Travel 101 Training

Please note: Now that I am part of Travelport Digital (details here), I do not provide Travel 101 training myself, please contact Cormac Corrigan. – Mark

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This training program is an introduction to travel sales and distribution, the airlines business, travel agencies and OTAs, and the travel technology ecosystem. Ideal for business analysts, product owners, sales and account managers, QA testers and engineers, or anyone new to a travel or travel technology business.

Key Features

  • Each module covers industry terminology, key players, business drivers, KPIs, and trends.
  • Multiple 60-90 min modules (see below) – can be combined and customised to suit any business.
  • Delivered in person, with class sizes from 4 to 8 people.
  • Highly interactive – built-in spot quizzes and audience polls – as well as localised examples (airlines, OTAs, etc.), help aid retention and make material relatable.
  • Printed course booklet and a digital copy of all materials, including exercises, references and further reading, for each attendee.
  • Trainer with 22 years of experience working in all parts of travel sales and distribution (I have worked with multiple airlines, OTAs, TMCs, loyalty programs, hotels, car rental, GDS and travel technology providers).

Course Modules

  • Travel Sales and Distribution
    Ideal as a starting module covers supply chain (from airline to consumer), traditional and emerging distribution models (GDS, APIs, direct), key commercial terms (“passenger”, “segment”, PSS vs GDS), key commercial models – commissions, segment fees, PBs.
  • Airlines
    Different airline business models (LCC / point-to-point, network), airline case studies, airline KPIs (RPKs, RASK, PBs, Load Factor), top N carriers, industry economics, key terminology, connections, interlining and code-share, the role of alliances, airline sales/distribution mix.
  • Agencies, Customer Acquisition and TMCs
    Traditional, OTAs, TMCs. The commercial models of meta-search and OTAs. SEO and the battle for customer acquisition – agency vs agency, agency vs direct, PPC, Adwords and the role of Google. Includes overview of corporate / managed travel.
  • Travel Technology
    Who’s who in travel tech with a high-level architecture and key components for each of three business types:

    1. Call centre / traditional agency (from IVR to GDS + non-GDS supply to back office).
    2. Online travel agency (from supplier aggregation to UX and affiliate white-label).
    3. Typical airline (PSS, DCS, Fares & Pricing, RM, IBE, etc.).
  • Travel Loyalty Programs(*)
    How large carriers monetize frequent flyer programs (e.g. Delta’s €2.5bn+ a year revenue from Skymiles). Overview of program types (from “lunch and punch” to private label to large coalitions). The commercial model of currency (miles, points) based programs – accrual (earn) and redemption (burn) explained. The main technology vendors and key components of a travel redemption booking engine.
  • The Customer Journey
    An alternative viewpoint of the industry, starting with inspiration/ideation follow the customer through 16 phases (including shopping, booking, pre-travel, airports, destination) to post-journey and lifetime value. Understand the touch points (in-person and digital), the key players, who has the customer data, and how they make money.
  • Travel Trends(*)
    What will change in travel and travel technology in the next two years? This module is not a discussion of tech trends but rather commercial and consumer changes. Includes: The end of full content agreements, increased API distribution, emerging new models of interlining, dynamic pricing and revenue management technology, hotel distribution, the challenge of travel disruption, personalisation and single customer view, the importance of China, loyalty programs, experiential buying, and the ongoing “digital transformation” of airlines and travel companies.

To discuss your market training needs and for more details on pricing, available dates, and customisation options please  contact me.

(*) In most cases course material already exists, and the course can be made ready within days depending on the level of customisation. However, some items listed above require longer preparation times (2-3 weeks) for course content creation or update.