Shawna LevetAirfare technology for today’s travel agents
Schedule flexibility. Travel opportunities. The freedom to work from home or on the road.
These are just some reasons the travel agent community has seen a dramatic rise in independent contractors over the traditional hourly employee. According to a recent study by The Travel Institute, the percentage of agents working as ICs has more than doubled in the past decade. 29% of agents identified as ICs in 2008, and that number rose to 62% by 2017.
When Centrav began in 1988, most customers were traditional agencies with employees working from a central office location. While Centrav originally developed software to supply these agencies with a booking option, we discovered our technology appealed to a growing population of ICs. They loved having the power of a GDS to book air without the risk of debit memos or the long training curve. Providing access to both published and discounted air, Centrav.com has proven to be “better than a GDS” for traditional agents and independent contractors alike.
Easy to use
About 75% of travel agents say that travel opportunities are the main motivators to work in the travel sector. Even though travel is limited right now, many experienced travelers are looking to the future. Professional trip planning is a viable way to do what they love and make a living while doing it. Not only do travel agents have the opportunity to travel frequently, but can often do their work remotely in a long-term travel situation.
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The flexibility to travel and work from anywhere demands easy-to-use booking technology. This is where Centrav comes in. A powerful search engine backs Centrav’s clean, intuitive user interface. This search engine quickly delivers thousands of discounted and published airfares. This simple point-and-click booking method allows travel professionals to book what they need wherever they are and make money on every ticket.
Financial protection
Airfare can certainly be complicated and confusing. The potential for financial loss in making a mistake can be devastating, especially for a smaller agency or an independent contractor. Agents can avoid this headache and give themselves a layer of protection by letting Centrav issue their tickets.
The average GDS-using agent incurs $12.70 in debit memos for every $100 of commission. Unlike agents working out of a GDS, agents will never get a debit memo with Centrav. We handle the full responsibility of the ticketing, debit memos, filing ARC reports, and monitoring schedule changes. This allows you to focus on selling more and pleasing your client.
Free industry education
Only 10% of independent consultants receive compensation for industry education expenses. Comparatively, 46% of employees working for a traditional agency receive free education. Continual education is the key to success in an industry that is driven by rapidly-changing trends and technology.
Website and sales training
Centrav offers free training for agents new to the industry, or new to Centrav. These webinars cover a broad range of topics. These include everything from how to use our website and booking tools to tips on selling airfare. We can help you become an airfare expert quickly. Through these tutorials, you will learn where you can make more money and where to be cautious in your markup.
Airline webinars
We regularly host airline-specific webinars, providing detailed information about routes, service, and updates of our partnering airlines. These are hosted by Centrav but conducted by one of our airline reps. If you register at Centrav.com, we will notify you of any upcoming webinars.
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