The 7 Wonders Challenge was a true test of the power of our technology. If you don鈥檛 already know what it鈥檚 about, here鈥檚 the deal. We asked an agency partner, Travelbag, to plan a route to get our hero from the Great Wall of China to Chich茅n Itz谩 in Mexico 鈥� plus every Wonder in between 鈥� in less than one week. All powered by 乐播传媒+.

And now that it鈥檚 all over (and we鈥檝e got a world record under our belt), everyone鈥檚 asking the same thing: how did we do it? Here鈥檚 a few technology secrets from behind the scenes.听

SOPHISTICATED SEARCH, ON SMARTPOINT CLOUD

When you鈥檙e planning a trip like this you鈥檙e faced with no one single airline that can take you to all the destinations on the itinerary. And because every minute counts, you have to find the fastest, simplest, and most reliable route.

Travelbag planned this trip using Smartpoint Cloud, the modern retailing interface that connects agents to 乐播传媒+. On it, agents could see all the flight options in one single interface, saving a ton of time and energy searching and comparing.

Plus, it鈥檚 integrated search functionality took all the various combinations, put them together, and scored them 鈥� including low cost carriers, NDC content, and private fares. For the planning stage, this combination of choice and convenient search really was critical.

Flight search on 乐播传媒+

ALL THE DETAILS, IN ONE HANDY PLACE

Keeping customers up to date is tricky for agents, even on straightforward trips. It鈥檚 just the nature of travel 鈥� things change and people do unexpected things. But when you’re doing something as big as setting a world record, you need everything to run like clockwork. AND there鈥檚 a lot to contend with: time zone differences, flight changes, or just having no WiFi.

Trip Quote on 乐播传媒+

We needed crystal clear, real-time communication throughout the entire journey. That鈥檚 where Trip Quote on 乐播传媒+ came in. Using this automated, online tool, Travelbag could send any updates to Adventureman easily, keeping him informed no matter what.

Trip Quote consolidated his flight and hotel details in one designated, easily accessible place. And that鈥檚 super valuable when you鈥檙e sprinting from one Wonder to the next, or when you鈥檙e really down to the wire getting through a busy airport.

UNEXPECTED CHANGES? NO PROBLEM

On a massive trip like the 7 Wonders Challenge, something on the journey was bound to go awry. A combination of heavy traffic in Rome and Adventureman going to the wrong terminal caused him to miss a crucial connecting flight along the way. To stop this ruining our world-record attempt, Travelbag needed to find a solution quick snap.

Luckily, 乐播传媒+ has an easy exchange capability, so the agent could find and book a new flight quickly, without a bunch of manual entries. Obviously in this case the agency had to react under extraordinary time-pressure, but things like this happen every day working in travel.

When something unexpected changes, customers need agent鈥檚 help to get things resolved immediately. Having the right technology 鈥� that enables a rapid response and supports you in the crunch times 鈥� is what makes or breaks a really good customer experience.

Easy flight exchanges on 乐播传媒+

STAYING ONE STEP AHEAD

The challenge for Travelbag was not only to react to changes outside their control, but also to constantly be looking for changes that could save time here and there. After all, even ten minutes difference could make or break this record-setting attempt. The agency had to stay one step ahead the whole time, and 乐播传媒+ helped them do it.

Using Productivity Automator, a tool on 乐播传媒+, they could see if new flights or a better option became available, pre-trip and during the trip too. Travelbag could set up various rules and automations to flag when a better flight became available somewhere on the itinerary.

Just like how Google Maps will proactively tell you if it finds a faster way to your destination, Productivity Automator anticipates the best options when there’s millions of different alternatives and things change continuously. And this meant Travelbag didn’t have to keep manually searching for ways to optimize time, and they could detect changes automatically.

Productivity Automator on 乐播传媒+

EVERYTHING ON MOBILE

Travel is fast-paced, especially if you鈥檙e running late. Adventureman was on the go all the time, he couldn鈥檛 stop and fire up a computer to check an itinerary or make changes. Having everything to hand was critical, and so Trip Manager played a huge role on this trip.

