Home

Building airTRFX URLs using Variables: A Comprehensive Guide

September 12, 2023

3 min read

Airlines with complex online marketing needs are increasingly adopting automation solutions like airTRFX to manage their web traffic and campaigns. One essential feature is the ability to create bulk URLs that automatically redirect users to the appropriate landing page.

Explore how to build airTRFX URLs using variables and template redirects efficiently.

How do airTRFX URLs with Variables Work?

In airTRFX, airlines can set up a template redirect URL. This URL will automatically redirect users to the relevant landing page, allowing the bulk URL generation process for online marketing campaigns.

For example, a URL like:

www.airline.com/redirect?edition=en-gb&orig=LHR&dest=JFK&tc=cici

Will automatically redirect to:

www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-from-london-to-new-york

Technical Requirements

For the airTRFX Redirect Rule to work correctly, the Reverse Proxy Rule (/redirect*) at the CDN level must be in place. Failing to do so will result in a 404 error.

SEO Considerations

It's worth noting that this method of URL redirection is not ideal for SEO interlinking. However, these variable-based URLs are perfect for campaign URLs from paid media channels.

How Does the Redirect URL Work?

The Redirect URL is constructed using four essential parameters:

A	Site Edition (language-market ISO Codes)	Case sensitive. Should align airTRFX site edition structure	en-us, en-US, en (if only global editions are used) or en_us in some cases
B
Origin 3-letter IATA airport code
Not case sensitive. Should be a valid airport in airTRFX route list
MIA, EWR, LHR
C
Destination 3-letter IATA airport code
Not case sensitive. Should be a valid airport in airTRFX route list
MIA, EWR, LHR
D
Page template code
Not case sensitive. Template should be active in airTRFX
tc=tci, tc=tco, tc=cici (All available variables in next slide)

Considerations

The Redirect URL structure must contain all four parameters, regardless of the page template.
Both the origin and destination IATA codes should be valid and exist in the airTRFX route list.

Creating URLs in Bulk

The airTRFX system allows you to build URLs in bulk using these redirect rules.

Example application:

The example will resolve in the following URL following the variables for each parameter:

www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-to-newark

Parameters used:

Site Edition: en-gb (edition=en-gb)
Origin Airport Code: not used
Destination Airport Code: &dest=EWR
Template to City: tc=ci

Note: Because the variable used for the template example is tc=ci the final URL is a to-city page, and the origin is not used.

However, the parameter orig=XXX, regardless of the page template, must still be part of the redirect URL from a valid route in airTRFX .

airTRFX Template URL Parameter Guide

Examples with different templates

Parameter	Template	Example – showcasing a subdirectory URL
tc=ci
To City
www.airline.com/redirect?edition=en-gb&orig=LHR&dest=EWR&tc=ci redirects to : https://www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-to-newark
tc=cici
City to city
www.airline.com/redirect?edition=en-gb&orig=LHR&dest=EWR&tc=cici redirects to: https://www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-from-london-to-newark
tc=fci
From City
www.airline.com/redirect?edition=en-gb&orig=LHR&dest=EWR&tc=fci redirects to: https://www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-from-london
Country pages work as well with airport codes. Page will be redirected to the country of the city used as the airport code in the URL.
tc=co
To Country
www.airline.com/redirect?edition=en-gb&orig=LHR&dest=EWR&tc=co redirects to https://www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-to-united-states
tc=cico
City to Country
www.airline.com/redirect?edition=en-gb&orig=LHR&dest=EWR&tc=cico redirects to https://www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-from-london-to-united-states
tc=fco
From Country
www.airline.com/redirect?edition=en-gb&orig=LHR&dest=EWR&tc=fco redirects to https://www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-from-united-kingdom

Additional Considerations

The URL will automatically redirect to the corresponding airTRFX page, assuming the route and landing page are active in the airTRFX system.
If the route or airport codes haven't been yet or have already been deleted, the URL will redirect to the global site edition's hub page.
If you see any additional parameters in your final URLs, please note that an additional “?” is not necessary.
For adding UTM parameters, simply use the "&" symbol followed by the UTM parameter:

Example:

www.airline.com/redirect?edition=en-

gb&orig=LHR&dest=EWR&tc=ci&utm=123PPC

will redirect to:

www.airline.com/en-gb/flights-to-newark?utm=123PPC

If airTRFX is hosted in a subfolder, the redirect rule starts after this subdirectory. Example: www.airline.com/deals/?edition=en-gb&orig=LHR&dest=EWR&tc=ci

The airTRFX system offers an incredibly efficient way to manage URLs for airline marketing campaigns. By understanding the nuances of the redirect rules, variables, and template codes, you can craft URLs that seamlessly funnel web traffic to the appropriate destination. However, keep in mind the SEO limitations and make sure that your CDN settings are configured correctly to avoid issues.