PHONELINK has launched its Tel-Me Travel Express system for small to medium sized agencies who cannot afford full connection to a GDS.
Tel-Me Travel Express offers access to Galileo for a lead-in of ú99 per month, which pays for a site licence that offers access to up to ten users in a branch. The normal yearly rate is approximately ú5,000.
Phonelink’s head of strategic planning Ian Sinderson said: “This is reaching a market for which Galileo would normally be too expensive.
“Independent travel agencies have in the past been at a complete disadvantage in the travel market.
“Previously they have either had to pay approximately ú5,000 per year to access a CRS or personally liaise with their IATA ticketing partner to book a ticket, which is then passed on to the customer.
The first option is an expensive drain on resources and the second is inefficient and expensive in time.”
With Tel-Me Express, agents can book on-line, directing all electronic booking requests to their own ticketing queues or to their IATA partner. The front end of the system is windows-based and requires much less training than a traditional CRS.