availability, but fl ight availability at
the right price. Now is a great
opportunity for airlines such as
Ryanair and easyJet to work more
closely with the trade. This will not
only aid agents, but will help these
airlines to expand their off erings to
benefi t from the obvious demands
that are there,” he said.
Joining the chorus is Traveltek
managing director Kenny Picken.
“Ryanair would be a great partner
with all the routes it has and if a way
could be found to make it agent
friendly, it’s an ideal solution.
However, personally, I’d buy a ticket
in the Euromillions as there’s more
chance of success,” he said.
The contraction in fl ight availability
will hit some regions and destinations
more than others. But while the
industry’s current travails will have a
major impact on some agents’ ability
to dynamically package holidays
exactly to their customers’ choice,
there is still every faith airlines will fi ll
the void created by the likes of XL
Leisure Group, although the nature of
the demand will change.
Somewhere2stay.com general
manager Kevin Currie said: “Sales
of short-haul destinations are
www.travelweekly.co.uk
increasing, such as to the Costas and
the Algarve, due to cheaper fl ights.
Also there is a marked increase of
forward sales to Florida and Cancun.
Anecdotal evidence suggests some
customers are choosing one upgraded
holiday over two normal holidays.
“At the same time, sales of allinclusive
holidays are growing as
more people choose to fi x their total
holiday spend in advance, making
budgeting easier and gaining the best
value from their holiday spend,”
Currie added.
Youtravel sales and marketing
director Paul Riches agreed dynamic
packaging is a late-driven market, but
believes technology is a mitigating
factor. “As for forward bookings, due to
technical advances, more have been
secured than at this time last year.
“This might level off , but dynamic
packaging will still play a signifi cant
part in the overall marketplace.
“For summer 2009 fl ying
programmes will improve. However,
Greece has been impacted but we
foresee other airlines taking
advantage of this shortfall by the
time the summer season is upon us,”
he predicted.
As for Ryanair, Riches pointed
out the airline has its own issues
to contend with as its fi nancial
results recently showed. “Agents
should do everything they can to
sell away from [Ryanair] and use
charter products that will pay a
commission and work with them
rather than against them – agents
should work with partners that
appreciate their booking rather
than those who throw it back
in their faces.”TW
November 21 2008 | Travel Weekly | 51
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