We’ve had some good times and, by golly, some bad since I joined the travel industry more than 20 years ago.
But those of us in the flight-only market are those now benefiting from the dynamic packaging boom that seems to be gaining momentum on an almost daily basis.
I heard just yesterday that there are currently about 40 accommodation-only brands operating in the trade sector. Agents can take their pick according to price, commercial deal, relationship and so on.
I’m delighted to say that the number of flight-only operators has remained pretty consistent and the main tour operators are finally taking ‘flight-only’ more seriously and no longer dumping their excess capacity during the lates period – which has always had a devastating effect on our market.
We in the sector have seen this dynamic packaging phenomenon coming for the last couple of years and have been producing flying programmes and business models to offer agents the most flexible options in terms of destination, frequency, day of the week and timings – not to mention the price and commercial deal the agent needs (isn’t that the main reason he or she has entered the dynamic packaging arena in the first place?)
So, it’s all about adapting to what the market needs and we all come to realise this sooner or later – some sooner than others. We also realise all too often that, as an industry, we have to work together a lot more than in the past to maintain stability and credibility for what we do.
We know the credit crunch and the rising cost of fuel and airport taxes could really start to affect our businesses, so we must move forward and adapt together. One company working alone and looking at its own bottom line in isolation won’t ensure a healthy future for our industry sector.
So what’s the next challenge for us in the seat-only market? Bring it on.
