| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 19/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 56 |
| Copyright: Other |
in brief
We asked four high-street travel agents for their views of current operator programmes and services. For this week’s review, we called agents in and around Edinburgh to get their views on programmes to Australia. See howQantas Holidays, British Airways Holidays, Travel 2 and Kuoni performed under the spotlight.Compiled by Julie Baxter
HHHHH
Agents award stars for:
H Brochure design and ease of use
H Operator service and
support
H Product range and
quality
H Client feedback
H Product popularity
All agents remainanonymous and noadditional information will be given out.
British Airways Holidays
Brochure: Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific.
Agents’ verdict: “A nice looking brochure which is easy to follow.”
“Some clients like the BA name and do request this brochure but it is not one we use a great deal. We can often book BA flights cheaper through a consolidator.”
“The product range is competitively priced but is restricted.”
“Staff always tend to push the BA flights which are not always the cheapest or most convenient for the client.”
Rating: HHH
Qantas Holidays
Brochure: Australia, New Zealand, the Far East, Fiji and Around the World.
Agents’ verdict: “An attractive brochure with a lot of information but not one we use very often.”
“It is quick and easy to book but the range is not the most flexible and makes multi-centre packages hard work.”
“Clients know Qantas as an airline but never ask for this brochure by name.”
“Not a wide choice of accommodation and resorts.”
“Those who travel with them are happy with what they get but it’s one we would tend to turn to in the last resort.”
Rating: HHH
Kuoni
Brochure: Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific.
Agents’ verdict: “A first-class brochure which makes a good starting point for many clients thinking about Australia. The layout inside is easy to follow and of a familiar format.”
“The system is quite straight-forward for simple tailor-made itineraries. It can be hard to get through on the phone but once you do the staff are helpful and friendly and any quote they give you can be seen on viewdata.”
“Clients like the Kuoni reputation for long-haul.”
“Plenty of product choice in the mid to up-market range – good quality at a reasonable price.”
Rating: HHHH
Rating: HHHHTop operator:
Travel 2
Brochure: 200 Ways to tailor-make your holidays to Australia and New Zealand, the Pacific and Round-the-World.
Agents’ verdicts: “Quite a basic, rather messy looking brochure but very informative and a useful sales tool.”
“Excellent choice of flight-only deals and stopover options and very competitive for business-class flights in particular.”
“A good product range from bargain budget accommodation to expensive up-market resorts and all priced on a daily basis, which makes tailor-making easier.”
“Includes all the major airlines and the cheap ones too.”
“Clients don’t often ask for this by name but we use it a lot because it is a very flexible range and perfectly suits the complex nature of most Australian bookings.”
“Booking anything other than flight-only through the system is very time consuming but staff are helpful if you ring up and will go out of their way to respond to a client’s requests.”
“Administration is efficient and feedback is good.”
Rating: HHHHH