A NEW on-line booking system for business travellers has signed up 1,000 customers in its first month of operation.
The service, called Equator-Net was launched in May by former Air 2000 commercial director Bill Kirkwood.
It uses the reservation capability of Galileo and the fares database of consolidator Hamilton Travel, which will also distribute tickets.
Kirkwood, who is managing director of Equator-Net, said:”With the expertise that the business traveller has these days, and the information that is available to them, there is no need for them to book through a business travel agent.
“There is no other company which is currently addressing the Internet from a business travel perspective. Equator-Net is not just a travel Web site. Our strategy is to build a proactive relationship with the people who are buying two or three tickets every month.”
Over 15,000 business travellers have accessed the site, which is targeted at small to medium businesses.
Kirkwood added:”We are getting some very big spends. We have also noticed that some people are using the system to check that their travel agent is getting them the best price.”
Kirkwood is working on a number of enhancements to the site, which will be launched later this year.
They include travel information and the facility to ban users from booking a certain type of product if it is against company regulations.
For example, if the company rules say that employees can only travel economy class to a European destination, any employee who tries to book a business-class ticket will not be allowed to do so on the system.
In addition to this, a report will then be sent to the employee’s boss. Equator-Net can be found at
www.equator-net.co.uk