Datalex targets small travel agents through joint venture


10 Mar 2004

Irish travel services software vendor Datalex has forged a joint venture with Dolphin Dynamics to deliver application services provider (ASP) services that enable small travel agents to quickly pull together travel packages including hotels, flights, car rentals and cruises.

The alliance follows last years successful implementation by the two companies of a solution for UK travel specialist Travelbag.

According to the company, the ASP service fulfils a niche in the market by providing an affordable way for small travel agents to access world-class technology without the typically large up-front investment required.

Hosted at the DolphinAnywhere data centre, the Dolphin Private Fares solution utilises the Datalex BookIt! Matrix integration platform and BookIt! Fares system, which are integrated with the Dolphin front/mid/back office system and the FlightScanner search engine.

In addition to providing comprehensive fares storage for air and land negotiated fare information, including net rates, IT rates, customer rates, taxes, currencies and mark-ups, Dolphin Private Fares also offers real time availability for both published and negotiated air fares and allocations management for hotels.

With Dolphin Private Fares, travel consultants can focus on the business of selling and dynamically building customised itineraries and packages without having to understand the complexities of contracts and pricing issues. It also provides a single display for Web, net, and published fares.

“Exploiting technology to gain its full commercial value may present a daunting challenge for some travel agents in terms of up front capital investment and technological resources,” said Damian Hickey, senior vice president of business development, Datalex.

“The Datalex/Dolphin ASP solution offers a simple and cost-effective alternative for travel companies that wish maintain a competitive edge, increase productivity and also diversify into new business areas without the financial or technological commitments associated with implementing their own solution,” Hickey said.

By John Kennedy