Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Itineraries
times, for example a conference, seminar or business
meeting. The brief includes a variety of information
that the agent needs to make reservations, such as the
name and job title of the customer, party size, dates
and class of travel, departure point, board basis and
standard/type of accommodation, details of transfers
and any ancillary services required, e.g. car hire, travel
insurance, etc.
Producing business travel itineraries can be very
demanding, particularly if a trip involves crossing many
borders and continents. Some itineraries developed
for business clients are 'multi-sector'. A multi-sector
itinerary is one that involves more than one 'leg'
of a journey, i.e. a trip that consists of a fl ight from
Birmingham to Brussels followed by a train journey
from Brussels to Cologne is considered multi-sector as
it is made up of two legs. Similarly, a business trip from
London to Shanghai, with a stopover on the way out
in Bangkok and one on the way back in Hong Kong, is
multi-sector since it consists of four separate legs.
Business trip
Business trips take place within the UK and across the
world. Trips within the UK are referred to as domestic
trips, while those overseas can be either short-haul or
long-haul. Exact defi nitions vary, but a short-haul trip
is normally considered to be one to a destination that
can be reached by air within 3 hours travelling time
from the UK, e.g. Barcelona in Spain. A long-haul trip
is one to a destination that is typically more than 6
hours fl ying time from the UK, e.g. Sydney, Australia.
Arranging business trips is very different to booking
a package holiday, since they are constructed using a
number of components from different companies, so
as to offer the client fl exibility, cost effectiveness and
variety.
Itineraries produced for business travel clients must
contain all the information needed to allow the journey
to run as smoothly as possible. The precise content
and layout of an itinerary will vary between companies,
but will usually include:
•
Client details;
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Check-in details;
•
Transport type, e.g. aircraft, train;
•
Flight or service numbers and baggage allowance;
•
Transport operator, e.g. which airline, train
company;
Class of travel;
Costings
•
•
Departure and arrival date/time (in local time);
Business travel agents are responsible for all costings
associated with their clients' business trips. We saw
earlier in this unit that agents earn a commission from
the travel companies with which they make bookings
and/or charge a fee to their clients for the services they
provide. Agents may need to convert costs from an
overseas currency to British pounds (GBP), so must be
familiar with currency conversions. They also need to
be aware of the difference between net and gross rates.
For example, the gross rate charged to a client for a
hotel booking may be £110, but if the hotel pays 10
per cent commission to the agent, the net rate charged
to the agent will be £99. Agents must be very accurate
in their calculations so as not to make mistakes that
will result in a loss of revenue. The GDS and other IT
systems that business travel agents use are equipped
with 'tools' that cost business trips very accurately.
•
Intermediate stops;
•
Reconfi rmation of fl ight or service details;
•
Transfer details;
•
Accommodation details, e.g. name, room type,
meal arrangements;
Additional services, e.g. car hire, event tickets, pre-
•
bookable seats, guided tours;
Notes section covering passport, visa and health
•
requirements;
Additional information and procedures for
•
alterations to booking.
The format of an itinerary must be clear, logical, accurate
and presented to a professional standard. Figure 10.1
gives an example of a multi-sector business travel
itinerary (you may fi nd this useful when completing the
assignment for this unit).
