It Started with Flight Booking Software

Today, no travel technology solution is complete without some type of flight booking software included. The airline industry was an early pioneer of automating the sale of travel and introduced the first computer reservation systems decades ago. I started my career as an airline reservation agent and remember attending weeks of training to learn how to use the first in-house computerized reservation systems. Gone were the days when we would scramble around the reservation center to find the actual "Book" that kept track of the customers booked on a certain flight. The "Book" was replaced by clunky green screen monitors connected to a massive Computer Reservation Systems also known as the CRS. We were required to memorize cryptic formats to check schedule availability, pricing and to complete a reservation. While many complained about the time and effort it took to learn how to use the new flight booking systems, it wasn't long before everyone saw just how much more efficient it was compared to using the old reservation books.

These airline reservation systems continued to evolve, adding updated flight information and other services to assist customers and travel agents. Airlines quickly discovered the benefit of expanding the access to these systems to their best travel agent customers, providing them instant access to availability and pricing as well as the ability to book flights for their customers.

These early centralized computer reservation systems began to add more features and additional travel components such as hotels and car rentals and eventually evolved into early versions of the first generation of Global Distribution Systems or GDSs. These computer reservation systems were deployed in travel agency offices worldwide and became critical for both airlines looking to increase the distribution of their product as well as the travel agents looking to serve their customers more efficiently.

It wasn't long before the internet revolution exploded and suddenly consumers were shopping and purchasing just about everything online. As these online travel technology solutions became more widely used, many travel agents identified the need for online travel technology solutions that automate processes and are easily customized to support their own unique brand identity. Today's travel agent needs both a Business to Business (B2B) application as well as a Business to Consumer (B2C) application that automate processes and increase revenues while reducing the time and effort it takes a travel agent or consumer to complete a transaction.

Travel Agents need to be able to quickly adjust a product's selling price or include special offers right in the availability display. Flight booking software needs to have the flexibility to define a business rule to a specific market, travel or booking dates, suppliers and more. Applications should be designed to meet the unique requirements of Global Marketplaces and easily handle multiple currencies as well as multiple languages.

Early adoption of automation combined with the fact that a flight reservation is often the starting point when making travel plans, make flight booking software a key component for most travel technology solutions. Finding a travel technology solution with the right combination of options for your business can be critical to the success of your travel business. Finding a technology partner with solutions to help you easily and cost effectively reach today's mobile consumer where and how they shop for travel can be just as important.

Travel Technology Solutions Can Help Your Business Grow!

Travel technology continues to evolve at lightning speed and has significantly impacted the way that Suppliers as well as Travel Agents attract and interact with customers. In today's world, travel technology solutions are a key element to the success of any travel business whether a small to medium size traditional retail agency or one of the large online travel agencies (OTAs) that dominant today's online travel market.

Many "out of the box" solutions do not have the flexibility needed and are too generic for many businesses. A custom built application can be expensive to develop and maintain putting them "out of reach" for most except for the largest companies. When considering online travel booking engines, look for one that automates processes, has the business rule features you need and is easily customized to support your unique brand identity.

When trying to reach a limited amount of targeted customers, the traditional method of face-to-face meeting at a retail travel agency location or speaking with an agency call center is usually enough and in some cases can help strengthen the relationship an agency has with their customer. A good travel agent does more than just "take travel orders", they are a resource that can assist with making the right choices for a trip and can often provide access to special deals and amenities. They can help today's traveler avoid making a disastrous mistake with their travel arrangements and can often help make them feel like a VIP during their trip.

Whether your customers shop online or through a retail travel agency, travel technology plays an important role in their interaction with your business. The best applications provide both Business to Business (B2B) capabilities for retail travel agents and call centers as well as Business to Consumer (B2C) to serve those customers shopping online. But there is more to selling travel online than having a website, there are travel technology solutions available today that are built using responsive technology. These mobile ready applications automatically adjust their display based on the type of device being used. A critical feature to reach the growing number of consumers addicted their mobile devices.

The right technology solution also plays an important role in setting a business up for future expansion. Whether that be through organic growth, reaching out to a new ethnic markets or expanding into a new geographic region, your travel technology needs to be ready to expand with your business.

Look for applications that are designed to meet the unique requirements of Global Marketplaces and can easily handle multiple currencies as well as multiple languages. However, going global involves a lot more than language or currency since each market can have it's own requirements and set of local supplier content that is critical to success there. You'll want to find a global application that has worked closely with customers and suppliers to localize the product including access to that specific local content critical to the market.

Finding travel technology with the right combination of options for your business can be critical to the success of your travel business. Finding a technology partner with solutions to help you reach today's mobile consumer where and how they shop for travel can be just as important.