NEWS — HOT STORIES 2
Travel 2 to install brochure walls in 15 indie agencies
Rebekah Commane
Travel 2 has launched its own brochure wall agency partnership, hot on the heels of similar initiatives by competitors Kuoni and Gold Medal. However, the trade-only supplier insists its partnership comes with no strings attached or expectations from agents in terms of sales targets. Andy Freeth, Travel 2 managing
director, said: “Our motivation is for travel agents to reach for our brochures when a customer comes through the door, without any targets or agendas. “It helps us guarantee racking space when there are lots of other operators to choose from – and helps shops to look better. “It’s not a Kuoni wall or Gold
Medal TV; it’s about having a presence in an agency to create more awareness. “We have seen a significant
increase in calls from the three agencies our walls are already in.” Brochure walls have been
installed in Tailor Made Travel in Cardiff, Dave Criddle Travel in Taunton and Love To Travel in
Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire. A further 12 of an initial roll out
are due to be completed in the coming weeks. Travel 2 used Facebook to
determine which agencies would be first to receive a wall, informing members of its group that the first 15 respondents to post would enjoy a refit. Gordon
McCreadie, sales and marketing director at Travel 2, said the aim was to make life easier for agents. “Unlike our
competitors’ [walls], there are no strings attached. It is simply a win-win for both parties. If it proves successful, we will roll this out on a wider scale.” The walls cost £1,000 each to fit out, with the expense entirely covered by the operator. The walls are painted slate grey and mounted with racks filled with Travel 2’s brochures. The operator’s name features above the racks.
3 Lee Hayhurst
The days of travel agents selling flights without agreement from airlines could be numbered thanks to a technology expert who advises Ryanair. The practice known as screen-scraping, which lifts fares direct from
carriers’ websites, has been fundamental to the dynamic packaging model of some agents. Darran Thomas, who will give evidence for Ryanair this year in a landmark court case in Dublin, has established Data Portcullis, a technology company with a new way of blocking agents. Thomas said airlines lose money to screen-scrapers and face service issues, adding: “The airline does not get customer details so cannot contact them when something goes wrong and passengers blame the airline. “The court case and Data Portcullis are potentially
very threatening to all forms of screen-scraping.” Ryanair successfully argued last year that
jurisdiction over allegations that agents are breaching its intellectual property rights rests in Ireland. Manchester-based On The Beach or Irish agent Budget Travel could be the first agent to be sued in an Irish court. To date, technical approaches to blocking screen-scraping have
proved ineffective. Ryanair has sued agents in their countries of origin in Spain, Germany and Italy. It has won some cases, but a favourable decision in Dublin, where it is based, would set a precedent. Data Portcullis uses 40 ‘tests’ to ascertain if a website visitor is genuine, making it extremely difficult for fake customers, said Thomas. He presented the system to Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary in
February and has attracted interest from easyJet. Data Portcullis beat eight other start-ups at last week’s Travel
Technology Europe show to be named the most potentially disruptive. ❯ Travel Technology Europe 2015 report, page 70
5 March 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 5
Darran Thomas
Ryanair expert to close gate on screen-scrapers
“Our
brand is front of mind for the agent and customer”
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