Finding the right online airline booking engine with access to the content sources you are looking for can be a difficult and confusing process for even the most experienced and seasoned professional.
There several types of online travel booking engines available in the market today. Some offer specific travel products such as airline or hotel reservations and many provide the ability to target multiple selling channels including Business to Business (B2B), Business to Consumer (B2C) and even Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C). A more advanced online airline booking engine might even utilize innovative responsive technology that supportsvarious mobile device screen sizes so customers can easily view and navigate through the booking process regardless of the device they are using.There are even state of the art Air Mobile Apps available that allow any agency to expand their brand’s presence to hand held devices with dedicated Air Mobile Apps. Understanding how your customers prefer to research and book their travel arrangements along with some research on the different options available will help identify the right type of airline reservation system for your business.
Finding the right online booking engine to match your distribution channel needs is only part of the solution. Content is key when it comes to the success of any online business, including those selling airline tickets online. Identifying and securing the right sources to access the airline content you need can be just as critical to the success of your airline booking engine.
Many agency owners choose one of the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) like Amadeus or Sabre to check availability and confirm airline reservations using their own specific agency GDS credentials. Accessing fares and availability via a GDS using an agents specific ID allows users to access not only the “published” airfares available in the market, but also any “private” or “negotiated” rates a specific agency may have with an airline. If you plan for your booking engine to use your GDS ID to make airline bookings, you’ll first want to find a technology partner who can connect the booking engine you choose with your GDS ID.
Others may choose to align themselves with Air Consolidators in order to access the lower, preferential airfares that these airline aggregators are able to negotiate. By aggregating sales from several smaller agencies, many Air Consolidators are able to drive significant volumes with airlines and as a result they are able to negotiate deeply discounted private fares as well as preferential fare rules and better commissions on published airfares. Some air booking engines even have theability tosimultaneously search multiple content sources for the best price, allowing an agency’s airline reservation system to combine their own content with fares and content from other sources such Air Consolidators or affiliated agencies they may work closely with.
With so many distribution channel options combined with the numerous airlines with what seems like countless different fare options, finding the right airline reservation system with the right content sources can be an important and critical decision that determines the success of your online business. Finding the right technology company to partnerwith can be even more important.
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