Travel Plans Often Start With Booking a Flight

When people start out to make travel plans, they frequently start with an airline reservation. This makes access to flight booking software critically important to the success of any travel agency business. The right airline reservation system can help make researching the flight options available for a particular destination and checking prices a lot easier. But there are so many options out there, you'll want to research the different options available in the market and be prepared to do your homework. First, make sure you understand your customer's needs and shopping preferences. Then do some quick research of the different booking engine solutions available and what content you might want to include. For example, you may want consider flight booking software that is flexible enough to be used with a packaging module that can offer a hotel room with the flight. This may be an excellent way for you to expand your overall sales volumes while helping you serve your customers better and build up customer loyalty in the process.

The airline reservation system you choose needs to be able to provide your travel business the access the airline content your customers need at the price they are looking for. It should also include administrative tools that allow you to pre-define business rules so you can easily adjust a product's selling price or offer targeted promotions to customers. Most of all, it should be easy to use and reduce the amount of time to complete a travel booking. And consider using mobile ready flight booking software to meet the demands of today's mobile consumer.

Many of the air booking engines available today enable customers to define their initial search by a variety of criteria including a specific airline and class of service or nearby airports and flexible travel dates. A significant number of online booking engines actually access airlines via a connection with large GDS companies for live airline availability and fares to ensure the most up to date information is provided. Some are even capable of simultaneously searching multiple content sources at a time, allowing even a small agency access to not only their own fares, but those of an agency they may partner with. These online booking engines have been tested and certified within the GDS environment, so security and stability is sure to be provided. This new breed of flight booking software can also provide travel agents with easy to use administrative tools to manage their business. Revenue management tools can quickly mark up or discount a product's selling price by website, airline, itinerary and even class of service to adjust a selling fare quickly. Many even support multiple languages and currencies, making expansion into new markets easy.

Finding an airline reservation system with the right combination of options for your online business can be a critical in determining your success. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer where and how they shop for air travel can be just as important.

Increase Sales with a Mobile Booking Engine

It should come as no surprise that nearly every facet of the travel industry continues to focus on adding marketing and sales resources to their e-commerce solutions. As more and more people rely on the internet for purchasing just about everything from retail merchandise to personal services, consumers are turning to the internet to research and book flights, hotels and even cruise vacations online. Unfortunately many travel companies have had challenges developing an easy to use mobile booking engine that can be accessed using the variety of today's mobile devices. Many in the travel business continue to use booking applications that were built using legacy technology, which typically doesn't permit them to simply add new content or make minor changes to their User Interface.

The architecture of these old Legacy systems are built on are typically not at all like that used for today's flexible applications. The business rules and policies defined for many Legacy systems are often hardcoded and use predefined, inflexible process flows which make any customization or adaptation with Internet-based applications difficult or sometimes just impossible. And if the amount work required isn't enough of a deterrent, companies ready to make the investment to upgrade have found it increasingly difficult to find developers willing or able to work with applications that are written in languages which are no longer widely used in today's technology. As a result, the Internet revolution and explosion of online commerce has frequently been the driving force behind a company's decision to switch away from a legacy system.

Travel businesses have been quick to learn that moving sales to E-commerce saves them time and money. An online booking engine is typically the most cost effective way to serve customers today and the innovative technology available helps software solution providers design and develop flexible & fully scalable applications that easily grow with any size business. Some even provide the ability to customize the application to maintain a company's own unique brand identity.

To serve today's growing number of consumers using their mobile device to purchase travel products, many companies are building a mobile booking engine. Now, regardless of the type of device a customer uses to access a travel website, applications are available that can automatically adjust the screen layout based on the type of device being used. For those looking to have a dedicated mobile booking App, there are several travel technology companies that can design and develop a custom mobile App for your business. Some offer mobile-ready applications as part of their existing Booking Engine while some will develop them independently. Either approach offers consumers the ease and mobility of using a smart phone or tablet.

Finding a mobile booking engine with the right combination of options for your customer can be a critical decision for your business. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer where and how they shop for travel can be just as important.

The Explosion of New Sales Channels

It seems like new websites and online channels are popping up daily, revolutionizing the distribution landscape of the entire travel industry. Whether you are a travel supplier like an airline or a retail travel agent, several opportunities to quickly expand the reach of your travel booking engine to new customers are readily available. Todays' online booking solutions provide unique and powerful tools to book airline tickets, hotel accommodations and even cruise vacations quickly and easily online providing a seamless online experience for users.

Today's online booking engines are able to provide both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) applications designed to automate processes and increase bookings. Customizable header, footers and style sheets enable travel agents to match the look and feel of their website while providing a seamless online experience for their online customers. Some applications are even fully customizable, allowing the booking engine's complete layout to be modified to match an agency's specific requirements.

