--- title: "Smart Recommender for Airlines Verticals" slug: "smart-recommender-for-airlines-verticals-1" description: "Smart Recommender for airlines helps Insider One customers recommend routes, deals, and flight extras such as seats, meals, and baggage." updated: 2026-10-20T14:11:43Z published: 2026-10-20T14:11:43Z canonical: "academy.insiderone.com/smart-recommender-for-airlines-verticals-1" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://academy.insiderone.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Smart Recommender for Airlines Verticals Airline shoppers plan around destination, dates, budget, and loyalty status. They compare fares and departure times, and after choosing a flight, they decide on extras such as seats, meals, and baggage. This article shows how to use Smart Recommender in Insider One to inspire route discovery, help undecided travelers book, and raise revenue per booking with relevant extras. It includes an A/B test walkthrough and strategies for each step of the booking flow. > [!NOTE] > **Before you start:** Make sure your product catalog includes the attributes this article filters on, such as Departure City, Destination City, Flight Type, Class, Product Type, and Is Promoted. Create missing custom attributes on the **Product Attributes** page and mark them as filterable. ### What you can achieve with Smart Recommender #### Route inspiration on the homepage Show popular destinations from the traveler's departure city or seasonal deals such as Summer Escapes. #### Add-ons after flight selection Recommend seat upgrades, meals, extra baggage, or airport transfers once a flight is chosen. #### Travel cross-sells Suggest hotels, car rentals, or insurance linked to the destination. #### Offers for repeat flyers Show frequent routes, preferred times, or loyalty-tier offers to returning travelers. #### Checkout reminders Remind travelers of extras such as baggage or insurance before payment. #### Localized suggestions Personalize destinations and extras by location, language, and travel history. #### A/B testing Test bundles, headlines, product card designs, and add-on placement. ### Walkthrough: Test discounted versus popular routes When a traveler is still comparing options on a flight detail page, alternative routes can help them decide. This walkthrough tests which type of alternative converts more undecided travelers. Both strategies show flights from the same departure city as the flight being viewed: - **Variant A:** Recommend the most discounted flights. - **Variant B:** Recommend the top-selling routes. #### Step 1: Create the recommendation strategies Navigate to **Recommendation Strategies** and click **Create**. Configure the first strategy as follows: 1. Select **Product Detail Page** as the page type. 2. Select **Highest Discounted** as the algorithm. 3. Enter the number of products to recommend. 4. Add two filters: Departure City + matches the item they're currently viewing, and Flight Type + matches the item they're currently viewing. Connect them with an **AND** connector. 5. If you do not have Departure City and Flight Type attributes, create them on the **Product Attributes** page and turn on the **Filterable** toggle. Create the second strategy with the same settings and change only the algorithm: 1. Select **Top Sellers** as the algorithm instead of Highest Discounted. **Note:** Keep every other setting identical between the two strategies. If more than one setting changes, you cannot tell which change caused the difference in results. #### Step 2: Launch the campaign Navigate to **Web Smart Recommender** and click **Create**. 1. Select the integration method for the widget. 2. On the **Segments** step, target all visitors, since the goal is to convert undecided travelers. 3. On the **Rules** step, use **Page Rules** to target flight detail pages. To reach only travelers who are still deciding, you can target users who spend at least 10 seconds on the page. 4. On the **Design** step, assign one strategy to each variant and set the traffic allocation for each variant. 5. Click **Edit Design** to open the **Advanced Product Card Designer** and customize your product cards. 6. Select the locales and stores where the campaign appears. 7. Review the campaign details, confirm that every setting matches your goal, and click **Launch**. **Note:** Every attribute you show on a product card must exist in your product catalog. To show more information, create custom attributes on the **Product Attributes** page. #### Step 3: Track campaign metrics 1. Navigate to **Smart Recommender Analytics**. 2. Find your campaign in the **Campaign and Variant Metrics** table. When the test period ends, click the campaign name. 3. Compare Conversion Rate, Direct Revenue, and Average Order Value (AOV) for the two variants. This shows whether discounted or popular routes convert more undecided travelers. 4. If one variant clearly wins, set its traffic allocation to 100% so every visitor sees the better strategy. After you find a winner, test the same comparison on the homepage. #### Step 4: Optimize your campaigns After the campaign has run long enough to collect data, use **Smart Recommender Analytics** to improve it: - **Engagement funnel:** Review product impressions, click-through rate, add-to-cart rate, and conversion rate to see where shoppers drop off. - **Campaign and variant performance:** Compare AOV, Conversion Rate, and Direct Revenue in the **Campaign and Variant Metrics** table, then refine or scale the winning variant. - **Product-level impact:** Open **Top 100 Product Analytics** to see which recommended products perform best. Give extra visibility to strategic products that perform below expectations. - **Category trends:** Use **Category Analytics** to find the categories that drive the most conversions, and decide whether to prioritize them or promote weaker ones. ### Use cases by page type #### Home page ##### Limited-time flight deals Show discounted fares that are available for a short time. 1. Create a strategy with the **Highest Discounted** algorithm. 2. Add the filter Is Promoted + is present to show live deals only. 3. Turn on the **Enhance recommendations based on Attribute Affinity** toggle. Set the affinity attributes to Departure City, Destination City, Flight Type, and Class. ##### Pick up where you left off Help returning travelers resume planning with the flights they viewed before. 1. Create a strategy with the **Recently Viewed** algorithm. 2. Exclude products purchased in the last four weeks. 3. Target returning users on the **Segments** step. **Note:** Recently Viewed and User Based rely on each user's past behavior. Target returning users so these widgets always have data to show. **Tip:** Place the widget below the hero banner and A/B test titles such as "Continue Planning Your Trip." #### Flight detail page ##### More from your departure city Suggest other destinations that depart from the same city. 1. Create a strategy with the **Viewed Together** algorithm. 2. Add the filter Departure City + matches the item they're currently viewing. 3. Turn on the **Enhance recommendations based on Attribute Affinity** toggle. 4. No segment is needed. This works for new and returning travelers. **Tip:** Place the widget below the calendar or seat selector. ##### Flight comparison Help travelers compare similar flights on the same route. 1. Create a strategy with the **Similar Products** algorithm. 2. Add two filters connected with an **AND** connector: Departure City + matches the item they're currently viewing, and Destination City + matches the item they're currently viewing. 3. Leave Attribute Affinity off. **Tip:** A/B test three versus five recommendations. #### Cart or booking summary page ##### Extras for your flight Offer seats, meals, or baggage that travelers often add to the selected route and class. 1. Create a strategy with the **Purchased Together** algorithm. 2. Add the filter Product Type + is one of + Meal, Seat Upgrade, Baggage Upgrade. 3. Target travelers with economy tickets in the cart, where extras are not included. #### Confirmation page ##### Complete your journey Offer hotels, airport transfers, or rentals at the destination after booking. 1. Create a strategy with the **Most Popular** algorithm. 2. Add two filters connected with an **AND** connector: Destination City + matches the item they're currently viewing, and Product Type + is one of + Accommodation, Airport Transfer, Rental. 3. No segment is needed. **Tip:** Test this widget on the confirmation page and in a follow-up email. ### Related articles - [Algorithm Descriptions](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/algorithm-descriptions) - [Recommendation Strategies](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/smart-recommender-recommendation-strategies) - [A/B Test Recommendation Strategies](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/ab-test-recommendation-strategies) - [Smart Recommender Analytics](https://academy.insiderone.com/docs/smart-recommender-analytics)