SUNRISE, FL – April 12, 2022 – Fareportal, the travel technology company behind leading online travel agencies CheapOair and OneTravel and NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTP), a technology solutions company building a digital business ecosystem for digital advertisers, consumers, video gamers and travelers,  are pleased to announce the integration of the NextTrip ConNextions booking engine into CheapOair, a leading online travel agency that specializes in providing cheap flights and great last-minute flight deals for travelers worldwide. 

CheapOair can now offer its users the ability to easily search, book, and instantly confirm reservations from a few million alternative lodging rental (ALR) properties around the world. The unique instant confirmation of vacation rentals enables simultaneous booking of air, car, and event packages—no waiting until the rental property owner confirms hours or even days later. 

“The ability to instantly confirm vacation rentals is a real step forward in convenience for CheapOair customers,” 

stated Glenn Cusano, Co-CEO and CFO at Fareportal. “Our work with NextTrip enables a more comprehensive travel booking solution, from flights and car rentals to hotels and ALR properties, all booked at the same time. The hundreds of travel agents and millions of travel customers on our platform now have more choices to create the perfect travel package and create extraordinary travel experiences.” 

The integration is expected to benefit from the resurgence in the travel and tourism market, which is projected to grow at a 17% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $950 billion by 2026. 

A recent online survey of global travelers revealed the pandemic has shifted leisure trip preferences to self-catering accommodations and smaller destinations to escape the crowds and engage more with the outdoors. ALR properties allow consumers to minimize their contact with others, thereby increasing the necessity of more travel options like instantly bookable vacation rentals. 

Tim Sikora, NextTrip President and COO, commented, “Our ConNextions booking engine integration with CheapOair dramatically expands our North America reach by allowing their travel agents and customers to dynamically package Vacation Rentals with flights to global destinations on over 600 airlines and hundreds of car rental companies. We see our global inventory of vacation rental properties providing many new lodging options to CheapOair customers around the world. We look forward to expanding this relationship with others in Fareportal’s huge network of brands, agencies and customers.” 

About CheapOair  

CheapOair is an online travel agency that specializes in providing cheap flights and great last-minute flight deals for travelers worldwide. Consumers can book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Part of Fareportal’s family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with travel agents available worldwide to help find great deals on flights to global destinations on over 600 airlines, a million lodgings, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for travel inspiration and helpful travel tips.   

  

About Fareportal    

Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company-owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 600 airlines, a million lodgings, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and One Travel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yielding international and domestic flight, hotel, and other travel and add-on ancillaries.   

About NextPlay Technologies 

NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTP) is a technology solutions company offering games, in-game advertising, crypto-banking, connected TV and travel booking services to consumers and corporations within a growing worldwide digital ecosystem. NextPlay’s engaging products and services utilize innovative AdTech, Artificial Intelligence and Fintech solutions to leverage the strengths and channels of our existing and acquired technologies. For more information about NextPlay Technologies, visit www.nextplaytechnologies.com and follow us on Twitter @NextPlayTech and LinkedIn. 

About NextTrip 

NextPlay Technologies’ NextTrip is a technology driven platform delivering innovative solutions for business and leisure travel. NextTrip Business is an all-in-one online corporate travel and expense management solution with a large inventory of travel options and discounted rates. NextTrip Journeys provides leisure travelers personalized vacation experiences on land, sea and across the world. NextTrip Solutions offers travel technologies that makes the jobs of alternative lodging property managers, wholesalers, distributors, and other travel industry players easier and more efficient. For more information, visit nexttrip.com. 

For NextTrip travel platform partnership inquiries, visit NextTrip.com/ConNextions. 

 
Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and within the safe harbor provided by the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations, opinions, belief or forecasts of future events and performance. A statement identified using forward-looking words including, without limitation, “will,” “may,” “expects,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimate,” “should,” and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this news release. Information about the risks and uncertainties faced by the Company are detailed from time to time in the Company’s periodic reports filed with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings “Risk Factors.” These reports are available at www.sec.gov. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on the Company’s future results and/or could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. The Company takes no obligation to update or correct its own forward-looking statements, except as required by law, or those prepared by third parties that are not paid for by the Company. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. 

SOURCE: NextPlay Technologies, Inc. 

