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| The Complexity of
Airfares |
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Dear Business Traveler,
We all know that the airfares charged by an airline for the
same class within the same flight can vary. Ever wondered how
these different fares are worked out? Lets take a closer look.
Since the airline seat is a highly perishable commodity which
translates into irrecoverable loss once an aircraft takes off
with empty seats; airlines have learnt to use an elaborate
yield management system and create different ‘products’ or
fares within a single flight. In essence each seat is
therefore a ‘product’ that can be priced differently. This
complex pricing system focuses on passengers who are willing
to pay more for attractive amenities, such as comfort (extra
legroom etc), speed (priority check-in), services (meals &
beverages), perks (lounge access etc). Simultaneously, this
pricing system discourages passengers willing to buy cheap
fares by imposing unattractive restrictions on those fares,
such as prohibiting one-way combinations, stipulating advance
purchase and charging penalties for changes etc. Finally, the
airline will then price the remaining seats low enough to
create purchase motivation among those who otherwise might not
fly, thus filling seats that would otherwise remain empty.
The outcome of this unique variable pricing system? A
bewildering range of fares for the same flight. Each fare
comes with its own supply-and-demand curve that helps the
airline fetch the most optimum revenue. Powerful software
tools forecast demand for each seat and then automatically
recalibrate the flight when a ticket is purchased – this is
precisely why fares appear to change within days or sometimes
even hours. In a world where there can be as many as 70,000
fare changes daily, how can you be sure you're getting the
best value? You need a travel management partner who can
research multiple channels for air, car and hotel, including
Internet fares and our 'travel agent only' system, GDS (Global
Distribution System) to give you the best possible value for
your travel plans.
Ashish Sawhney
Regional Marketing Manager |
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| Travel Agent Tools |
| With the massive proliferation of travel
websites in recent years, and the trend towards purchasing
travel services online, the average consumer has forgotten
that travel agents have been researching, booking and buying
travel products this way for decades! The first automated,
computerized reservation system was launched in 1959. Since
then, many electronic tools have been adopted by travel
professionals, linking them to a mind-boggling amount of
airline, hotel and car rental inventory. And what’s the
difference between what you can find surfing the Internet on
your own and what your agent can find? Plenty. Particularly
for business travelers, UNIGLOBE Travel consultants know how
to put their agent-only access to airfares and more to the
best, most efficient use. |
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| Trivia |
| In an era when feeling good is as crucial to
your business and career success as looking good, the right
travel accessory is more important than ever. Thanks to smart,
forward-thinking designers who know how to marry style and
convenience, these six products are helping business travelers
make their trips a little less stressful and, occasionally, a
lot more
entertaining. |
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| Essential news |
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Singapore Airlines to increase frequency from
New Delhi
Singapore Airlines will increase its frequency from
New Delhi through the addition of two more flights. The
two new services will start operations from 30th March
2008. The airline will now operate nine flights in a
week from Delhi. It will use the Boeing – 777 – 200
aircraft, with a three class configuration. These new
flights have been called ‘Sunrise’ services. In addition
to the daily night flights from Delhi, there will be two
morning flights on Friday and Sundays from New Delhi to
Singapore. |
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Etihad Airways adds new flights
Etihad Airways in India has recently received rights
to fly to four new destinations from this year - Jaipur,
Kolkata, Chennai and Kozhikode. This is in preparation
for its new summer schedule which commences on March 30,
2008 |
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| Travel Blunder: Reservation
Aggravation |
| You consider yourself a very savvy
web-surfer and business traveler, spending hours on the
Internet comparison-shopping for airfares, hotel rooms
and rental cars. Although you occasionally wonder if
this is a cost-effective way to use your work time,
you're convinced that your lengthy web searches are
finding you the best deals around. In the past, by
making discreet enquiries of the passenger sitting next
to you, the hotel guest in the buffet breakfast queue,
and the fellow customer in the lineup at the rental car
counter, you satisfied yourself that you paid the same
or less as the next guy. But lately, you're worried.
Today, Internet travel websites claim to be "full
content, full access," but the deals and choices are
shrinking. Supposedly discount airfares you booked and
paid for through one website suddenly pop up for less on
another. What is the solution? |
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| At Your Leisure: Berlin on
Business with UNIGLOBE |
| In the almost two decades since the
dismantling of the Berlin Wall, an act which signified a
new era for a newly united Germany, this 700-year-old
city has undergone an amazing transformation. No longer
divided into east and west, it has proudly assumed its
pre-Soviet role as the country's capital. Entire
neighborhoods have been given architectural makeovers,
and an influx of young workers from European Union
countries and immigrants from elsewhere has bumped up
the population of metropolitan Berlin-Brandenburg to 3.7
million people. What's it like to do business in the
vibrant new Berlin? |
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| Business Plus: Travel Websites:
What You Can't See |
| We are reluctant to admit it, but our
dependency on websites as an information tool, as the
go-to source for the details we need before making any
major purchase, sometimes make us less informed as
consumers than we were before the Internet existed. The
ease and convenience of shopping for flights, hotels,
rental cars and other travel products online has
overshadowed a few crucial, ongoing truths. It isn’t
always the best deal, it’s rarely if ever the only deal,
and it’s never a deal if something goes wrong and you’re
left helpless at the doorstep of a hotel that lost your
reservation or just closed for renovations. |
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| Inside Scoop: Security Measures
at Airports Around the World |
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Security has been a top priority for airlines and
airports in recent years, and as new regulations are
enforced, business travelers are trying to stay one step
ahead. They are applying for, or renewing, passports in
record numbers. Experts in flying light, they have
invested in carry-on bags that are the correct
dimensions for stowing under seats or in overhead
compartments. In accordance with the liquid ban on items
brought on-board, they have tossed their toiletry kits
for one-quart, zip-top plastic bags into which they pack
only three-ounce containers of shampoo, soap, etc. But
with millions of passengers passing through airport
security stations daily, there are inevitably delays.
We asked our UNIGLOBE Travel experts for some advice
on what to expect, how to streamline the process and why
travelers should feel more confident about passenger air
safety than ever
before | | |
