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| India(Delhi) |
91 11 43077777 |
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| USA to India |
1 510 280 0537 |
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| USA Branch |
+1 510 797 9010 |
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| USA Helpline |
+1 360 756 2907 |
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| South Africa |
+27(0)215 274407 |
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| UK |
+44(0)8701602107 |
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| Emergency |
91 9810220431 |
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| Travel News |
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| The Complexity of Airfares |
Dear Business Traveler,
We all know that the airfares charged by an airline for the same class within the same flight can vary. Ever wondered how these different fares are worked out? Lets take a closer look. Since the airline seat is a highly perishable commodity which translates into irrecoverable loss once an aircraft takes off with empty seats; airlines have learnt to use an elaborate yield management system and create different ‘products’ or fares within a single flight. In essence each seat is therefore a ‘product’ that can be priced differently. This complex pricing system focuses on passengers who are willing to pay more for attractive amenities, such as comfort (extra legroom etc), speed (priority check-in), services (meals & beverages), perks (lounge access etc). Simultaneously, this pricing system discourages passengers willing to buy cheap fares by imposing unattractive restrictions on those fares, such as prohibiting one-way combinations, stipulating advance purchase and charging penalties for changes etc. Finally, the airline will then price the remaining seats low enough to create purchase motivation among those who otherwise might not fly, thus filling seats that would otherwise remain empty.
The outcome of this unique variable pricing system? A bewildering range of fares for the same flight. Each fare comes with its own supply-and-demand curve that helps the airline fetch the most optimum revenue. Powerful software tools forecast demand for each seat and then automatically recalibrate the flight when a ticket is purchased – this is precisely why fares appear to change within days or sometimes even hours. In a world where there can be as many as 70,000 fare changes daily, how can you be sure you're getting the best value? You need a travel management partner who can research multiple channels for air, car and hotel, including Internet fares and our 'travel agent only' system, GDS (Global Distribution System) to give you the best possible value for your travel plans.
Ashish Sawhney
Regional Marketing Manager |
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| Travel Agent Tools |
| With the massive proliferation of travel websites in recent years, and the trend towards purchasing travel services online, the average consumer has forgotten that travel agents have been researching, booking and buying travel products this way for decades! The first automated, computerized reservation system was launched in 1959. Since then, many electronic tools have been adopted by travel professionals, linking them to a mind-boggling amount of airline, hotel and car rental inventory. And what’s the difference between what you can find surfing the Internet on your own and what your agent can find? Plenty. Particularly for business travelers, UNIGLOBE Travel consultants know how to put their agent-only access to airfares and more to the best, most efficient use. |
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| Trivia |
| In an era when feeling good is as crucial to your business and career success as looking good, the right travel accessory is more important than ever. Thanks to smart, forward-thinking designers who know how to marry style and convenience, these six products are helping business travelers make their trips a little less stressful and, occasionally, a lot more entertaining. |
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| Essential news |
Singapore Airlines to increase frequency from New Delhi
Singapore Airlines will increase its frequency from New Delhi through the addition of two more flights. The two new services will start operations from 30th March 2008. The airline will now operate nine flights in a week from Delhi. It will use the Boeing – 777 – 200 aircraft, with a three class configuration. These new flights have been called ‘Sunrise’ services. In addition to the daily night flights from Delhi, there will be two morning flights on Friday and Sundays from New Delhi to Singapore. |
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Etihad Airways adds new flights
Etihad Airways in India has recently received rights to fly to four new destinations from this year - Jaipur, Kolkata, Chennai and Kozhikode. This is in preparation for its new summer schedule which commences on March 30, 2008 |
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| Travel Blunder: Reservation Aggravation |
| You consider yourself a very savvy web-surfer and business traveler, spending hours on the Internet comparison-shopping for airfares, hotel rooms and rental cars. Although you occasionally wonder if this is a cost-effective way to use your work time, you're convinced that your lengthy web searches are finding you the best deals around. In the past, by making discreet enquiries of the passenger sitting next to you, the hotel guest in the buffet breakfast queue, and the fellow customer in the lineup at the rental car counter, you satisfied yourself that you paid the same or less as the next guy. But lately, you're worried. Today, Internet travel websites claim to be "full content, full access," but the deals and choices are shrinking. Supposedly discount airfares you booked and paid for through one website suddenly pop up for less on another. What is the solution? |
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| At Your Leisure: Berlin on Business with UNIGLOBE |
| In the almost two decades since the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, an act which signified a new era for a newly united Germany, this 700-year-old city has undergone an amazing transformation. No longer divided into east and west, it has proudly assumed its pre-Soviet role as the country's capital. Entire neighborhoods have been given architectural makeovers, and an influx of young workers from European Union countries and immigrants from elsewhere has bumped up the population of metropolitan Berlin-Brandenburg to 3.7 million people. What's it like to do business in the vibrant new Berlin? |
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| Business Plus: Travel Websites: What You Can't See |
| We are reluctant to admit it, but our dependency on websites as an information tool, as the go-to source for the details we need before making any major purchase, sometimes make us less informed as consumers than we were before the Internet existed. The ease and convenience of shopping for flights, hotels, rental cars and other travel products online has overshadowed a few crucial, ongoing truths. It isn’t always the best deal, it’s rarely if ever the only deal, and it’s never a deal if something goes wrong and you’re left helpless at the doorstep of a hotel that lost your reservation or just closed for renovations. |
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| Inside Scoop: Security Measures at Airports Around the World |
Security has been a top priority for airlines and airports in recent years, and as new regulations are enforced, business travelers are trying to stay one step ahead. They are applying for, or renewing, passports in record numbers. Experts in flying light, they have invested in carry-on bags that are the correct dimensions for stowing under seats or in overhead compartments. In accordance with the liquid ban on items brought on-board, they have tossed their toiletry kits for one-quart, zip-top plastic bags into which they pack only three-ounce containers of shampoo, soap, etc. But with millions of passengers passing through airport security stations daily, there are inevitably delays.
We asked our UNIGLOBE Travel experts for some advice on what to expect, how to streamline the process and why travelers should feel more confident about passenger air safety than ever before |
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