Freebird, a free-to-use application that has saved thousands of travelers from flight disruptions, through instant new ticket booking, has secured $5 million in funding for corporate travel developments. Investors from venture capitalists had helped the company secure its financial future in the next few years. New partnerships with six travel management companies also contribute to the company's bright future as a strong travel app contender
Venture capitalists General Catalyst and Accomplice, along with other travel industry venture capitalists, as part of their collective interest to expand corporate travel, have injected $5 million to help Freebird contribute to this expansion. The free-to-use mobile application allows travelers to skip lines and book a new ticket especially after a canceled or delayed flight without any additional cost.
Freebird's ticket rates are slightly higher but most travelers delayed by their flights would pay enough to secure their seat on the next airplane flying out, which makes the app attractive especially to business and corporate travelers. However, the prices could also drop down as the company signs with six new travel management companies.
Altur, Options Travel, Safe Harbors Business Travel, Short's Travel Management, Travel and Transport Inc., Casto Travel, Flight Centre Travel Group and Upside Travel are now official Freebird resellers upon signing a partnership with the mobile application. Travel and Transport Inc. President and CEO Kevin O'Malley said their partnership with Freebird shows its "dedication to staying ahead of the curve in terms of technology, customer care and operational efficiency."
Venture company General Catalyst, also Freebird and the travel industry's foremost investor, said flight disruption is a common problem that governments have yet to solve. Managing Director Joel Cutler said Freebird can detect problems and "develop immediate alternatives" that make the application appealing to corporate and business travelers because they remove the hassles of delay.
According to Skift, Cutler said the founders of Freebird, Ethan Bernstein and co-founder Sam Zimmerman, are a powerful and reliable team with Ethan being focused on the business side and Sam who is "a total data wonk with a machine learning expertise." Cutler said Freebird is a manifestation of the duo's "balance of engineering and business smarts they fit together."
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