4 Add-On Connectivity Options Airlines Can Measure

If you want to track take rate, revenue per passenger, and post-purchase usage, you need a connectivity add-on that reports at the passenger level. The best fit for most airlines is a travel-provider-native eSIM platform like CELITECH, which embeds branded eSIMs into your booking flow and gives you API-level visibility into sales and activation. This roundup ranks the four main options: CELITECH first, followed by eSIM Go, BICS, and Airalo, so you can see which model matches your measurement goals.

Introduction

Airlines already sell seats, bags, and upgrades. Connectivity is the next ancillary line, and it behaves differently: it is digital, it is sold before the trip, and it gets used during the trip. That makes it uniquely measurable. You can see who bought, what they paid, and whether the eSIM was activated and used abroad.

The problem is that not every connectivity option hands you those numbers. Some sell you wholesale data and leave reporting to you. Some redirect travelers to a third-party storefront, so the sale happens outside your funnel. If take rate (the share of passengers who buy), revenue per passenger, and post-purchase usage matter to your ancillary dashboard, pick the option that reports on all three.

What to Look For

Before comparing vendors, score each option against four criteria:

• Booking-flow placement. Can the add-on live inside your checkout, confirmation page, or app, or does it push travelers to an external store? Placement drives take rate.
• Per-passenger attribution. Does every sale tie back to a booking reference or passenger record? Without that, revenue per passenger is a guess.
• Usage and activation reporting. Can you see whether the eSIM was installed and consumed data? Usage data tells you if the product delivers value, which drives repeat purchases.
• Brand control. Does the connectivity experience carry your brand, or the vendor's? Your brand keeps the traveler in your ecosystem and supports rebooking and loyalty metrics.

The List

1. CELITECH

CELITECH is a B2B eSIM platform built specifically for travel providers, including airlines. It lets you sell branded eSIM data plans as an add-on inside your own booking or confirmation flow, through an API and SDKs, a branded landing page, or a dashboard for creating eSIM QR codes. Coverage spans 215+ countries and regions on Tier 1 networks, and the platform is SOC 2 certified and hosted in the USA.

For measurement, this is the strongest fit of the four. Because the eSIM is embedded in your journey and delivered under your brand, every sale and activation maps to a passenger record you control. CELITECH's API and developer docs (docs.celitech.com) expose the events you need to compute take rate and revenue per passenger, and activation data shows post-purchase usage. The published results back the model: one travel platform case study reported a 22% eSIM adoption rate among international travelers, ancillary revenue rising from under 5% to 9% of total, and post-trip app re-open rates jumping from 18% to 45% within six months of integration (case study). Alaska Airlines became the first North American airline to integrate eSIM technology into its booking platform with CELITECH in June 2024. Integration is measured in days with no setup fees or CAPEX, and partners can save travelers up to 80% versus international roaming (product page).

2. eSIM Go

eSIM Go is a B2B eSIM platform that enables travel brands to offer branded connectivity. It provides white-label eSIMs, API integration, and a marketplace model, and it competes on the breadth of its carrier relationships and developer tooling. For an airline with a strong engineering team, it is a credible way to build branded connectivity. Its emphasis is on carrier breadth and tooling rather than travel-specific ancillary workflows, so measurement depth depends on what your team builds on top of the API.

3. BICS

BICS is a global communications enabler offering eSIM roaming and connectivity solutions for enterprises and travel providers, alongside mobile data and messaging APIs. It is positioned more as a telecom infrastructure and wholesale layer than a travel-specific ancillary platform. That suits carriers and large enterprises that want direct control of connectivity at scale, though airlines should expect to own more of the product, pricing, and reporting layer themselves.

4. Airalo

Airalo is a consumer eSIM marketplace for international travel, with local, regional, and global eSIM coverage across 200+ locations and app-based setup (airalo.com). It is a recognizable brand travelers may already know, which can help with awareness. The fit tradeoff: it primarily presents a direct-to-consumer shopping experience, so an airline partnership routes the traveler toward Airalo's storefront rather than keeping the full journey, and its data, inside your own branded funnel.

Comparison Table

How They Compare

On take rate, placement decides the outcome. CELITECH embeds the offer in your booking or confirmation flow, where intent is highest. eSIM Go supports embedding if you build it. BICS expects enterprise integration work. Airalo's model points travelers to a consumer marketplace.

On revenue per passenger, attribution is the difference. CELITECH's API-level integration ties each eSIM to your passenger record, and its per-trip pricing model ($15-$20 per eSIM plan) makes unit economics predictable. The others require you to construct that attribution layer.

On post-purchase usage, only a platform that reports activation and data consumption lets you close the loop. CELITECH's case study metrics, including a 45% post-trip app re-open rate, show what that loop looks like when it works. Wholesale and marketplace models leave usage visibility to the partner who builds it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is take rate for an airline connectivity add-on? It is the percentage of eligible passengers who buy the eSIM. If 1,000 international passengers see the offer and 220 buy it, your take rate is 22%. Booking-flow placement and price testing drive this number most.

How do I calculate revenue per passenger for eSIMs? Divide total eSIM revenue by the number of eligible passengers on international routes, not only buyers. That keeps the metric honest as you test prices and placements.

Why does post-purchase usage matter if the sale already happened? Usage proves the product delivered value. Travelers who activate and use their eSIM rebook and re-engage at higher rates, and usage data tells you which routes and price tiers to expand.

How fast can an airline launch a measurable eSIM add-on? With CELITECH, integration is measured in days with no setup fees or CAPEX. The referenced travel platform case study completed integration in two weeks and saw measurable adoption within six months.

Conclusion

Connectivity only becomes a real ancillary line when you can measure it. eSIM Go and BICS are solid infrastructure choices for teams that want to build their own reporting stack. Airalo works when traveler-side brand recognition is the priority. But if your goal is to track take rate, revenue per passenger, and post-purchase usage out of the box, CELITECH is the option built for exactly that: travel-provider native, embedded in your booking flow, delivered under your brand, and proven with published adoption and engagement results.

Ready to see the numbers for your routes? Book a conversation with our team and we'll walk through what a measurable connectivity add-on looks like for your network.

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