Your Flight Booking Software Should Provide Options

There are so many different types of travel related content available and so many different online travel technology solutions available today that it is sometimes difficult to know which the best fit for your needs is. While some travel booking software may have the great functionality and the features you need, it may not have the type of Supplier content your clients are looking for.  On the flip side, you may find an online booking solution with the perfect content source, but find that it is missing the functionality and features you need.

If you are selling multiple travel products, you may want your booking engine to access hotel content using one source, but look to use a totally different connection for your flight booking software or perhaps several other sources when booking certain destinations.  Finding the all the right travel related content sources in a single online booking solution that has the features and functionality you need can be overwhelming at first and a bit of a challenge at best.

The solution to your problems may be found with travel booking software that includes the features and functionality you need to properly manage your business as well as a flexible supplier connection gateway which will allow you to access different content sources for different travel products.  Some of the more advanced travel technology solutions even allow you to choose specific content sources by Supplier, providing the ultimate in content source flexibility.  Say you want your flight booking software to use your GDS ID to make most of your airline bookings, except one or two where you prefer to use an air consolidator to ensure you offer the most competitive price.   Your travel booking software needs to be able to quickly and easily support these different connections and know when to use each.

Flight booking software also need the ability to quickly and easily define business rules so you can maximize profits and include value add offers or special deals in the availability display.  Your online booking engine needs to be able to keep up with all the different specials and promotions that Suppliers make available today.  Selling price adjustments and value add offers should be easy to define and have the flexibility to define a rule by a specific market, travel dates, booking dates, supplier uses and more.

And finally to serve today’s growing number of consumers who use their mobile device to purchase travel products as well as those that switch between devices during the research and booking process, many companies are building travel technology solutions that use responsive technology that automatically adjusts the screen layout based on the type of device being used.  For those looking for a dedicated Mobile App, there are several companies designing and developing custom Apps.

Finding flight booking software that has the right functionality and the specific content your customers need is an important decision for your travel business. Finding the right technology partner to assist you can be even more important.

A Flight Booking Engine Needs Flexibility

Access to the right content combined with powerful business rules and flexible distribution capabilities is key to any travel business today. While this may be true in all sectors of the travel industry, it is particularly true when it comes to a flight booking engine. Travel technology solutions that allow a business to aggregate airline content from multiple sources and distribute it to a network of affiliated agencies or home-based agents can be a valuable tool in today's competitive online marketplace.

There are multiple content source options for a flight booking engine to choose from today. The ability to search multiple sources for airline content can be important for those businesses that are taking advantage of the special rates and content that many air consolidators or aggregators bring to the table. For example, some air consolidators focus on a specific geographic or ethnic market and work with a network of affiliated agents to book airline seats for their customers using the consolidator or host agency's credentials. Air consolidators aggregate sales with airlines and leverage their overall volumes for better prices and access to special deals. Some focus on specific destinations or regions of the world and are experts about every aspect of travel there. Others serve specific ethnic or specialty groups and have developed a vast network of sub-agents deep-rooted in a specific market. By combining your own agency's fares with those of an air consolidator or aggregator you work closely with, you can ensure that you always offer the most competitive price and provide your clients with the best value possible.

The ability to expand your agency footprint while taking advantage of what these specialists have to offer can be a valuable tool for you to have as well. Your flight booking engine should allow you to easily extend your reach to serve customers whether it be in person, on the phone or online. And for those always "on the go" consumers, you'll need a mobile ready application that adjusts the display to fit the screen of the device being used.

The flight reservation system you choose must allow you to easily define business rules that automatically control price adjustments and highlight special value add offers as well as targeted promotions. It's best to have the flexibility to control your business rules, so make sure the application has the flexibility to make price adjustments calculated as a fixed dollar amount ($) -or- a percentage (%) of the fare and apply a specific rule to certain sales channel or affiliate group. Business Rules should be easy to enter with the ability to define filters for a specific airline, flight number or class of service. With airline fares and seat availability changing so frequently, it can be nearly impossible for the most experienced travel agent to keep up with the latest deals.

Finding a flight booking engine that provides the right airline content, powerful business rules, and flexible distribution capabilities is important for any travel business. Choosing the right technology partner can be just as important.

Travel Agent Software Needs A B2C Component

It should come as no surprise that the travel industry has been focusing more and more of its resources on e-commerce solutions as consumers increasingly rely on the internet for booking their flights, hotels, ground transportation, and even cruise vacations online. However, many travel companies have had challenges developing online booking solutions, especially those that are still using travel agent software built on legacy technology. Many businesses struggle to add new content or make simple changes to their User Interface. The rigid architecture legacy systems use is not at all like the flexible architecture of today's distributed and layered applications. In most legacy systems, business policies and decisions are hardcoded using inflexible, predefined process flows which makes any integration with external internet-based applications difficult and sometimes just impossible. To make matters worse, these legacy systems use old technology and it has become increasingly difficult to find developers willing to work with applications written in languages that are not widely used in today's technology.

