Facebook’s new Flight Ads will let advertisers target users searching for flights on travel sites, apps

Facebook is launching a new ad designed specifically for airlines and airfare apps wanting to target travelers searching for flights. The new Flight Ads allow airlines to target their ads based on a user’s visits to flight-related Facebook Pages, websites and apps outside of the advertiser’s web properties and Facebook Page.

Formerly called dynamic ads for travel for flight, the new ads let advertisers go beyond the previous retargeting ad tactics that limited ads to customers who had visited the airline’s website or app.

From Facebook’s head of US travel, Christine Warner:

We know how important it is for travel advertisers to reach the right people with the right message, personalized depending on where a traveler is in their decision journey. With the expansion of our Flight Ads solution, airline advertisers can now reach more people on Facebook who have expressed plans to travel — from new customers who are still deciding on a final destination to those who know where they’d like to go and are zeroing in a specific flight.

Facebook used the example of someone visiting several airline websites and airfare apps to scope out costs for a holiday trip to Mexico, explaining how airlines can now use Flight Ads to reach those people and deliver ads that show relevant flight costs and information.

“In addition, travelers that visit a travel-related Facebook Page, but have not yet chosen a trip destination may see an ad to visit an airline brand’s site,” Facebook said on its business blog Thursday.

Facebook has allowed a limited number of advertisers to try out the new Flight Ads, including Air France and Hopper, an airfare app. Air France, which used the ads to drive targeted search volume to its website, saw costs per search drop 66 percent. Hopper experienced a drop in app install costs and a lift in engagement rates as a result of the Flight Ads.

“Opening up prospecting for Flight Ads has made a huge difference on our campaign performance,” says Hopper’s head of user acquisition, Simon Lejeune. “Our cost per install dropped by almost 20 percent on Facebook and the interaction rates skyrocketed due to the increased relevance of the ads.”

Facebook says the Flight Ads will be available globally to all advertisers in the coming weeks across its platform, Instagram and its Audience Network.

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Amy Gesenhues

Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media's General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.