GALILEO UK has rolled out a raft of new products in a bid to keep abreast of developments in global distribution systems.
Last month, the company updated its GDS to handle automated refunds for paper tickets after the Bank Settlement Plan, which authorises all refunds, changed its regulations.
Previously, agents had to manually fill out paper Refund Notices but now the BSP has allowed GDSs to automate this process.
Other recent innovations include its project to provide shared rail and air automatic ticket booking through a single ATB2 printer.
Sales and marketing manager Peter Grover said: “At the moment agencies have to splash out on two separate printers, one for rail, one for air, costing £6,000-£7,000 each. It is very costly to have two pieces of hardware, plus you need to keep both stocked up separately. Added to which, each printer is the size of a small coffee table, and in a small agency, space is at a premium.”
Shared ATB is now being tested at a number of sites and a controlled launch is expected before June.
Galileo UK is also piloting a new Internet product, TRIP, which helps agents track down small, family-run hotels in order to tailor-make an off-the-beaten-track itinerary.
“TRIP is designed to help agents looking for small to medium-sized hotels that are outside the major chains. Our system will let an agent make a booking for a property, then they can double click on the screen and access the Galileo GDS to book the other components that go with it – the air fare and the car hire,” said Grover.
“Without TRIP, the Internet is unwieldy. Agents would have to go to a number of Web sites to find the right property, and waste a lot of time trawling around,” he added.
TRIP features product from around 20 suppliers including gites in France and villas in Portugal. Around 16 UK agents are testing the first version.
“Today there is a growing demand for tailor-made itineraries,” said Grover. “Using TRIP will help agents differentiate themselves by providing extra service to the customer.”
Galileo is planning a full product launch next summer.
Wider net: Galileo UK is currently piloting a new Internet product to help agents look for hotels that are outside the main chains