As a result, the online revolution has been the driving force behind the switch away from legacy systems. E-commerce sales save a business time and money making it the most cost-effective method to deliver products to consumers. The "state of the art" travel agent software available today provides flexible & fully scalable applications that easily grow with any size travel agency. Some even provide the ability to customize the application to maintain an agency's own unique brand identity.

Experience has shown that some of the best travel agent software is the result of collaboration. Software developers, suppliers, and travel Agents all provide valuable input that can help design and develop the ultimate travel booking engine. Each of these entities plays an important role in the process and any solution should meet each of their specific individual needs.

To serve today's growing number of consumers who use their mobile device to purchase travel products as well as those that switch between devices during the research and booking process, many companies are building applications that use responsive technology that automatically adjusts the screen layout based on the type of device being used. For those looking for a dedicated Mobile App, there are several companies designing and developing custom Apps. Some offer mobile applications as an optional "add-on" to an existing booking engine while some develop them independently. Either approach offers consumers the ease and mobility of using a smartphone. Mobile Apps and mobile responsive technology can now provide any size travel agency affordable applications built on the latest technology with the powerful tools to they need.

So whether your travel agency needs an airline booking engine, a cruise booking engine or a hotel booking engine, be sure your travel agent software is built using the latest responsive technology. Finding a travel booking engine with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer with the content they are looking for can be just as important.

Hotel Booking Engines Need Flexibility

The internet has changed the way that the world researches and shops for everything from Music to vacations. The ability for today's consumer to shop online provides retailers the opportunity to sell their products or services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Today's online retailer virtually never closes their doors!

The internet has changed the way goods and services are sold and the travel industry is no exception. Today's travel agency is No longer limited by "brick and mortar" store fronts, today's travel agent can serve customers anywhere in the world with the right travel booking engine. So today's hotel booking engine must be designed to provide the flexibility to serve these 24/7/365 consumers when and how they choose. To accomplish this, you'll need an application that allows your travel business to serve customers via multiple channels. You'll need an easy to use Business to Consumer (B2C) online booking engine to reach customers shopping online, but make sure it is a mobile ready so you can easily serve consumers using any device, including their smartphone. For those customers who still like to speak with a travel professional, a traditional Business to Business (B2B) will be needed.

Those who are looking to reach Latino consumers may want to consider a hotel booking engine that has multi-language capabilities so they interact with these customers online in Spanish. For those looking to expand into new markets, the online booking engine they choose needs to easily support multiple currency types and consider all local requirements governing online commerce in a specific market. Your travel booking engine also needs the flexibility to easily predefine business rules and promotions for each market so you can easily take advantage of specific deals and local promotions. Applications need to allow you to manage and localize what your customers are offered in each market with the flexibility to quickly define business rules using a wide variety of criteria.

Choose a hotel booking engine that provides the ability to adjust the selling price quickly and easily. The right travel booking engine can allow you to include value add offers right in the fare availability display and provide the expertise and service that only a professional travel professional can offer. The ability to quickly and easily customize a hotel booking engine to match your website's "Look & Feel", including unique headers and footers can be a powerful tool when working with affiliated agencies or organizations.

Whether you are looking to serve a new customer group, expand your service into new regions or just distribute online to multiple websites, flexibility is key. Flexible & fully scalable applications will help your business grow as you serve new customer groups and markets while still allowing your business to maintain its own unique brand identity. Flexibility to grow and expand your business is key when deciding on the right hotel booking engine for your travel agency, choosing the right technology partner can be even more important.

Travel Booking Engines Should Be Full Service

There are so many different options for consumers to purchase travel products, so what makes a consumer choose one retailer versus another? The answer usually comes down to price, service or convenience. Whether you are selling a bottle of fine wine or a hotel room for the night, chances are one or all of these criteria will be considered by your customers when they make their purchase. Choosing which travel booking engine to use is no different for today's tech-savvy online traveler.

First, make sure you offer the best value and price to reach today's price-driven consumers. Your online booking engine must be able to search the best sources for content to make sure the best pricing and availability is used. Accessing the low rates offered by air consolidators is one way to get the best fares for your clients. Different air consolidators do specialize in different regions, so you'll want flight booking software that allows you to simultaneously search multiple air consolidators for the best fares.

You'll also need the ability to adjust the selling price quickly and easily. You should look for a travel booking engine that allows you to include value add offers right in the fare availability display and easily provide the expertise and service that only a professional travel professional can offer. Travel agents can be a great resource to find the best deal possible and help consumers who are trying to make sense of all the options available. You are your customers travel expert, so make sure you give your clients the VIP treatment they deserve. Flight booking software should allow both agents and consumers shopping online to select seats, request meals and add loyalty program information to their airline reservation. You'll want to negotiate the best deals possible with the airlines and promote any special deals or amenities that are available.

