Travel Agent - September 3, 2007 - (Page 13)

up the reservation, most likely with paper tickets, Riley says. However, many suppliers believe such instances will be few and far between. “The airlines are busy implementing these agreements with each other and there already are a significant amount of new agreements in place this year,” says a spokesperson for the Amadeus GDS. In fact, Riley says that the top 50 carriers have an average of 46 interline agreements each in place. “We currently have electronic ticketing in place with 188 different airlines, including all the major world carriers,” a Galileo spokesperson says. “We have thousands of interline electronic ticketing relationships and are adding more on a daily basis.” Sabre says it is working closely with airlines to provide e-ticketing for all routes ahead of IATA’s deadline. “This includes [using] hosted electronic ticketing solutions, electronic ticketing applications for third party ground handled locations, outsourced electronic ticketing database solutions and an electronic ticketing hub for accelerated deployment of interline relationships,” a spokesperson says. Currently, the Sabre GDS has implemented e-ticketing with 173 carriers. Abandoning paper cuts airlines’ costs by about $9 per traveler and saves roughly 50,000 trees a year, IATA states. Furthermore, ridding airlines of the processes of issuing 300 million paper tickets annually will save the industry up to $3 billion per year, the organization estimates. “When you have both types of tickets in place, there’s a cost to maintaining both systems,” Riley says. Since 2001, the industry has cumulatively lost $40 billion, and when you’re losing that kind of money, efficiencies are needed.” —Jennifer Merritt The two most recent winners in the InterContinental Asia Pacific Specialist and Rewards contest are Sharon Stremmel of Omega World Travel, Jacksonville, NC and Traci Conway of American Express Corporate Vacations, Dearborn, MI. Both won three nights at any InterContinental hotel in the Asia/ Pacific region. In addition to drawings for quarterly prizes, the Grand Prize of air tickets for two plus the above hotel prize will be awarded November 15. To learn more about becoming an InterContinental Asia Pacific Specialist, visit Travel Agent University (www.tauniv.com). Agent Contest is is the Grandest Resort of All Situated on its very own spectacular peninsula, Sandals Grande St. Lucian surrounds you with the grandest views from sea to shining sea. e white-sand beach entices you to do nothing but savor a mango Daiquiri, while sports such as scuba diving invite you to experience new island adventures. Six restaurants will tantalize you with choices, from dining in an English pub to dining directly on the beach, while a seventh restaurant, Gordon’s, is reserved for Butler Suite guests. And since romance is the most magniﬁcent part of any island vacation, Sandals Grande St. Lucian oﬀers an amazing array of luxurious accommodations including swim-up lagoon suites and circular suites called Rondovals that combine exotic elegance with a private pool. For a Caribbean vacation with pleasures as unlimited as the views, this resort takes luxury to unparalleled horizons. ® GRANDE ST.LUCIAN Spa & Beach Resort THE Luxu Incllud Luxury Incclud xur luded ded VA C AT I O N Unique Vacations, Inc. is the worldwide representative for Sandals Resorts. Interested? Request #002. http://www.tauniv.com http://sandals.com http://sandals.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - September 3, 2007

Contents News You Can Use Agenda: Fam Trips, Calendar of Events, Deal of the Week Cover Story: Hotel Brand Expansion Africa: Egypt’s Newest Destination Hawaii: Hawaii Update Pacific/Asia: Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square Europe: Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Caribbean & Bahamas: Marriott Expands Its Caribbean Portfolio El San Juan Hotel & Casino Upgrades San Juan’s New Doubletree by Hilton Mexico: Hotels Offer Post-Hurricane Deals Ski: The Inn at Lost Creek Agent Profile Meet Mame King Advertisers’ Information Classified Marketplace Luxury Travel Expo Update People & Places Special Supplement: Las Vegas Sales Guide

Travel Agent - September 3, 2007

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