Concorde SmartFares, the leading air fares database in the Australian region, has taken another major step forward with the introduction of Fare Compare, a new web-based service which enables travel agents to compare simultaneously up to nine competing air fares and conditions.
Fare Compare - available only via the websites of Concorde International Travel and Metro Travel further reduces the time required by consultants to find the most appropriate air fares for clients. As a web-based service, Fare Compare also enables agents to compare fares at any time and from any net-linked computer.

Mr Richard Noon, General Manager of Smartravel Solutions, the Concorde Group`s technology arm, said Fare Compare enabled travel consultants to view up to nine fares, and to compare eight key features of each - booking class, minimum and maximum stay periods, stopovers, child discounts, ticketing deadlines, forms of payment, STPC and cancellation penalties.

After a brief period of testing and a “soft launch” prior to the formal introduction, Fare Compare has already received rave reviews from travel consultants around Australia, who are delighted with the ease of use and the time saved in comparing prices.

In addition to Fare Compare, Concorde SmartFares has introduced a further five new features to make life easier for travel agents. These features - which are also offered to agency groups using the Concorde Private Fares database - include the ability to search for a fare based on airline alliance grouping, and to search for specific restricted fares such as youth fares, senior fares, companion rates, Premium Economy and mixed-class options. Concorde SmartFares has also added a personal greeting for consultants using the system, clearer graphic displays and the use of specific airline logos and names, or a new “multiple carrier” logo where a combination fare involves three or more airlines. “The travel industry worldwide has been critically affected by recent events,” said Mr Noon. “Now, more than ever, travel agencies must maximise their selling time, and Fare Compare offers significant new opportunities to do just that by providing consultants with a single screen display of competing air fares and conditions, all day every day. We have developed Fare Compare as a productivity tool,” said Mr Noon. “Not only does it make life easier for travel agents by listing fares and conditions clearly and simply on a computer screen - it hands back valuable time to travel consultants by removing the need to spend lengthy periods comparing paper fare sheets. We are delighted with the strong endorsements from agents who have tested Fare Compare, and invite all agents to visit the Concorde or Metro websites to see for themselves how this service can help them.”

 

www.concorde.com.au

www.metrotravel.com.au

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