Make sure your travel booking engine is convenient for customers to use and remember today's consumer has become accustomed to shopping using a variety of devices. Some exclusively use their handheld device to research and purchase travel. Others may start their initial search using their handheld device but switch to a tablet or laptop to complete the purchase. And you will always have the more traditional consumer who may research options online, but prefer to speak with a travel professional when making travel plans.

To serve all these customers, your online travel booking engine must allow you to distribute your products and serve your customers via several online channels. You will need an application that supports Business to Business (B2B) for those customers using call centers. For this, you will want to consider an application that is easy to use and requires little agent training. For those consumers shopping via your website, you'll need a Business to Consumer (B2B) application that allows you to promote special deals and value add offers. And of course for those "on the go" consumers, you'll need a mobile ready application to fit any device. Ease of use and convenience are important when deciding on the right airline booking solution for your travel business, choosing the right technology partner.

Localize Your Global Flight Booking Software

Advances in technology come at such a fast pace that it is not uncommon for many consumers to be purchasing the "latest" version of a product when there is already "buzz" regarding the next generation of the product coming out in less than a year. Keeping up with the latest technology can also be an important decision to keep your business competitive and running efficiently.

Centralized flight booking software with Live connections to airline content along with flexible business rules to manage the product offered customers is key for any online travel business. But launching a travel booking engine globally involves a lot more than multi-currency and multi-language capabilities. As many of those expanding into new markets quickly realize, there can be a huge difference between a "global" product which is generic enough to work in several markets versus a product that has been localized to meet a markets specific needs. It is not just the Language or currency that may vary by different countries may vary, so do many of the regulations regarding consumers and the disclosure of information during the selling process. For example, many countries require unique information be displayed in the sales process some may need access to specific local content to properly serve a market. These variables require flight booking software with a layout that can be quickly tailored to meet local requirements combined with access to critical local market content.

While simply translating an application into a new language may be a quick way of entering a new market, there can be some risk involved with this simple approach. Due to local nuances with Languages, your brand message may be unclear or miscommunicated if not translated correctly or localized to account for regional dialects. For example, the Portuguese spoken in Portugal is much different than in Brazil. Spanish spoken Spain can be dramatically different than that used in Latin America. You may know by now that some things are described by using different words depending on the country. For example in most of the Spanish-speaking world, Strawberry translates to Fresa. However, this fruit is called frutilla in Argentina. When used in Mexico, Fresa describes a young person that is (acting) preppy and is used in a negative way. Mexican teenagers use it to describe the typical superficial, conceited, egocentric, and wealthy Mexican.

Flight booking software used in different markets needs to also provide for the ability to target certain customers or markets with specific marketing messages or special offers. The ability to quickly and easily target special offers by departure city or destination can be a critical tool needed to communicate where the best deals are or when a specific offer can be found. Some travel businesses even want to offer a discount to customers who book online and encourage bookings via this cost-effective channel. Or perhaps a lower the price based on the time of day or the day of week booking is made. The possibilities are endless and your ideas should not be limited by the constraints of your flight booking software. Finding the right technology partner to help take your business global is important, finding a technology partner who understands the need to localize before you can globalize in even more important.

Travel Booking Solutions Need Content

Today's travel booking solutions have come a long way since the days of the first airline reservation systems. The ability to combine air, hotel and cruise bookings as well as other travel products into custom travel packages is the perfect tool to serve today's consumer looking for unique experiences. 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.

The optional packaging modules available today combine various live Supplier connections with a travel booking engine's dynamic and innovative rules engine. Travel Agents are able to easily deliver the appropriate marketing message to their Users and the unique process flow helps them quickly expand the products and services they provide their customers. Custom Packaging features even allow travel agents to pre-package a custom travel itinerary to be sold online alongside a cruise or individually for example. From a workflow perspective, the User is provided a single price and custom day to day travel schedule for the complete itinerary.

Travel booking solutions with Live access to airline content provide the latest pricing and availability. Access to seat maps, customer loyalty program perks, and special meal requests can be just a click away as well. Hotel content comes with links to media files & rich content to assist with selecting the right hotel property and room during the booking process. Detailed hotel descriptions and photos combined with area maps and nearby points of interest help Users select the hotel that's right for them.

The extensive cruise content and information available in travel booking solutions today assist the online User researching the different cruise line and ship options available. Detailed cruise line and ship information integrated with ship photo galleries and deck plans provide a good idea what a particular cruise ship has to offer. Extensive databases of estimated travel distances between airports and cruise departure ports allow the user to easily add a flight to their cruise booking while eliminating all the guesswork.

Serving today's growing number of consumers using a mobile device to purchase travel products has become so important that many companies now require a mobile booking engine. Mobile ready travel booking solutions are built using innovative responsive technology that automatically adjusts screen size and layout to the type of device being used. Now, regardless of the type of device a customer uses to access a travel website, applications are available that automatically adjust the screen layout. Powerful business rule engines allow an agency owner to control the selling price or include targeted promotional offers right in the availability display.

Choosing a travel booking engine with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer with the content they are looking for can be just as important.