Introduction

Jetmax, a division of Flight Centre Travel Group, operates the brands BYOJet and Aunt Betty globally, two of Australia’s most recognisable online travel brands. They operate in one of the most competitive segments of the travel industry: metasearch.

The Challenge

With platforms like Skyscanner, Kayak, Google Flights, Wego and IWantThatFlight demanding the lowest possible advertised fares, both brands often sell flights at or below cost to maintain visibility. They needed a way to give customers confidence when booking non-refundable fares while unlocking new ancillary revenue to balance the cost of discounting. Initially, we integrated our standard widget at the end of the booking process, expecting performance similar to other partners. However, conversion rates were lower than anticipated. To address this, we collaborated on two key changes that drove a significant uplift in conversion rates: - Early Placement: Instead of appearing at the end of checkout, our product became the first element in the booking flow immediately after flight selection. - New Offering Structure: We rebranded our offer to appear as one of two distinct fare options, “Standard Flight” and “Refundable Flight”, rather than as an extra add-on. This positioned our service as part of Jetmax’s core offering rather than an optional upgrade.

The Solution

BYOjet and Aunt Betty embedded Refund Protect into their booking flows to give customers a flexible safety net when booking low-cost, non-refundable flights. Supported by seamless UX integration, the ancillary aligned perfectly with their competitive metasearch strategy.

The Result

RP has delivered $millions in revenue to Aunt Betty and BYOjet across the life of the Partnership, protecting tens of thousands of customers against unforeseen events, with a customer attachment rate exceeding 10%. The product has become an essential part of both brands’ commercial model, boosting customer confidence while offsetting metasearch discounting pressure.

About

Jetmax

Founded in 2010 and headquartered on the Gold Coast, Australia, BYOjet and Aunt Betty specialise in low-cost international airfare comparison and online flight booking. Operating across all major metasearch engines and servicing customers worldwide, both brands are known for delivering aggressively priced fares, a simple online booking experience and strong customer support.

  • Website: www.auntbetty.com, www.byojet.com 
  • Key Stakeholder: Trent Newton
  • Founded: 2010
  • Industry: OTA / Metasearch Retail
  • HQ: Gold Coast, Australia
  • Company Size: 75-100
Customers want low fares but also flexibility when the unexpected happens. Refund Protect lets us offer both, giving travellers peace of mind while helping us fund the discounting required on metasearch platforms.
Trent Newton
Head of Technology, Jetmax Division
  • Operate across global metasearch channels, including Skyscanner, Kayak, Google Flights, Wego and more
  • Known for ultra-competitive fares and mobile-optimised booking experiences
  • Benefit from strong cross-brand digital infrastructure and operational synergy

The solution

Protect Group technology and products used
The products and platforms that contributed to partner success.

BYOjet and Aunt Betty embedded Refund Protect into their booking flows to give customers a flexible safety net when booking low-cost, non-refundable flights. Supported by seamless UX integration, the ancillary aligned perfectly with their competitive metasearch strategy.

  1. Initial consultation

Protect Group met with the BYOjet and Aunt Betty teams to understand their metasearch-driven pricing challenges and identify where refundability could remove friction for low-fare customers. 

  1. Sales placement design

Refund Protect was configured to appear in both sites’ checkout flows seamlessly, making it easy for customers to choose and ensuring the offer complemented their fast, mobile-optimised booking journeys.

  1. Open Communication

From integration to optimisation, both teams stayed closely aligned through recurring updates, performance reviews and shared testing insights.

  1. Integration and testing

The solution was implemented efficiently across both brands, followed by real-time monitoring of customer behaviour to ensure performance across global markets and fare types.

  1. Strategic go-live timing

Through rapid iteration, front-end placement enhancements and rollout to all customers, Refund Protect became one of BYOjet and Aunt Betty’s strongest-performing ancillaries, contributing directly to significant gains in revenue and repeat customer engagement.