Vertical Systems is appealing for operators to work on a “modern version” of legacy system viewdata.
Scores of agents called for the return of the old-style technology in response to polls by viewdata owners Vertical on Facebook forum site Travel Gossip and on Travel Weekly’s Facebook page.
Vertical managing director Chris North said: “What agents miss is the search system that sat in front of viewdata, called Magic Desktop, where you could search loads of different operators.”
Vertical said it was in the early stages of replicating the “any date, any destination” search across numerous operators’ systems – but needed operators’ support to “give a better experience and results”.
The system would merge operators’ flat files to create one large database for agents to search. When agents clicked on the price, it would ‘deep-link’ into the operator’s site to book. The information would be returned automatically to the agent’s Tarsc back-office system.
Meanwhile, Vertical Systems’ sales manager, David Trunkfield, has retired after 28 years and 45 years in the industry. He was one of the first users of the original Tarsc system when he set up his own agency Trunkfield Travel in 1988.
North said: “Everyone knows him and he is well-respected.”