Worldspan e-Pricing continues to expand, introducing substantial new features for standard level subscribers in the United States and Canada. Travel agencies, airlines, Web sites and corporations using the solution are…
Worldspan e-Pricing continues to expand, introducing substantial new features for standard level subscribers in the United States and Canada. Travel agencies, airlines, Web sites and corporations using the solution are receiving twice the number of low-fare itinerary options in a single search to destinations worldwide. The boost from 10 travel options up to a maximum of 20 represents the highest comparable return rate of any low-fare shopping solution in the industry. Standard level users have also gained access to Flex One-Day shopping, a value-added e-Pricing tool that enables travel buyers to retrieve lower fares by searching one day before and one day after the original departure and return dates.
We are intent on increasing our customers` success and satisfaction by continuing to expand the travel industry`s most advanced GDS-independent shopping technology, said Kathy Fitzpatrick, vice president – North America for Worldspan. Enhancements such as these provide Worldspan customers the lowest-fare shopping tools available, and help them create additional revenue opportunities and grow their businesses using the premier fare shopping technology.
Shopping efficiency grows with the ability to instantly retrieve a broader range of flight and fare options. This benefits travel retailers and online travel buyers by offering increased choices in one search. Additionally, airlines` valuable inventory is protected with e-Pricing through Worldspan`s exclusive Intellicache processing, which reduces the number of electronic availability requests hitting airline systems during shopping requests. Flex One-Day introduces a powerful new shopping tool to standard level users. This time- and cost-saving tool delivers significant value in fulfilling leisure travel requests for the least expensive travel options. Of course, e-Pricing users at higher subscription levels continue to have access to hundreds of low fare itinerary options to destinations worldwide, and a full suite of flexible shopping tools.
Flex One-Day shopping is a component of the value-added e-Pricing Flex Shopping Options suite, a selection of robust tools giving users the power to shop low fares based on flexible travel dates and destinations. The suite also includes Flex More-Days (expands searches by one, two or three days before and/or after the original departure and return dates); Flex Weekend (searches Thursday, Friday and Saturday departures with Sunday, Monday and Tuesday returns for the whole month of travel); Flex O&D (searches up to six alternate airports in a 100-mile radius of the origin or destination); and Flex Airports (searches up to six alternate airports as defined by the user for both the origin or destination).
An independent 2005 study conducted by Topaz International revealed that Worldspan e-Pricing found the lowest available airfares significantly more often than competitive GDS solutions. In the study, each shopping tool searched all airlines that fly in the most popular U.S. travel markets, as well as all possible airfare combinations, based upon low airfares, nonstop flights, direct flights, and any creative connections representing opportunities to drive down itinerary prices. The Topaz study compared the performance of each shopping tool in finding lowest airfares on 99 U.S. domestic city pairs. In the overall results, Worldspan obtained the lowest fares 79 percent of the time, Sabre 61 percent of the time, and Amadeus 23 percent of the time. Additionally, 89 percent of the time Worldspan was at or within $1 of the lowest fare found.
Built on the global distribution system (GDS) industry`s first multi-server-based pricing technology, e-Pricing has the capacity to search millions of fares and hundreds of thousands of itinerary options to find lowest available fares for travelers. Travel agencies, airlines and online travel buyers, including corporate travelers, are able to conduct searches in seconds with just one entry, and available itineraries are returned within an integrated display, ready for instant bookings.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