The family of companies that includes Fareportal, the travel technology innovator behind leading online travel agencies CheapOair and OneTravel, has further strengthened its presence in digital technology, through an investment in UK-based Search Machines. 

Search Machines is a global search technology company that applies state of the art data science and technology to search engine user acquisition and pricing.  Since its inception in 2019, Search Machines has successfully deployed their proprietary ATLAS platform and helped many large enterprises to optimize and customize their search user acquisition.  Search Machines’ propriety technology uses natural language processing (NLP) with AI tech to understand the intent of users and match demand and supply.  This gives each user the best experience leading to increased conversion rates and decreased cost of acquisitions.  Using ATLAS, advertisers can optimize their user acquisition for return on investment, maximizing the impact of every dollar spent in travel, insurance, retail, and other verticals. 

Sam. S. Jain, Fareportal Founder and Executive Chairman commented, “Fareportal has collaborated for many years with Search Machines founders Richard Jackson and Shlomi Beer.  In that time, we have observed the rigorous attention to detail and innovative technology that makes ATLAS an essential tool for search optimization, applicable to every industry, but particularly in the travel industry. Fareportal is a leader in travel technology, so this investment in Search Machines as part of Fareportal’s family of companies is a logical decision.” 

Richard Jackson, Founder & CEO at Search Machines said, “This is a watershed moment for Search Machines as it goes into a faster growth mode. This new investment enables Search Machines to level the playing field in the age of post-COVID by enabling large retailers, online insurers, online travel agents, and other online digital organizations with the best technology to improve their metrics on customer user acquisition in search channels, which is critical to win in today’s challenging market.” 

“We are on a mission to equip enterprises with the technology platform they need to orchestrate successfully their user acquisition process and maximize the use of internal data, providing management and marketing teams with the visibility and control they need,” commented Shlomi Beer, Search Machines Founder and CTO. 

The decision to invest in Search Machines is supported by an expanding global marketplace.  Worldwide investment in digital advertising has now reached 51% of overall advertising spending, and experts forecast continued growth.  

“In an increasingly competitive environment, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) performance must optimize using personalization from intent, through the entire consumer journey.  With ATLAS, Search Machines is well placed to provide this much needed experience,” stated Glenn Cusano, Fareportal Co-CEO and CFO.  

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 About CheapOair  

CheapOair is an online travel agency that specializes in providing cheap flights and great last-minute flight deals for travelers worldwide. Consumers can book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Part of Fareportal’s family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with travel agents available worldwide to help find great deals on flights to global destinations on over 600 airlines, a million lodgings, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for travel inspiration and helpful travel tips.   

  

About Fareportal    

Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company-owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 600 airlines, a million lodgings, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and One Travel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yielding international and domestic flight, hotel, and other travel and add-on ancillaries.   

About Search Machines    

Search Machines (a trade name of Jackson-Beer Limited) is a UK-based technology company founded with the mission to help businesses solve search user acquisition using software and technology. Search Machines intent and bidding technology helps maximize ROIs for advertisers in different languages, geos, and verticals. Over the last two years Search Machines product ATLAS – a cutting-edge marketing technology platform – has improved performance to many clients of all sizes, managing spends collectively of more than $150M. Search Machines was founded by Richard Jackson (CEO) and Shlomi Beer (CTO) with teams in UK and Israel comprising PHDs in computer science, economics, linguists, developers, and experts in search marketing. To learn more visit: www.search-machines.com. 

Travel technology innovator Fareportal, the company behind leading online travel agencies CheapOair and OneTravel, was presented with a Silver Stevie® Award in the Most Valuable Response by a Customer Service Team category in the 16^th annual Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service.  The award was achieved in recognition of the company’s customer-focused response to the challenges faced by the traveling public caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

“Our Technology, Operations, and Product teams moved at amazing speed to create consumer-friendly solutions to the many issues triggered by the pandemic. The air travel industry virtually shut down at one point, and ongoing schedule changes, flight cancellations, and changing government policies worldwide left travelers in need of a great deal of assistance from our OTA brands, CheapOair and OneTravel,” commented Werner Kunz-Cho, CEO of Fareportal.  He continues, “Winning this award illustrates the high priority we as a company place on customer experience. We are extremely proud of the entire global Fareportal team for the part they played in bringing the company this honor.”

