Airline Reservation System Options

1. Airline Reservation System Options Finding the right online airline reservation system with access to the content you need for your travel business can be a difficult and confusing process for even the most experienced professional. There are several types of travel booking engines available in the market today to consider. Some offer specific travel products such as airline or hotel reservations and many provide the ability to target multiple selling channels such as Business to Business, Business to Consumer and even Business to Business to Consumer. The more advanced mobile ready booking solutions are built using innovative responsive technology that automatically adjusts the booking engine display to fit the type of device being used. This allows any User of the application to easily view and navigate through the booking process regardless of the device they are using. There are even state of the art

2. mobile Apps available that allow you to expand your brand’s presence to handheld devices. Understanding how your customers prefer to plan their travel arrangements along with some research on the different options available will help identify the right type of airline reservation system for you. But finding the right online booking engine to serve all the different distribution channels you need is only part of the answer. 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 as the booking engine functionality is to the success of your business. Many travel agencies choose one of the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) to check availability and confirm airline reservations. Accessing fares and availability via a GDS using an Agency’s specific ID provides Users to access to published airfares available in the market as well as any private or negotiated fares an agency may have. If you plan for your booking engine to use your GDS ID to make bookings, you’ll want to find a technology partner who can connect the booking engine you choose with your Agency’s GDS ID. Many agency owners choose to align themselves with an air consolidator in order to gain access to the lower, preferential airfares these airline aggregators can negotiate. By consolidating sales from several smaller agencies, many air consolidators can drive significant volumes with airlines. This allows them to negotiate discounted private airfares as well as preferential fare rules and better commissions on published airfares. Some air booking engines even have the ability to simultaneously search multiple content sources for the best price, allowing an agency’s airline reservation system to combine their own agency GDS content with fares and content from other sources such air consolidators and affiliated agencies they may work closely with.

3. 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 a technology partner that drives efficiency through innovation can be even more important.