The explosion of online travel agencies (OTA's) in the travel marketplace has fueled the growth of travel sold online and has allowed for a few large OTA's to dominate the online travel market. Unfortunately the price advantage some large OTA's can offer come with limited customer service in the event your plans suddenly change. And while many of the online travel booking solutions offered by Suppliers are easy to use, the content is often limited to a specific brand. These are two reasons why many consumers have learned the benefits of using a professional travel agent. Not only for the simple ease of having someone else take care of everything for you, but because booking with a travel agent is the best way to reserve hotel accommodations. Specialized agents using the right travel booking engine can save a tremendous amount of time and energy for even the most experienced travelers.

Whether a consumer likes to shop online, by phone or in person, today's travel booking solutions need to be ready to serve customers how and when they decide. Applications should be built using technology that is mobile ready so consumers can access and use them across the variety of different devices so many use during the research, shopping and booking process today. Your online booking engine needs to access the content your clients are looking for at a competitive price. It should include business rules capability so that you can easily adjust a product's selling price and offer targeted promotions to your customers.

Online travel booking solutions need to include detailed product descriptions and rich content linked to media files that can assist your agents as well as consumers booking online across the research, shopping and booking process. And for those planning to expand into new markets, consider a solution that can handle multiple languages and currencies.

Finding a travel booking engine with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision for your business. Finding a technology partner with solutions that will help you reach your customers when, where and how they shop for travel can be just as important.

Travel Technology Should be Integrated, Live and Mobile

As competing for customers becomes increasingly competitive in any business, travel technology solutions now include features like loyalty program integration, mobile applications and secure, live connections to supplier content.

Company Loyalty programs, new technology and strategic partnerships all play an important role in today's competitive travel and tourism industry. Loyalty programs have been used by the travel and tourism industry for years and remain an important marketing tool to retain customers for suppliers and agencies alike. A travel booking engine with Loyalty program integration can ensure your customers receive the lucrative discount offers as well as free gifts they have earned while booking with a travel agent. The Loyalty program integration with travel technology can come in the form of gift cards, travel rewards, discounts or even merchandise with the integration of an online booking engine being seamless to the end user and relatively quick to set up.

Do you know what type of special promotion or offer a supplier may offer loyal customers or whether your travel booking engine will be able to easily take advantage of these offers? A technology partner that collaborates with all the different parties involved and considers feedback from each when designing an application may be something to consider.

Travel technology solutions need to be available to customers on whatever device they choose to use. As the use of mobile devices has exploded over the past few years, an easy to use air mobile app has become an important extension of any online travel booking engine. Airline reservations were the first to gain popularity with online booking solutions, so it makes sense that an air mobile app is quickly becoming an important selling tool in today's mobile society. While innovative responsive technology allows mobile ready travel technology solutions to automatically adjust an online booking engine's screen size and layout based on the type of device being used.

Live access to content needs to be provided to be sure the most up to date availability and pricing is used. Your travel booking engine needs to provide live access to the type of relevant content your customers are looking for. And for those looking to expand their reach of their travel business with affiliated agents, an online booking engine needs to be able to quickly and easily add affiliated agents and websites.

But it is not just about using the latest technology, but it is also about using the technology in a way that allows your business to operate more efficiently and increase your revenues. While your technology partner may have the latest platform or development tools available, they may not have the detailed understanding of your business required to develop the best solution for you. This is where travel technology companies that collaborate with both their customers as well as travel suppliers are often able to design travel technology solutions with features that can really help a business succeed.

Finding the right travel technology solution for your online business will play an important role in determining your success. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important.

Travel Agent Software Needs Complete Content

Have you ever started to research plans for a trip or vacation in the middle of the night and you wanted to confirm all aspects of your travel right then and there? The travel booking solutions available today make this completely possible. Thanks to cutting edge technology innovations, confirming your travel arrangements no longer requires endless visits and/or phone calls with a travel agent. Today's online travel agency provides consumers the ability to research and book all aspects of their trip themselves with all the benefits of using a travel agent.

Selling travel online is not just for the large online travel companies that dominate the market. Today's travel agent software can be easily customized to support an individual agency's own unique "Look & Feel" and serve as an easy to use online booking engine for travel agents and consumers alike. These web-based applications are designed to automate processes, increase revenues and reduce time and effort required to complete a transaction. Many are hosted by a technology provider with the headers, footers and style sheets customized to match the agency's look & feel to provide a seamless online experience for customers. Complete customized versions are also supported where an agency can change the complete layout and flow of the booking engine if they desire.

Live access to content is provided to be sure the most up to date availability and pricing is used. Travel agent software typically uses an agency's specific ID when communicating with suppliers like an airline. But airline reservations are not the only travel product that you can book on line. Hotels have been making their content available online as well for years and cruise is one of the fastest growing areas in online travel today. Improved technology combined with the fact that more and more people are taking cruises for the first time has made booking cruises a huge opportunity for online travel businesses. As cruise lines constantly add new ships and new itineraries, it is important that any solution include all the important information about the cruise line an ship as well as detailed cabin descriptions linked to media files & rich content such as cabin photos, ship images and deck plans to assist in the shopping process. Similar to air, the cruise booking engine should use live pricing and availability during the search and booking process as well.

