SUPPLEMENT TO: ® MARCH 2009 JAXFAX MAGAZINE The Travel Agents’ Path to Profits The Air Consolidator Guide What Is An Airline Ticket Consolidator? The Insider’s Guide to Air Consolidators Changing Times International Air Consolidator Value Demystifying Consolidators MARCH 2009 • VOLUME 37, NO. 7 SUPPLEMENT to: ® •• 22000099 •• JAXFAX MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY: Jet Airtransport Exchange, Inc. (JAX) CCOONNSSOOLLIIDDAATTOORR 52 W Main St., Milford, CT 06460, 203-301-0255, F: 203-301- 0250 Audited Circulation GGUUIIDDEE && DDIIRREECCTTOORRYY Douglas Cooke, CTC Publisher & Editorial Director, [email protected] CONTENT • FEATURE ARTICLES Randi White Vice Pres./Associate Publisher, [email protected] What is an Airline Ticket Consolidator . 1 Maria Lisella The Insider’s Guide to Air Consolidators . 2 Editor, [email protected] Chantal Guillou-Brennan Art & Production Director, [email protected] Changing Times . 3 Marjorie Vincent International Air Consolidator Value Proposition . 3 Business Manager, [email protected] Demystifying Consolidators . 4 Katie Hultgren Editorial Assistant, Listings and Circulation Manager The Travel Agents’ Source for Consolidator Airfares . 21 [email protected] Clifton N. Cooke, CTC. Founding Publisher & Editor-at-Large, [email protected] a c i r e c m i Worldwide Correspondents f i DIRECTORY OF A c l a a Tom Bross: Austria & Germany g r P a n t i c s i Katharine Dyson: Special Interests t n h s r t t a e e e r s Patricia Earnest: North America u C n n e a i ADVERTISERS o m a E s p S e A Marian Goldberg, Asia & u e e O b l B h & h p a s / b d t Danielle Hayes: Africa, South America t i r c t o r i a r d u s r i a i r o r a f s o u e Kathy Feeney: Southeast Correspondent & FACT FINDER i N S A A C M E F Y Denise Mattia: Caribbean/Mexico PAGE# Merrie Murray: Mediterannean J. Herbert Silverman: Britain 20 Aussie Adventures ••9 Jonathan Siskin: Cruise Editor 10 Brazilian Travel Services •••••••• 30 8 C & H International ••••••••27 Contributing Editors 6 Cosmopolitan Travel Service ••• ••• 40 Steve Brown, Jeff Burdick, Ron Butler, Jad Davenport, 11 DER Air + Car ••• ••• 28 Ben Frank, Christopher Cooke, Chantal Guillou-Brennan, Patricia Harris, Ted Heck, Joan Jenkins, Mark Laiosa, 17 DFW Tours •• •• • •••30 Bob Levine, David Lyon, Mercedes Cardona, Barbara Rogers, 16 Goway Travel •• • •38 Betty Rolston, Phyllis Cocroft Meras, Maggie Zellers 5 Global/GTT International •••••••25 Advertising in publication and on www.jaxfax.com [email protected] 9 HariWorld ••• •••40 18 Mission Valley Travel Inc. • ••••••29 Circulation & Subscriptions 7 Picasso Travel ••• •••29 [email protected]; 800-952-9329 19 Prime Travel •• ••17 Member of: ASTA–American Society of Travel Agents; ATA–Africa Travel 14 Sky Bird Travel & Tours, Inc ••••••••32 Assoc.; NTA–National Tour Association; ATME–Association of Travel Marketing Executives.; CHA–Caribbean Hotel Assoc.; CTO–Caribbean 15 Skylink Travel ••••••••30 Tourism Organization; PATA–Pacific Asia Travel Assoc.; USTOA–United 13 TransAm Travel ••••••••28 States Tour Operators Assoc. “JAX FAX Travel Marketing Magazine” (ISSN 0279-7984) is published 12 Solar Tours •• •• • •••22 monthly by Jet Airtransport Exchange Inc., 52 West Main Street, Mil - 22 USACA—United States Air Consolidators Association ford, CT 06460. Periodicals postage paid at Milford, CT, & additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to JAX FAX Travel Addtional Air Consolidators: Marketing Magazine, 52 West Main St., Milford, CT 06460. COPYRIGHT 2009 All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. No part -- TRAVEL PEOPLE ••••••••25 of this publication may be reproduced in print or electronically Fare Class Sold: First, Business, Coach. 800-999-9912; www.travelpeople1.com without permission. Direct requests for permission to the Pub - lisher, JAX FAX, 52 West Main St., Milford, CT 06460 or via E- -- ARROW TRAVEL ••••••••15 mail: [email protected] Fare Class Sold: First, Business, Coach. 212-889-2550; www.arrowtravel.com JAXFAX CONSOLIDATOR SUPPLEMENT • MARCH 2009 What Is An Airline Ticket Consolidator? onsolidators are not airlines, they are inde - ient, legal way to provide lower fare international (and do - pendent entrepreneurs, like travel agents, in - mestic) airline tickets to their clients. tent upon offering you (on behalf of your clients) domestic and especially international How To Choose a Reliable Consolidator airline tickets on name-brand, as well as sec - Most travel agents have already chosen one or several air ondary class, IATA airlines at rates well below ticket consolidators who have earned the agent's confi - Cthe posted tariff rates. dence in recent or past transactions. The air ticket consolidator makes it possible for travel agents JAX FAX constantly monitors the general performance of to obtain reserved seats for their clients, add a specific service the consolidators who list their flights and/or advertise in charge