- Colibra’s ‘Fly Now, Pay If Okay’ is an innovative service that promises free plane tickets if flight is cancelled or delayed by 3 hours
- Colibra is the answer for travellers to mitigate risks and avoid bad travel experience in a time of disruptions and uncertainty
- An investment of several million dollars is being pursued in the region in order to capture new customers and grow the portfolio
Colibra has launched for users in the United Arab Emirates for the first time with the ‘Fly Now, Pay if Okay’ service, which allows passengers with a valid UAE residency to book flights that they only pay for if their flight arrives on time. They have had the privilege to be the first in the world to use the pilot version of the product and test this disruptive travel technology.
The Colibra app guarantees UAE residents that if the flight is cancelled or delayed for more than three hours, passengers do not have to pay for their plane tickets at all. This service is entirely free for users of the app, allowing them to book tickets within 30 days before departure (and arrival) and then pay the regular ticket fare if their flight arrives within three hours of its scheduled departure.
By ensuring that passengers only pay for journeys that are not delayed or cancelled, Colibra removes the worry of trying to claim compensations and refunds from airlines and saves its users hours of time and stress.
Kalojan Georgiev, CEO and Co-founder of Colibra said for prominent media in Dubai: “The United Arab Emirates has been dominating the aviation and tourism industry in the last couple of years, creating a world-class destination and leading hub in just a few decades. It has again proven their vision even in such hard times, with a spectacular and impressive rebound with their major carrier already operating 85% of its pre-Covid network, accounting for 120 destinations. UAE has a vibrant and dynamic local economy, with sophisticated and knowledgeable consumers that may be postponing their travels because of the operation risks, like cancellations, or simply because they don’t want to have a bad experience. We couldn’t think of a better ecosystem to launch our service. Colibra is the solution to the future of travel; why pay in advance? Savvy travellers will not need to risk cash-advance for a ticket, just download our app, book a flight, reach the airport, and if the arrival experience went OK, you would then be charged.”
But how does Colibra’s ‘Fly Now, Pay If Okay’ service work exactly?
The passenger chooses a flight – it must depart and arrive within 30 days
- Adds his/her personal data – Colibra doesn’t charge at the time of booking
Colibra charges the passenger upon arrival if everything goes smoothly and the service is delivered (ticket’s price is at no extra cost). In all other cases, the user travels for FREE.
Facts & Figures
Since its test launch in May 2021 Colibra gained spectacular organic results in just a few weeks. Here are some of the highlights:
- By the end of May 2021 we have reached 9,483 active users for one day
- We have acquired 23000+ downloads in less than a week
- Around 60%+ of our active audience comes from the UAE
- Our monthly active users have increased by 300%
- We have reached our main goal of 200 bookings for the period of the test
Media Exposure
Another great recognition came from the media. We’ve been featured in one of the most prominent local media outlets, such as Khaleej Times, Mashable Middle East, Gulf Today, The National, Arab News. The ‘Fly Now, Pay If Okay’ service had outstanding coverage in print newspapers and radio broadcasts as well, getting a spot in Gulf Today and Dubai Eye for example. Just for a month, we’ve realised a media value of $82,000 in publications.
What’s next?
Colibra will need a lot of working capital to fund the business model, so we are in talks with a number of potential partners in the region, including in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai and a few others.
To secure our revenue stream and support the business goals of our destination partners, we are going to develop an integrated ancillary strategy by complementing the flight ticket sales with offers for an airport transfer, hotel accommodation, car rentals, and local activities, corresponding to the user profile and trip purpose.
Colibra 
