Air Booking Engines should be convenient and easy to use

[Glenn Dean]

There are so many different places that consumers can go to purchase some products, so why would someone choose to purchase an identical product from one retailer verses another? The answer usually comes down to price, service or convenience. Whether you are selling a bottle of designer perfume or a ticket on an airline, chances are consumers will base where they choose to make their purchase based on one or all of these criteria. Choosing one airline booking engine over another is no different for today’s savvy, online traveler.

Make sure you offer the best value and price if you want to reach price driven consumers. Your online booking engine must be able to search the best sources for content quickly and cost effectively for you to offer a competitive price. This includes the ability to adjust the selling price quickly and easily as well as offering value add offers right in the fare availability display. Accessing the low rates offered by air consolidators is another way to get the best fares for your clients. Different air consolidators specialize in different regions however, so you may look for an airline booking engine that allows you simultaneously search multiple air consolidators for the best fares.

Provide the expertise and service that only a professional travel agent can offer. Travel agents can be a great resource to consumers trying to make sense of all the options available and find the best deal possible. You are your customers travel expert, so make sure your clients get the VIP treatment they deserve. Make sure your application allows them to select seats, request meals and add loyalty program information to their airline reservation. Negotiate the best deals possible with the airlines and promote any special deals or amenities that are available.

Make sure your airline booking engine is convenient for customers to interact with how and when they choose. Today’s consumer has become accustom to shopping using a variety of devices. Some exclusively use their smart phone to research and purchase travel online. 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 agent to make the actual booking.

To serve all these customers, your online 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 always “on the go” mobile consumers you’ll need a mobile ready application that adjusts the screen display to fit any device.

Ease of usse and convenience are important when deciding on the right airline booking solution for your travel business, choosing the right technology partner can be even more important.

In this article author writes about Odysseus Solutions.Different air consolidators specialize in different regions however, so you may look for an airline booking engine that allows you simultaneously search multiple air consolidators for the best fares.