Facebook is expanding its Flight Ads format, enabling travel brands to reach a wider range of customers with ads specifically tailored to travellers, tourists and those planning their holidays.

Previously, airlines could use Flight Ads to retarget customers who had visited their website or app searching for a particular flight, but the ad format is being opened up to reach potential travellers based on peoples visits to other flight-related Pages, websites and apps.

For example, users who are looking at holiday trips to Mexico might have browsed several airline sites and made use of flight pricing apps. Airline brands can now use Flight Ads to reach those people with tailored ads promoting relevant flight routes. In addition, travellers that visit a travel-related Facebook Page, but have not yet chosen a trip destination may see an ad to visit the airline brands site.

Advertisers have already been testing the expanded version of Flight Ads and have seen positive results. Air France used the format to acquire new US customers, driving targeted search volume to its site while lowering cost per search by 66 per cent. Elsewhere, Hopper, an airfare forecasting app, saw a 20 per cent drop inits cost per app install using this new prospecting option.

“Opening up prospecting for Flight Ads has made a huge difference on our campaign performance,” said Simon Lejeune, head of user acquisition at Hopper. “Our cost per install dropped by almost 20 per cent on Facebook and the interaction rates skyrocketed due to the increased relevance of the ads.”

Flight Ads will be available globally to all advertisers in the coming weeks on Facebook, Instagram and the Facebook Audience Network.