Burnes urges members to look outside the box for business gains

    Burnes urges members to look outside the box for business gains

    Processes to help management of customers’ frequent flyer points could be on the way for Helloworld for Business agents.

    Helloworld CEO Andrew Burnes closed the 2-day Helloworld for Business Summit in Singapore over the weekend urging delegates to consider new revenue streams, with frequent flyer services highlighted as a key focus.

    Burnes said agents should start to consider managing frequent flyer points as an “extraordinary service for customers” of which the income raised could be equal to, or better than revenue tickets.

    “There are a lot of people out there who don’t know what to do with their points,” Burnes told the 120-strong crowd, “and what you can charge on a management service fee and what you can charge making a booking on those points is a lot more than making a booking on a ticket”.

    Once again Burnes said agents should look to engage with Australia’s burgeoning SME businesses, saying “it’s a huge pool of value out there. There’s a huge opportunity in this field”.

    “Helloworld for Business needs to be a lot more proactive and feeding you the opportunities,” Burnes said on feeding new leads to members.

    “We need to harness our collective strengths to create compelling offerings for you to offer our business customers.”

    Reflecting on the success of AOT, Burnes said Helloworld for Business was also a “good story to sell” with a $1billion TTV, bespoke service and advanced technology offering.

    “We’re committed to making the worlds “We’re a member of Helloworld for Business” that mean something. It’s all of the senior leadership group’s responsibility to make that statement something you can be proud of and add to that value proposition,” he said.

    Latest News

    • Hotels

    Dorsett Melbourne appoints new director of sales Maggie Wong

    Dorsett Melbourne, the upscale hotel that opened at 615 Little Lonsdale St within the new West Side Place precinct last year, has appointed Maggie Wong its new director of sales. Wong brings 16 years of hotel industry experience with her, working across multiple properties within both Hong Kong and Australia. Wong is excited to join […]

    • Tourism

    Western Sydney Tourism unveils fresh board ahead of ’26 airport opening

    Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce introduced a new board this week reaffirming its commitment to promoting Western Sydney as a prime visitor destination. As Sydney prepares for the opening of the Western Sydney International Airport in 2026, the taskforce aims to showcase the region’s attractions by collaborating with key partners to enrich the tourism landscape and […]

    • Aviation

    Air Vanuatu cancels all flights to Australia, files for insolvency

    UPDATE 10 MAY: Ernst & Young Australia (EY Australia) have stepped in as administrators after Air Vanuatu operations entered voluntary liquidation overnight. Representatives of EY are now in Vanuatu conducting safety and maintenance checks of the fleet, ahead of resumption of operations as soon as possible. The appointment follows a challenging period for the global […]

    • Destinations

    Tropical North Queensland action-packed events calendar for adventure enthusiasts

    Sporting enthusiasts and adventure seekers are gearing up for an action-packed year in Tropical North Queensland, with a lineup of sports events and adrenaline-pumping experiences set to take centre stage in 2024. Leading the charge is the highly-anticipated return of the Crankworx World Tour ‘Paradise Edition’ to Cairns from 22-26 May 2024. The mountain biking […]

    • Travel Agents

    Disney Days returns with Inside Out 2 showing in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland

    Time is running out for agents to register their Expression of Interest to an exclusive screening of the much-anticipated Disney and Pixar film, Inside Out 2, hosted by Disney Destinations Australia/New Zealand team and partner United Airlines. Places are limited and applications must be in by 17 May. In addition to the screening of the […]

    • Cruise

    Aranui Cruises slashes prices with No Single Supplement and Half Price offers

    French Polynesian cargo cruise line Aranui Cruises is slashing thousands off its 2025 Austral and Marquesas Islands cruises with an autumn sale offering 50 per cent off the second guest in a twin share room and no single supplement for solo travellers. On sale until June 21, 2024, Aranui’s 12-day roundtrip voyage from Papeete to […]