Setting up to sell air tickets - advice please

Hi

Myself and my business partner have set up an Indian Visa business. We've started very small and are reliant on my partner's very strong connections with the asian community. What has surprised us is the volume of requests for air tickets. This has had us shifting our focus and in an area where we have little experience.

We have joined the Holiday Team (part of SM travel) and Faremine (part of Gazelle travel) and have had some good deals this way. However some of the fares we have obtained have been beaten by a strong margin by small local travel agents and has lost us some of our customers.

One small agent offered a customer a flight from Manchester to Delhi by Qatar for £440. We couldn't get near this nor could any of the screen scrapers such as Skyscanner.

Sorry that this is so long-winded but clearly we are just after information on how to obtain cheap flights and without the high costs of ATOL or ABTA. Is IATA an option ? but then would we still need ATOl

Any advice would be appreciated

Glenn 

Hi I have never sold flights only and so can't really comment on this other than to say I remember a few years back (I think on TV) someone showed how to get cheap flights and they were basically buying them from an office in Pakistan. For some reason the flights were being sold cheaper from there than for the same seat in the UK. Now I am not sure who your competitor is but perhaps they work in a similar manner?

Glenn

Qatar quie often have cheaper tickets on their website. It is possible to book these on a third party credit card but you would then need to take the card and ID to a Qatar Office to have the card authorised so the client is able to travel.

Let me know if you want anything else.

 

Hi,

 

Can you explain how you are selling air tickets, if you do not have existing bonding with ABTA, IATA, ATOL?

 

Dear ABTA agent,

 

It simple you do not need any bond to sell airline tickets or even holidays. This is the modern world where any one can sell as long as a supplier will supply. The suppliers (who must have a licence if it is relevant) takes all the risk (or not take XL and Goldtrail as examples). Normally suppliers choose to work cash only (payment upfront) with these people.

 

This is why so many people book though unlicensed agents (non ABTA/TTA etc) and loose all the money. It is a great world we live in. Customers only care when it all goes wrong.

 

Yours

Another ABTA agent

 

@ Nickbroadland

Great post thanks for the information