Today's state of the art travel booking solutions include the business management tools needed to control pricing and related marketing messages. Revenue management tools should provide the ability to adjust a product's selling price, highlight value add offers in the availability display. Applications should be designed to meet the unique requirements of Global Marketplaces and easily handle multiple currencies as well as multiple languages. Travel booking solutions should include flexible & fully scalable online reservation engines that can easily grow with your business while maintaining your unique identity.

So whether your clients are looking to book an airline ticket, reserve a hotel room or even plan that perfect cruise vacation, the right travel agent software can help you serve them quicker and easier. Finding the right solution for your online travel business will play an important role in determining your success. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important

Streamline the Hotel Reservation Procedure with Hotel Booking Engine

The internet has changed the way the travel industry conducts business and the way hotel accommodations are researched and booked today is no exception. The hotel industry was quick to embrace the online marketplace by shifting their business online. They experienced some early success, but not without some challenges along the way. At first it seemed like the only way some hotels could compete online was by price. Initially "online bookings" typically represented a discounted price as a result with some hoteliers using online retailers to dump unused inventory at significantly reduced prices. While some of this deep discounting still occurs, many have been able to reverse this trend and regain some price control with the use of a state of the art hotel booking engine.

Hotel companies have made a significant investment in providing access to media files & rich content to assist with selecting the right hotel property during the shopping process. Today's consumer can go online and view photographs of actual hotel rooms as well as public areas and learn about things like the different amenities available.

Travel agents remain a great resource to help consumers research their options and can often find the best deal possible and ensure their client's get treated like a VIP upon arrival. They are experts in the industry and many have negotiated special deals and amenities for their clients. Many have launched their own online booking solutions with a hotel booking engine that allows you to research and book your hotel accommodations when and where you want while still enjoying the benefits of using a travel agent.

Hotel reservation software should be easy to use and provide Users the functionality they are looking for. The ability to narrow the Search to a specific neighborhood within a city near a specific point of interest may be important for some. Easily finding the property that includes the specific amenities a client may be looking for such as free internet or perhaps concierge service may be important for others. The ability to find a hotel that has a restaurant or banquet facilities may be key for those planning an event. Hotels offer varying levels of comfort and service, so matching a client with the right hotel is also important. The ability for your hotel booking engine to sort a search for hotel rooms by a particular star rating or the average nightly rate can speed up the process dramatically.

With just a few clicks of a mouse, today's consumer can access the information needed to research which particular hotel best meets their individual needs. They can search for a hotel room by a specific neighborhood within a larger city or by price range and even star rating. There is even a way to research whether a hotel property has free internet, a restaurant or SPA services. Some applications go as far as using innovative responsive technology that automatically adjusts the screen display layout based on the type of device being used to access the booking engine.

So not matter what size an online travel business is, finding the right hotel booking engine for your business is important. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important.

Flight Reservation System to Compete in Travel Business

The flight reservation system was originally developed by the airlines decades ago in an attempt to automate processes and reduce the time and effort that was required to complete a reservation for a flight. These systems evolved over the years becoming the huge Global Distribution Systems or GDSs that many of today's online booking engines use for live connectivity to hundreds of airlines worldwide. These massive systems aggregate content and provide live connections with literally hundreds of airlines and provide access to them all through a single interface.

Many of today's online booking engines integrate with the GDSs to access airline content using an agency's specific ID and then customize the headers, footers and style sheets to provide a seamless online experience for users. Complete private label versions are also supported where an agency can change the complete layout to meet their specific requirements. There's even a flight reservation system with the ability to simultaneously search multiple content sources for the best price using live access to airline content to be sure the most up to date availability and pricing is used.

These online booking engines also provide the Revenue management tools needed to manage your business, including the ability to mark up or mark down a product's selling price by supplier, itinerary, class of service, dates and more. Whether your customers prefer to book their travel arrangements directly with a travel agent (B2B) -or- they prefer to shop and book online (B2C), an air booking engine provides the ability to service them quickly and easily. Some even support Multiple Selling Channels which can be easily managed using a single application. Ready to help any size business grow, today's online booking engine is designed to easily set up additional users and affiliated websites and many even have an optional mobile app for the flight reservation system.

The most flexible online reservation engines utilize responsive technology to provide greater support of various mobile and tablet screen sizes so customers can easily view and navigate through the booking process regardless of what device they are using. And for those looking to control the user interface of their online booking engine, an Air XML can provide the capability for a Client to host all User interfaces on their own server while using the core booking engine for business logic and live Pricing, Availability & Booking.

The best online booking engines are is designed to meet the unique requirements of Global Marketplaces and can easily handle multiple currencies as well as multiple languages. They use "state of the art" technology" that helps them design, develop and deliver flexible & fully scalable online reservation engines that can easily grow with your business while maintaining your unique identity.

So whether your clients are looking to book an airline ticket, reserve a hotel room or even plan that perfect cruise vacation, an online booking engine can help you serve them quicker and easier. Finding the right flight reservation system for your online travel business will play an important role in determining the success of your online booking engine. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important.