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world’s top honors for customer service, contact center, business development, and sales professionals. The Stevie Awards organizes eight of the world’s leading business awards programs, also including the prestigious American Business Awards^® and International Business Awards^®.

“The nominations we received for the 2022 competition illustrate that business development, customer service, and sales professionals worldwide, in all sorts of organizations, have continued to innovate, thrive, and meet customer expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher Miller. “The judges have recognized and rewarded their achievements, and we join them in applauding this year’s winners for their continued success. We look forward to recognizing them on May 11.”

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

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About CheapOair
CheapOair is an online travel agency that specializes in providing cheap flights and great last-minute flight deals for travelers worldwide. Consumers can book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Part of Fareportal’s family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with travel agents available worldwide to help find great deals on flights to global destinations on over 600 airlines, a million lodgings, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for travel inspiration and helpful travel tips.  

About Fareportal
Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company-owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 600 airlines, a million hotels, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and OneTravel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yielding international and domestic flight, hotel, and other travel and add-on ancillaries.  

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

Fareportal, the travel technology company behind leading online travel agencies CheapOair and OneTravel, announced today an agreement with Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaii’s hometown carrier, on a new relationship that will allow integration with the airline’s HA Connect NDC API. 

Under the agreement, Fareportal OTAs will be among the first travel agencies to access the airline’s HA Channel+ content, which includes all of Hawaiian Airlines’ published fares and air ancillaries as well as personalized and dynamically priced content. By accessing HA Channel+, Fareportal also ensures that guests booking travel via partner OTAs can enjoy these enhanced benefits without Hawaiian’s Distribution Cost Recovery Surcharge.

José María (Chema) Alvarado, Fareportal EVP of Supplier Relations, comments, “Fareportal has partnered with Hawaiian Airlines for many years, and we are very proud of that relationship. The new agreement underscores the growing importance of NDC in content distribution. As a leader in travel technology, Fareportal is well placed to support our airline partners in integrating this technology.”

“Hawaiian is pleased to partner with Fareportal on accessing HA Connect as this ensures our mutual guests will be able to access all of Hawaiian’s HA Channel+ content through the Fareportal brands,” commented Theo Panagiotoulias, SVP Sales & Alliances for Hawaiian.

Ongoing traveler interest in Hawaii as a vacation destination is evident.  Search queries for “Hawaii vacation” have been increasing steadily since September of 2021.  Fareportal and Hawaiian Airlines will continue to provide an excellent way for travelers to experience all the destination has to offer.

# # #

About CheapOair 
CheapOair is an online travel agency that specializes in providing cheap flights and great last-minute flight deals for travelers worldwide. Consumers can book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Part of Fareportal’s family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with travel agents available worldwide to help find great deals on flights to global destinations on over 600 airlines, a million lodgings, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for travel inspiration and helpful travel tips.  

About Fareportal   
Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next-generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company-owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 600 airlines, a million lodgings, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and One Travel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yielding international and domestic flight, hotel, and other travel and add-on ancillaries.  

About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian® has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 17 years (2004-2020) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation and was named No. 1 U.S. airline by Condé Nast Traveler’s 2021 Readers Choice Awards. Consumer surveys by Travel + Leisure and TripAdvisor have placed Hawaiian among the top of all domestic airlines serving Hawaiʻi.

Now in its 93rd year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawaiʻi’s biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers approximately 130 flights within the Hawaiian Islands, daily nonstop flights between Hawaiʻi and 16 U.S. gateway cities – more than any other airline – as well as service connecting Honolulu and American Samoa, Japan, South Korea, Sydney, and Tahiti. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaiian’s Auckland service remains suspended.

The airline is committed to connecting people with aloha by offering complimentary meals for all guests on transpacific routes and the convenience of no change fees on Main Cabin and Premium Cabin seats. HawaiianMiles members also enjoy flexibility with miles that never expire.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow Hawaiian’s Twitter updates (@HawaiianAir), become a fan on Facebook  (Hawaiian Airlines), and follow us on Instagram (hawaiianairlines). For career postings and updates, follow Hawaiian’s LinkedIn page.

For media inquiries, please visit Hawaiian Airlines’ online newsroom.