Agents urged to get to grips with rail changes

Agents urged to get to grips with rail changes
By admin


Agents must ensure they are abreast of massive changes within the international rail sector in order to best serve their clients, the chief of Melbourne-based International Rail has warned.

Jonathan Hume explained that a shift from rail passes to point-to-point rail fares as a result of new direct connections and procedural changes is ensuring lower fares but only when pre-booked.

“The whole way rail is being handled and booked from an agent’s perspective has changed over the last 18 months or so,” he told Travel Today.

“A lot of education is required to make sure people understand they have to prebook seats in 70-80% of high speed trains in Europe.”

But it’s not just Europe where the transition is being seen – US and Asian railways have also adopted similar systems.

Booking processes for rail tickets are now more like those involved in booking an airfare than ever before. Similarly, if the ticket is not prebooked the fare may rise, meaning the agent has to go back to the customer with the higher ticket cost.

“It’s more than just breaking a very long term habit of how rail has been booked in the past, it’s helping them understand how it’s changed and how both they and their customers can see the end benefits,” Hume said.

He described prebooking rail travel for clients as a “real service” with huge scope for margins to be built in elsewhere as part of an entire itinerary to make the sales process “worthwhile” with the cheaper fares likely to boost sales.

Electronic ticketing is an additional advantage of the new processes, he added.

But with the lower fares now available to agents around the country, it is essential for all agents to get to grips with the new methods.

“It’s important they can say to their clients, we can do the same fare rather than having to potentially lose the same booking,” Hume said.

Latest News

  • Cruise

P&O rescues Rotary volunteers after collapse of Air Vanuatu

P&O Cruises Australia has answered a plea for help from a group of young Australian Rotary volunteers, stranded in Vanuatu following the collapse of Air Vanuatu. The students, many of them teenagers from Albury, NSW, were volunteering for a youth project run by the Hive Rotary Club Australia when the airline abruptly cancelled all flights, […]

  • Destinations

Intrepid continues expansions with launch of first DMC in Jordan

Intrepid has increased its presence in the Middle East with the opening of its first destination management company in Jordan. Based in Amman, the local team will operate Intrepid’s range of nine experiential small group tours in Jordan from this summer, with a view to expanding the range for 2025 and beyond. Zina Bencheikh, managing […]

  • Appointments

Minor hotels appoints Puneet Dhawan to key Asia role

Global hotel owner and operator Minor Hotels has appointed Puneet Dhawan as head of Asia as the group plots its growth in Asia and India. From July, Dhawan will be responsible for the performance of all Minor Hotels properties in Asia, working in close collaboration with the Minor Hotels senior leadership team and will report […]

  • Appointments

Abercrombie & Kent and Crystal appoint Evon Ler to director of sales, Asia

Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group have announced that Evon Ler will join them in the new role of director of sales, Asia. She will work closely with Tony Archbold (VP, Sales, APAC, Crystal) and Susan Haberle (VP, Sales & Partnerships, APAC, A&K) with trade support across the region. Ler comes to the A&K family with more […]