or commission for you (the amount of the charge is not JAX FAX's monthly issues. Subscribing travel agents are en - disclosed in the client's ticket) and still provide a round-trip air - couraged to report poor performance and specific problems line ticket at lower cost than the client would pay by purchasing directly to JAX FAX. It is the ongoing goal of JAX FAX to a regular ticket directly from the airline. maintain the highest level of credibility of its listers and ad - Most, but not all, air consolidators have contracts with at vertisers. least one and usually a dozen or more IATA airlines. (Note: When initially selecting or reviewing the choice of a con - Charter flights are not involved in air consolidation.) Consol - solidator, make sure that they meet your standards for busi - idators must use the ticketing and conditions of carriage ness conduct. rules of the specific airlines that they have contracts with. These are called prime consolidators. You should choose your consolidator Some air consolidators do not have contracts with any air - as you would choose any other professional: lines. These consolidators—also legal—purchase airline tickets 1. Ask your fellow travel agents who they patronize. for resale to travel agents from prime consolidators . 2. Make sure your potential (and actual) consolidator pro - All consolidators live by their reputation and are not specif - vides several optional carriers to the areas most in demand ically regulated by the U.S. or foreign governments or by by your clients. IATA. Each airline makes its own decision whether or not to 3. Test them on reliability and keeping their word. do business with any particular consolidator. It can be as - 4. Ask them how many airlines they have contracts with sumed that airlines set meaningful standards of perform - (a measure of how they rank with major airlines). ance and financial status when they appoint air 5. Do they provide you with written copy of the airline rules and consolidators. (The airlines want minimum negative expo - restrictions of the carrier you booked? (They should.) sure from consolidators.) Ask members of your office staff if they have had personal business experience with prospective consolidators. Con - Why Should Travel Agents Use a Consolidator? tinue to be alert after you select a consolidator to make cer - Travel agents can utilize the expertise of air consolidators tain that they do not lapse into poor service. As with any who compete openly against each other to provide quality other business relationship, vigilance is the key to serving air transportation on a wide range of airlines at prices highly your clients with the best products at prices that maintain competitive with tickets sold by the airlines or by “online” air your clients' loyalty. ticket sellers—sellers who make little or no personal con - tact available to the travel agent. What are the restrictions Air ticket consolidators offer travel agents the choice of when booking a consolidator ticket? access to the consolidator's website or toll-free phone. As noted previously, all consolidators must operate All consolidators sell tickets to travel agents in either net fare under the rules of the airline on which your client will fly. or commission categories. When purchasing a net fare, travel Since all airlines have their own rules/regulations, each agents can add a service charge of their own selection. The and every ticket may carry unique conditions. amount of the charge is not identified in the passenger's ticket Airlines change rules all too frequently, so be alert and as such. If the ticket includes a commission for the agent, the insist that your consolidator informs you in writing (prefer - amount of the commission also is not identified. Be sure that ably at the time of booking) so that you can advise your your service charge or commission (as appropriate) is always client regarding penalties for flight changes, frequent flyer included when quoting the selling fare to your client! miles, refunds, etc. Make sure that your client accepts By using air consolidators, travel agents have a conven - the rules and regulations before you pay for the ticket. By using air consolidators, travel agents have a convenient, legal way to provide lower fare international (and domestic) airline tickets to their clients. MARCH 2009 • JAXFAX CONSOLIDATOR SUPPLEMENT 1 The Insider’s Guide to Air Consolidators By Linda Furry, CTC and Executive Vice President of Marketing for Centrav . Centrav is an airline consolidator based in Minneapolis, MN and is a member of USACA. beg an my adventure in travel as a retail agent almost 30 years ago. After many fulfilling years in the retail and corporate sectors, I joined the marketing team at Centrav, an international air - line consolidator and have truly enjoyed being on the supplier side of travel. As you can see, I have been able to view this business from a couple of different perspectives.