FInalist presentation for Lean Startup Machine NY on April 03, 2011

2. Problem
Travelers with layovers are...
bored uncomfortable
trapped feel unsafe
lost have pets
hungry have hygiene needs
tired have medical needs
lonely have kids
unconnected want to be entertained,
bogged down by luggage have to reschedule travel.

3. Market Sizing
3.6B airline passengers annually
1.8B layovers
Most layovers are short, but potential value of the
customer increases as does the length of the layover
Estimate of layover distribution: 78% short (<5 hours), 19%
Mid-length (5-7 hours), 3% Long (>7 hours)
Estimated value of each converted customer: $1 Short, $5
Medium, $10 Long
Total Market size (ads only): $35M/yr, with "mid-length"
layovers representing $16M (47%)

4. Potential Customers
Vacation travelers: Assumptions:
• Flying solo Open-minded
• With a friend/spouse Foodies
• With kids or pets Adventurers
Business travelers: May have dietary
• Flying solo restrictions
• With colleagues Culturally oriented
• With non-business flyers Goal oriented
Seeker vs serendipitous
style
Travel regularly

5. Parameters
Amount of time
Time of day
Budget
Airport amenities
Lack of city info
Transportation
Need to reschedule/delayed
In home country or not
Traveling party

6. How customers currently
tackle layovers
Seek advice on forums beforehand
Sleep
Suffer through it
Read/watch movies
Walk the terminal
Ask a hotel concierge
Just wing it/solo exploration

7. Assumed Solutions
Crowd-sourced research hub
Service provider/matchmaker
Location-specific deals
Paid app that doesn’t require connectivity

8. Revenue Hypotheses
Advertising, tourism boards could be a key customer
Coupons from in-airport businesses
Paid iPhone app
Plan itineraries for those who do have time to leave
the airport, with a booking fee

9. Key assumptions
There are many long layovers
Long layovers are planned
Businesses in the airport want to give deals
Tourism boards have ad money
Consumers are the more likely users instead of business
travelers
Willingness to escape
Airports and vendors will work with us
People are interested in doing things outside the airport

10. Customer Discovery Plan
Interview both vacation and business travelers
Interview people in line at tourist attractions
Search Twitter for "layover", @ travelers, ask to chat
Online Survey
Craigslist
Travel forum posts
Research stats on layovers
Are most layovers planned or not?
Are there more layovers in the US or internationally?

11. On-the street Interviews
Approached people in Union
Square and in line at Times
Square.
People often read, slept, ate or
shopped during layovers
They wouldn’t leave
Most people said they would try
to find a bar
New Yorkers hate talking to
strangers

12. Twitter Findings
23% of users contacted responded, 13% engaged
deeply (multiple correspondences)
The need spans geographic boundaries: Respondents
were in at least 11 different airports
Those who engaged planned to fill their time otherwise
with a variety of activities: Reading, Shopping, Eating,
Watching movies, Watching in-terminal TV
Most respondents were NOT open to leaving the airport
Many people on Twitter (respondents or not) head
straight to the bar at airports to pass the time

14. 386 Visitors 17 Conversions
429 views 4.4% Conversion

15. Landing page results
~5% conversion rate
Geographic distribution of layover:
40% Domestic 60% International
What people want to do while on a layover:
Rest 11 people
Freshen up 6 people
Find local flavor 7 people
Socialize 4 people
Explore out 4 people

17. Find the whole survey at bit.ly/loveyourlayover

18. Acting on the Survey Results
From the surveys, we learned....
Users would prefer to our product as an app
Users wanted suggestions based on the length of layover
Users aren't likely to leave the airport because of fears of
getting caught in security
If they did leave, it would be for a layover of greater than 5
hours, and usually on international stops
Users seemed most interested in resting, drinking alcohol
or eating over their layover

19. Survey results

20. Second App

21. Test Airport: Newark
One of the world's busiest airports
Has some of the most delayed flights internationally
Most tweeted about in the context of a layover