively directly via the Ouigo.com website. Specialised distribution platforms and GDSs have thus been connected to the Ouigo inventory to enable their customers to book tickets via their online booking tools (OBT). This integration will facilitate expense reporting and expense claim management for user companies.
Since June and during July, Trainline has been supplying agencies such as Havas Voyages and Reed&Mackay via the Goelett OBT, while through an API, the rail booking platform is rolling out this low-cost offering to Navan, Travelperk, Fairjungle and Swile Travel (formerly Okarito). Swile Travel is particularly pleased " the addition of the Ouigo rail offer to its portfolio of services "which gives its customers access to " an even wider range travel solutions, combining excellence and economy" .
In a press release, Trainline is delighted that its Trainline Partners Solution "now covers 100% railway inventory requirements on the French market" . He added that "Thanks to a wider range of products and fares, Ouigo will be able to influence companies' travel policies and boost the penetration of rail in the modal mix." . Ouigo Spain should follow on Trainline in 2024.
The GDS have also signed an agreement with SNCF
The Supertripper business agency is not to be outdone, using its platform and mobile application to offer " book and change their Ouigo train tickets directly and independently online" . The offer currently concerns the Essentiel fare, which includes one piece of hand luggage and one piece of cabin luggage. The Ouigo Plus fare, which allows passengers to choose their seat, will be offered at a later date.
The Ouigo Essentiel product has also been integrated by Sabre in its Rail 2.0 booking tool, which is used by both online and offline agencies. The American GDS points out that this access follows a broader distribution agreement recently signed with SNCF for a period of 25 years. Here too, Ouigo Plus will be marketed with the option of adding extra services, a choice of seat as well as extra luggage, wifi and the use of the Ouifun entertainment platform.
At Amadeus, France's leading GDS, Ouigo content will be available from 10 July for agencies in their Amadeus Rail Display solution included in Amadeus Selling Platform Connect. Amadeus specifies that the tool facilitates train bookings ". giving users the option of exploring several airlines to compare availability, timetables and fares in real time" .
More trains, greater comfort on board
The addition of Ouigo to the rail inventory should further increase the rail share of business travel in France, which currently stands at around 60%. And the competition looks set to be fierce with low-cost airlines such as Transavia, Easyjet and Vueling. The integration of Ouigo on the booking platforms should satisfy business travellers interested in certain strategic timesOuigo leaves Paris Gare de Lyon at 6.03am and arrives in Marseille at 9.23am. Similarly, this offer has everything to appeal to companies on a tight budget, looking for attractive fares for their business travel.
All the more so as the Ouigo network is set to become denser by the end of the year. from 60 stations served today to 75 in 2027. The next flights are scheduled to open in December 2025 with the introduction of a Paris-Hendaye route via Bordeaux, Dax, Bayonne, Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Services to Strasbourg, Lyon, Montpellier and Rennes will also be strengthened. Above all, business travellers should appreciate the improved on-board comfort announced for the 50 trains - including 38 renovated trains - that will make up the Ouigo fleet tomorrow. This is also an opportunity to offer a less aggressive interior ambience, thanks to the disappearance of flashy blue and pink!
