TM Insider 224

The TravelMole Insider – Issue 224
ISSN 1474-2292
4 September 2002
http://www.travelmole.com

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LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS
1. Feature: Web Tools in Travel
2. Interview: Geoffrey Lipman, WTO adviser
3. Tour operators face salmonella class action
4. OFT ask for timeshare ripoff information
5. ASTA hits out at US Airways
6. Bristol agent goes under
7. All Canada saved from closure
8. American Airlines launches ‘use it or lose it’ policy
9. BA completes launch of low-fares to Europe
10. Swedish security foil Ryanair ‘hijack’ attempt
11. Virgin Express makes cheap tickets more flexible
12. Opodo on the up
13. Sabre on the heels of Scandinavia’s leading GDS
14. Worldspan promotes Bainton
15. Lewsey cruising again
16. Worldres.com partners with Marriot International
17. SA launches official web portal
18. PADI to launch dive holidays site for UK market
19. Extension of the Eurail Selectpass announced
20. Benefits for booking Shangri-La
21. Sustainability heads Environment Day at WTM

COMMENT by Jeremy Skidmore
Airtours Holidays, which has traditionally been poor at
attracting early bookers, is planning to reverse this trend.
The operator claims that these early bookers are the industry’s
most loyal customers and have been treated badly.

This is true enough. But it’s going to take a lot more than a
few words of sympathy and various promises to change anything.
Let’s be honest. The industry has been telling everyone for
years that there will be bargains for people who book at the
last minute. And, provided you’re not too fussy about where you
want to go, you can usually get a deal to somewhere hot.
Everyone in the industry knows stories about people who have
booked early and paid much more than those who left it late.
The problem is that the general public knows those stories as
well.

There are very few people in the industry who actually pay for
package holidays, but of those who do, can anyone really say,
hand on heart, that they book months in advance and encourage
everyone else to? Of course they don’t.

From a tour operating point of view, it makes good sense to
encourage holidaymakers to book early. People who pay early give
an operator money in the bank earning interest and it also makes
capacity much easier to manage. But lots of companies have tried
and failed to make people book early and cut out late discounts.
Unless everyone follows suit – which is extremely unlikely in a
competitive market – then it won’t work. When tour operators
have got holidays left to sell, they’ll do what they always do –
offer juicy discounts.

Jeremy Skidmore

—
Have your say! If you would like to add your thoughts to this
or any other TravelMole article, click on the ‘Add a Comment’
button at the top of the story.

Best wishes
Richard Hammond
mailto:[email protected]

LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS
Breaking Stories: http://www.travelmole.com/news/index.html

1. Feature: Web Tools in Travel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Web tools: An explanation of the functionality of web tools,
their usability and value.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89358

2. Interview: Geoffrey Lipman, WTO adviser
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The World Tourism Organisation is planning to raise $1m a year
to finance research into how sustainable tourism can be used to
alleviate poverty.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89719

3. Tour operators face salmonella class action
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over 600 holidaymakers are to join in a class action against the
major tour operators after falling ill with suspected salmonella
whilst on holiday in Torremelinos.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89245

4. OFT ask for timeshare ripoff information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a crackdown on timeshare and holiday club sales that fall
foul of the law, the OFT is calling for victims of such sales in
Spain to come forward.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89464

5. ASTA hits out at US Airways
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
US Airways has angered US agents by tightening the rules on its
cheapest tickets.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89492

6. Bristol agent goes under
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bristol based Swifta Travel has ceased trading. The agent had
nine other branches, operating under Swift Travel or Forest
Travel, which will also close.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89500

7. All Canada saved from closure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All Canada, the Hoseasons tour operating brand, has been bought
by the Titan Travel division, Connections Worldwide.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89485

8. American Airlines launches ‘use it or lose it’ policy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
American Airlines has told US passengers that they will not
receive credit for tickets if they miss or skip a flight.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89720

9. BA completes launch of low-fares to Europe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
British Airways has cut fares to many European destinations,
including Spain, Greece, Turkey, Belgium and Italy, by up to 80%.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89421

10. Swedish security foil Ryanair ‘hijack’ attempt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A man was arrested in Sweden on Thursday for attempting to carry
a handgun onto a UK-bound flight.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89499

11. Virgin Express makes cheap tickets more flexible
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Virgin Express has simplified its fare structure to offer just
two ticket types.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89598

12. Opodo on the up
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opodo is undertaking a recruitment drive to boost staff by a
third.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89701

13. Sabre on the heels of Scandinavia’s leading GDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sabre says it is catching up with the market leader in
Scandinavia, SMART Amadeus. The announcement came as Swedish
corporate and leisure agent, Oden Resor, chose Sabre as its
preferred GDS.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89577

14. Worldspan promotes Bainton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Worldspan has appointed Niel Bainton to vice president of
Strategy and New Business Development.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89480

15. Lewsey cruising again
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark Lewsey has returned to the cruise industry after announcing
his departure from Amadeus.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89666

16. Worldres.com partners with Marriot International
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Online hotel reservation network WorldRes.com has signed
agreement with Marriott International to distribute more than
2,400 worldwide hotels through a new XML link.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89293

17. SA launches official web portal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An official South African portal was launched this week,
reportedly the first of its kind in the world.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89344

18. PADI to launch dive holidays site for UK market
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PADI Travel Network, the American dive tour operator and
subsidiary of PADI (Professional Association of Diving
Instructors), is to launch a diving holidays website in the UK.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89292

19. Extension of the Eurail Selectpass announced
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Eurail Group has announced it is introducing the Eurail
Selectpass valid also for travel in a selection of 4 or 5
European countries.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89268

20. Benefits for booking Shangri-La
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts re-launched its Value Rate scheme
yesterday, and is offering travel agents an extra 5% commission
for bookings.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89629

21. Sustainability heads Environment Day at WTM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Destination Sustainability’ will be the key subject at this
year’s WTM Environment Day, which has the support of WWF, ABTA,
UNEP and Green Globe 21.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/89427

LATEST PRESS POSTINGS
Oden Resor switches to Sabre, highlighting a trend
Stena Line revolutionises agents’ bookings as website proves
huge ‘hit’
e-Travel and Tim/Timatic b.v. pioneer solution for online visa
and health information
HotelClub.net launches ‘hotel deals’ offer with Yahoo! UK &
Ireland
http://www.travelmole.com/news/press

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