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First Choice Independent Travel heralds dynamic packaging move
A speedier new flights selling system from First Choice Independent Travel will be offered to third party agents from this month.
The system is designed to pave the wave for dynamic packaging from next April with the addition of hotels through online sister firm hotelbeds.com followed by car hire and attraction tickets by the end of 2006.
The company has worked with Amadeus on new technology that is claimed to be twice a fast as the previous system in response to demand from agents for a faster flights access.
The move follows a pilot in 28 First Choice travel shops, where staff used the system to sell more than 100 scheduled airlines and 25 European low cost and charter airlines, with live availability and fares from most UK airports. The system, which also offers multi-destination flights and stopovers, is now being introduced across First Choice Retail.
A single search offers availability on any carrier operating the requested route, allowing agents to make their own comparison of fares and airline without having to leave the site.
First Choice is offering a lowest price guarantee on flights booked through the site throughout the trial.
An integrated service offering the flights system linked with more than 20,000 hotels, mainly in Europe and the Med, USA, parts of Asia, South Africa and Australia, will be introduced by next April.
Managing director Kyle Haughton said: “By linking with our sister company hotelbeds.com, we have a vast range of package options available – there are very few sites that can offer the range that we have access to.”
Meanwhile, First Choice launches a £4 million brand building advertising campaign on Boxing Day to coincide with a promotion offering price cuts on more than 300 holidays to over 50 summer destinations.
The operator has also released third edition summer 2006 brochures and has introduced Jordan as a twin centre break with Taba in Egypt to a first edition winter sun 2006-07 programme.
Report by Phil Davies
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