MisterFly: a truly revolutionary flight comparator?

It is one of the most talked about topics of September.

Since the announcement of their comeback last Spring, the entire profession is asking about the new baby of Nicolas Brumelot and Carlos Da Silva, the mysterious MysterFly.

It is an understatement to say that the former employees of Go Voyages are eagerly awaited.

MisterFly is a new flight comparator, currently opened in B2B, that aims to be simple, efficient, friendly, and refined.

However, after a first test drive given to around forty pilot travel agents, it seems to have nothing revolutionary.

The search interface is very elegant, but similar to what already exists on the market.

But the team wants to stand out through its attention to details.

First of all, in the results page, a logo states the number of luggage included in the price.

It is also possible to open a bubble that specifies the cost of an additional luggage.

The price of the ticket, written on the left, aims to be as transparent as possible.

“Companies break down the prices by taking out the luggages. Which confuses the issue. Because when examining well, low-costs are at times no cheaper than other companies,” explains Nicolas Brumelot.

Once the outbound flight is selected, the website offers the corresponding return flight with a list of combinable inbound flights showing the additional fees to pay.

But to really stand out, MisterFly focuses especially on annex services.

“We make almost nothing from the sale of a plane ticket, the margins are very small. So we must multiply options to incite agencies to reserve with us rather than with a competitor,” adds Carlos Da Silva.

In the face of the multiplication of non-refundable, non-exchangeable tickets, it is launching a “flexi” option that enables to modify a flight with a franchise of 10% plus the eventual additional cost of the new flight.

We can also get 10% of the ticket refunded. “It is about limiting the obstacles to selling and making the reservation of non-refundable tickets easier,” justifies Carlos Da Silva.

Clients will also be able to subscribe to a cancellation insurance and get reimbursed without motive or justification in the following 72 hours. The rate will be calculated by an internal algorithm, but Carlos Da Silva ensures that it will be similar to offers on the market, but without needing justification.

The rate will be higher however: 30% versus 10% for normal insurances. The client will always be able to choose to send justifications to the company, for a rate of only 10%. A solution developed in partnership with Présence Assistance.

Another option: wifi abroad. By reserving a ticket via MisterFly, the travel agency will provide its client with an Internet access modem in 64 countries. An option called Iziwifi that will cost around 7.90 euros daily. The company stocked up on 10,000 boxes.

Let’s also note that the director of a travel agency can set parameters and modify the margins that he’ll apply to every ticket in full liberty. And that non IATA agencies will be able to issue tickets via the website.

All of these additional services are only a first step to seduce the market of travel agencies. And the two founders count a lot on the quality of customer service that is managed from inside the company itself.

“Today, online agencies have massacred service. However, with us, our call center was designed specially for them,” adds Nicolas Brumelot.

In order to create a good work atmosphere, the startup moved in the offices with an industrial loft style in the neighborhood of the Champs Elysées.

A cafeteria and small terrace allow employees to relax between calls. The 38 current collaborators, of which many worked at Go Voyages, own 48% of the capital, the rest is owned by the two founders.

They are not hiding their ambitions, that are first and foremost financial: the website must be profitable by 2016. A general public version will also see the light of day by next summer.

And there are many more projects in store, that the team will be able to materialize promptly thanks to their in-house technology department. “We will be the most responsive to adapt immediately to the market’s evolutions,” exclaims Carlos Da Silva.

A strategy that costs a lot. The duo put down one million euros to launch their project.

Independence comes at a price.