The strategic role of car rental in ancillary growth

Car rental has traditionally been treated as a secondary ancillary product for airlines. Yet in an environment where every percentage point of revenue matters, it offers untapped potential. Airlines that integrate car rental seamlessly and connect it to their loyalty strategy can not only grow revenues but also strengthen customer engagement and partner relationships.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) provides a clear example. Today, SAS is among the best-performing airlines for car rental, the result of combining its own drive for growth with a new partnership model.

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Car rental as an enabler of loyalty and commercial strategy

When SAS reviewed its ancillary revenues, the leadership team faced a decision: follow the aggregator route that many airlines take, or preserve direct rental partnerships and look for a model that could unlock more value.

The choice was deliberate. Direct partnerships allowed SAS to design bespoke campaigns, integrate EuroBonus loyalty mechanics, and protect relationships with key car rental partners in Scandinavia. What was missing was the speed, transparency and technical flexibility to execute at scale.

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A new approach: speed, data and partnership

Working with Meili, SAS launched a new platform within 12 weeks, with fewer than 13 hours of SAS internal development time. Campaigns that once took a month can now be live in days.

Equally important, both sides recognised that success depended on ambition. SAS brought a determination to push for continuous improvement, while Meili provided the expertise and market knowledge to guide the roadmap. SAS describes this as a “team effort,” where ideas are not just requested from the airline, but proactively put on the table by their technology partner, Meili.

Data has also shifted the conversation. Shared dashboards now give SAS and its car rental partners a clear view of performance. This visibility has allowed SAS to treat car rental as a proving ground for new loyalty approaches, using insights from car rental to shape its broader ancillary strategy.

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Results so far

• Car rental revenue has nearly doubled compared with their previous solution
• Campaign lead times have been reduced from weeks to days, enabling faster testing and stronger momentum
• Car rental has become SAS’s benchmark for ancillary performance, setting the standard for how other products are evaluated
• SAS now uses car rental as a testbed for loyalty mechanics, trialling EuroBonus campaigns here first before rolling them out across other ancillary products
• Car rental partners report greater satisfaction, reflected in new agreements and joint marketing

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Lessons for other airlines

SAS’s experience highlights four lessons for peers across the industry:

• Loyalty mechanics matter more than discounts. Travellers respond more strongly to progression and status benefits than to price cuts.
• Speed builds momentum. Faster campaign cycles energise internal teams and partners alike.
• Direct partnerships unlock differentiation. Keeping car rental partners close enables bespoke offers and deeper loyalty integration.
• Partnerships succeed when both sides bring ambition. Airline drive, combined with Meili’s specialist expertise, creates momentum and lasting results.

Looking ahead

SAS now aims to make car rental even more visible in the journey and use it as a platform for loyalty innovation, from expanding redemption options to engaging non-EuroBonus customers. The focus is on long-term retention, ensuring car rental becomes not just a revenue driver but a loyalty engine.

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Partnership in action

The SAS story demonstrates how ambition and expertise come together to transform ancillary performance. By combining SAS’s determination to grow with Meili’s specialist technology and market insight, the partnership has delivered a benchmark for airline-led car rental, and a model for others to follow.

As SAS and Meili prepare to share their story on stage at the World Aviation Festival, the message is clear: active airline leadership, combined with the right partner, can redefine what is possible in ancillary growth.