Whilst this may be more appropriate over in the FlixBus thread, but the benefit to the business providing the add-on is usually that it gets their product/service in front of a much wider audience through the host (provider of the main service). It’s a tried and tested method of doing business throughout the world, but I appreciate as this involves McGill’s some people like to find a problem.
I feel you are taking my comments the wrong way. All I am saying is that because of how the Flix systems works, the partnership won't work as well as it otherwise could. McGills isn't the first 3rd party route operator to suffer the flawed Flixbus booking engine, and I've raised it with Flixbus (and they are reluctant to sort it out despite it negatively affecting them, and a number of their other 3rd party operators such as Oxford Bus, Arriva and RailAir), so please don't think it's an attack on McGills. It was never my intention for it to look like an anti McGills post, and if it came across that way, I apologise.
The idea is good in theory, just the execution of it on the Flixbus system, isn't great. If you go on the Flix site and look for any destination (bar Edinburgh) to or from Edinburgh Airport, and it shows 'no results found'. The only time Bright Bus gets shown on any journey option, is if you specifically search 'Edinburgh' to 'Edinburgh Airport' or vice versa. Therefore it can't be an addon sale when you can't add it on to anything.
The same type of Flixbus add-on also exists for First’s service 500 to Glasgow Airport.
With the First 500 to Glasgow, there is a shared stop at Buchannan Bus Station and it was set up to use the same stop ID as the rest of the Flixbus services, so people could buy tickets from the Flix network to Glasgow Airport using the connection. It was an addon to your Flixbus ticket, journey plans shows through journeys, and passengers could purchase both Flix and the 500 fare in a single transaction. In terms of the Flix website and how their booking engine works, it's not an apples and apples comparison.
Agree with you there, it's no different to Lothian using travel websites/airline bookings to sell vouchers alongside the flight for the 100 marketed as "airport transfer". I think the retailer adds a surcharge to what it would cost to buy from the driver/ticket seller.
Very big difference in how their systems work. They are generally through dedicated Airport Transfer websites, or as a proper addon fare which all goes through the same transaction as the whatever else you were buying. Flix systems don't work like that.
Great idea from McGills, poor execution from Flixbus.
