travel tech insights

TBS travel booking system updates

New car supplier

• A new car provider is now available in TBS: Ofran. For this supplier, the price which needs to be paid at the agency is composed of the car offer price + Excess refund insurance. All other extra services need to be paid at reception, when picking-up the car.

  For Ofran, the administrator can configure its own cancellation policy based on the contract the agency has with the supplier (Suppliers/Ofran/Cancellation contract). After the voucher is issued, the reservation can no longer be cancelled from TBS.

Established in 1990, Ofran is one of the leading car rental brokers in Europe serving millions of people around the world. Ofran has successful branches also in Switzerland, Sweden, South Africa, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece & Cyprus.

Farelogix upgrade 

• The connection for supplier Farelogix has a new option called 'Branded Fares'. Depending on the feature configuration, 'Branded Fares' will be requested/or not from the supplier at search time.

'Branded fares' refers to the option that provides the airlines the possibility to merchandise their products in a different way through the travel agencies, with features that go beyond basic fare rules (including certain services and facilities).

Amadeus connection update

• For Amadeus supplier, when creating a reservation on a corporate fare, details regarding the fare will be saved later in the admin interface, in Reservations List, under Reservation details – References.

GoGlobal connection update

• For GoGlobal supplier, the parameter MaxResponses is now visible in the supplier configuration panel. The value set for this option indicates the number of maximum results which GoGlobal will display in the search results.

Offer showcase

• The Admin of TBS is now able to include in the offer showcase a certain hotel - 'Edit search parameters for offer' - which later can be searched by the reseller only by clicking on the offer showcase in reseller interface. The admin can also set here the dates for which the search will be made.

AIDA tour operator solution updates

Shopping basket for creation of travel packages

• In AIDA Reseller a new section was added: Shopping basket. It allows the reseller to create  and book packages by selecting accommodation, ancillary services and transportation from the inventory  that is available in AIDA TourOperator. The Reseller user, taking into consideration the services that need to be booked, can search through each section: Hotels search, Transportation and Extra services & activities, and add the services to cart. Once the reservation is added, it is displayed in Reservations list. If the services selected have different currencies, all of them are saved and displayed in the list. If from all services, one of them has RQ status and the other ones have OK status, the final reservation will have RQ status.
  

As we’ve discussed in previous blog entries, travel agents, travel management companies, and other players in today’s global travel industry need fast, powerful technology platforms for maximum efficiency and productivity. Whether you’re talking about content mapping tools, travel ERP suites, long-term success in today’s travel industry depends largely on a company’s ability to leverage the right technology at the right time to reach and retain customers.

With networks and partnerships established in disparate regions across the globe, it can be difficult to coordinate sales efforts, particularly due to the need for integrated, multi-functional software solutions with common access points. Travel companies have a wide variety of these solutions to choose from, especially when it comes to selecting the right travel booking engines for a given company’s needs and desires. As such, these travel companies have to consider a number of different elements when selecting a technology partner based on specific criteria and desires.  

But all this choice, while a positive thing for travel companies, begs the question: How do you choose the right software your travel business? How do you most effectively analyze your criteria and needs to ensure the software you select brings the greatest value to your business? And how can you tell which IT provider will be with you for the long haul and which will disappear after simply making the sale?

Let’s face it: The travel industry is built on responding to disruption. Whether it’s inclement weather  forcing cancellations of flights, hotel accommodations, or tours, or overbookings due to sudden spikes in demand, travel companies must be agile enough to handle these and other temporary breakdowns in calculated, efficient ways to retain customers and continue operations in as normal a way as possible.

Imagine you’re planning a long road trip with a group of friends. You’ve plotted out your route, made a list of stops you want to make and sights you want to see, and the last step is deciding what car you’re going to drive. You want a car that is reliable, big enough to comfortably seat everyone, and cost-effective enough so you don’t squander money on fuel. This may sound strange, but the link between this hypothetical road trip and optimizing travel agent search capabilities through advanced mapping is stronger than you’d think.

In incorporating advanced search capabilities, travel agents desire reliable search capabilities, comprehensive search functions, and a search technology solution that is cost-efficient and promotes growth across the entire value chain. Travel booking engines, with their capability to integrate travel suppliers and work with more wholesalers and Global Distribution Systems, empower agencies to offer an even greater product variety and availability at the best rate.