Alternative Airlines' booking platform was originally available only in English. While this worked for English-speaking users, it created stress and uncertainty for non-English speakers—especially during an experience as important as booking travel.
Alternative Airlines is a global flight search and booking platform offering access to over 600 airlines worldwide. Based in the UK, the company specializes in making flight booking simple, flexible, and accessible for travelers in more than 160 countries—especially those seeking alternative payment options.
As Alternative Airlines expanded internationally, they noticed a significant barrier to engagement: language. To deliver on their mission of removing friction from the flight booking experience, they needed to make sure that language wasn’t standing in the way.
Alternative Airlines' booking platform was originally available only in English. While this worked for English-speaking users, it created stress and uncertainty for non-English speakers—especially during an experience as important as booking travel.
They began to notice lower engagement rates in key international markets like Spain, Italy, and the UAE. Customers in these regions expected a localized experience, and when they didn’t get it, they left the site—or left negative reviews.
But for Alternative Airlines, this wasn’t just about missed revenue. It was about trust and clarity.
“We knew it wasn’t just about changing words—it was about making sure people understood exactly what they were booking, what they were paying for, and what to expect from us. The results have shown us that speaking our customers' language can make all the difference!”
They needed a solution that would:
Maintain tone and clarity across all markets.
Alternative Airlines chose Localize after testing both the platform and how customers responded to a localized experience. They kicked things off with a proof of concept and quickly saw results: users stayed longer, engaged more, and moved through the booking flow with greater confidence. That validation gave the team the green light to scale fast—and with Localize, they could.
“We initially ran a proof of concept, testing both Localize as a tool and whether customers would respond to seeing the platform in their own language. With Localize’s guidance and AI-powered tools, we rolled out full-site translations in just a matter of days.”
The rollout process was fast. Thanks to Localize’s smooth integration with their existing tech stack, the team was able to launch new languages in as little as one day—without relying on engineering resources or manual workarounds.
A big part of that speed came from the defined variables feature, which allowed Alternative Airlines to scale translations without ballooning their costs. It gave their team the flexibility to reuse key phrases and dynamic content, while maintaining accuracy and tone across the board.
A major factor in keeping the process intuitive was the use of Localize’s in-context editor, which allowed translators and internal reviewers to work directly on live site content. Seeing how translations would appear in real time made it easier to fine-tune phrasing, preserve brand tone, and avoid back-and-forth guesswork.
“Everything that needs to be handled by Localize can be done very quickly and ties in very nicely with our technical setup. It’s a super-fast process.”
From the very beginning, Localize’s team was hands-on and proactive. Their account manager, Graham, played a key role in onboarding, answering technical questions, and offering best practices for everything from AI translation workflows to international SEO optimization.
“On just our second sales call, Graham (the Localize customer success manager) brought in the product lead to talk through what was working for us and what wasn’t. That level of care really stood out.”
Alternative Airlines launched full-site translations in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, and French, with more languages in progress. Since launching:
Customer trust and satisfaction have measurably improved.
Localization has now become a strategic pillar in their global expansion.
“By speaking our customers’ languages, we’re helping them book flights faster, with less stress, and more trust in the process. Whether someone’s searching in Milan, Madeira, or Marseille, they now get the same easy booking journey—with the help of Localize.”