How you book air travel and other travel products will depend on: your travel specialty and the products you sell, whether or not you have chosen to sell air travel (independent of tours and/or cruises), your host agency and the tools and services it provides, and your personal preferences and knowledge. For this discussion, I have come up with various prompts that relate to this week's topics. Please choose ONE prompt to respond to for your first post (any of them), and then choose a different prompt for your second post of the week -- OR add some additional information to a classmate's post. Of course, you are also invited to ask questions. Remember, you will not gain any points if you do not support your opinions with references to something you read, researched, or a specific example that is relevant to the topic! Since Canvas doesn't allow subject lines for discussion posts, it will be helpful if you will put the title of the prompt in the first line of your post! Prompt #1: Booking Air without a GDS For this prompt, we explore various ways to book air without using a GDS (such as Sabre). Please refer to Mary Stein's article, "A GDS Primer" (also included in the Weekly Planner). Scroll down to the section for "Booking Air Without the GDS.". This section of her article will give you some good ideas about other ways to book air, rather than using a GDS. Please respond to ONE of the following sub-topics for booking air, and don't forget to SUPPORT what you say with references to something you read or researched! a) Booking air through cruise or tour company One way to sell air is as part of a cruise or tour package. You can book air through the cruise line or tour company, and they do the ticketing. Can you think of any questions you might need to ask when booking add-on air for a cruise or a tour (questions for the cruise or tour company and/or questions for the client)? You might want to go back to one of the tour companies you worked with in our Tours units, and see what that tour says about add-on air. Is everything clear? Is there anything you would want to consider before booking the air with the tour company? What about add-on air for a cruise? Same question. What would you want to consider before booking add-on air with a cruise line? Are there any advantages you can think of for booking air with a cruise line or tour company? Are there any disadvantages? b) Booking air through a Consolidator The following article from ASTA Agency Management (link above) gives a dozen tips on working with airfare consolidators. Although published a few years ago, the advice is still good. Working with Consolidators Read the list and comment on one of the tips. Why do you think it was included? If you don't understand something on the list, ask your questions here. This website http://consolidatortravel.com/index.php includes information about consolidated air travel and specific information about member companies. Click "Member Profiles" to learn more about member companies. Tell us what you learned about consolidated air travel and/or about a member air consolidator. Tell us about a member company and why you consider it a reliable booking agent for air travel. c) Booking air through the airline's website or through your host's booking tools or ticketing desk In these cases, you will need to charge a service charge, since airlines no longer pay commissions on regular air reservations. How will you present the service charge to your client? Are there any situations in which you would suggest that clients book their own air? d) When to pick up the phone to book travel When is it more effective to pick up the phone to make a booking? In some cases, it is advantageous to talk to a real, live person! Can you describe situations in which you might prefer to talk to a person? Prompt #2: Technology and the Future You should have read the article in this week's Weekly Planner, "When it Comes to Technology Adapt or Become Obsolete: http://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/When-It-Comes-to-Technology-Adapt-and-Adopt-or-Become-Obsolete That article mentions the growth of AI (Artificial Intelligence). More food for thought regarding AI and the future of the travel industry: How Artificial Intelligence will Change the Travel Industry For this prompt, respond to the following question: What do you see as the most exciting emerging technology that is travel-related? What is your opinion regarding how that technology might affect the travel advisor and the services he/she offers? Remember, opinion should be supported or explained with a reference to something you read or reviewed, or a relevant example!