It puts all of the power of our modern tools onto mobile, allowing the customer to make changes with a few taps. Adventureman could pick seats with extra leg-room. Or add bags when he bought too many souvenirs. Which came in pretty handy, when he picked up a giant stuffed llama for his daughter at Machu Picchu.

Accessibility and convenience on all devices is something that modern travelers expect now. Sure, the 7 Wonders Challenge is an extreme example, and customers won鈥檛 always be so tight on time. But broadly speaking, you can鈥檛 overstate the power of having everything you need in the palm of your hand.

Trip Manager on 乐播传媒+

HOTEL REQUESTS, HANDLED

After seven days of nonstop, round-the-clock, round-the-world travel, Adventureman really needed (and deserved) a good night鈥檚 sleep. He got just 12 hours shut-eye in seven days, so you can imagine how tired he was by the time he reached the final stop in Mexico. We wanted him to finish off the trip by staying somewhere really special. And he had a few specific asks (a pool, a room with a view, and a great restaurant). After all, it鈥檚 not every day you set a world record.

So having all of that detail on hotels options was essential during booking. With hotel search in Smartpoint Cloud, the agency could access detailed property information, like room attributes, maps, photographs, and comparative rates, to choose the perfect property.

And it鈥檚 not just Adventureman. More and more, modern travelers want agencies to help them with hotel as well as flight tickets. Those who do it well, get the rewards.

Hotel Search on 乐播传媒+

CONSCIOUS OPTIONS CONSIDERED

Sustainability is one of 乐播传媒鈥檚 driving philosophies, so getting that right for 7 Wonders was critical from the beginning.听 We know that travelers today want to see sustainable options on their trips.

Our recent research on what consumers want found that 84% will pay more for environmentally friendly travel options. So 乐播传媒+ is arming modern agency retailers to deal with these changing demands. On Smartpoint Cloud, you can get integrated flight emissions data in every search.

So, whenever you look for a flight, you see not only the price and duration, you also see the carbon emissions.听We could take this into account for Adventureman鈥檚 trip, and so too can customers/agents when making choices or building itineraries.

Environmental search on 乐播传媒+

A RECORD鈥揝ETTING PLATFORM

I’m beyond proud that 乐播传媒+ powered this challenge. This was truly one of the biggest asks I鈥檝e ever seen. Just look at the numbers: four continents, nine countries, 13 flights, and 29 ground transport trips to cover 22,856 miles in 6 days, 16 hours and 14 minutes.听 It鈥檚 staggering.

Nothing exemplifies modern travel retailing more than a record-setting itinerary like this. Because modern travel is all about rising to the challenge, making things easier for everyone.

This challenge proved that epic adventures 鈥� even really, really complex ones 鈥� can be made possible with the right tools by your side. And Travelbag had just that, with 乐播传媒+.

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With so much transformation, and everything still to play for, what鈥檚 the priority for 2021? Is it saving time? Doing more with less? Or providing a world-class customer experience?

New features for a new year

My guess is that most agents are focusing on all of the above. This is no mean feat, and so you need the right tools up your sleeve to set you up for a better, brighter 2021.

With this in mind, we鈥檝e given Smartpoint a refresh 鈥� and version 9.1 really packs a punch. Its new and improved features are designed to reduce manual tasks, giving you greater control and more workflow flexibility.

Here鈥檚 what to expect from the latest release:

More time, greater productivity

Most of our agency customers identified time constraints as a huge operational challenge for them this year. The additional change/cancellation transactions 鈥� plus the demand for more information 鈥� has likely been a big strain on your agency.

We鈥檝e introduced a number of new features to give you back lost time, by making your Smartpoint user experience faster and more efficient. Some of the key additions include:

• Quick access to pre-paid car rates
• The ability to modify a passenger name change on restricted carriers without the need to call the support desk
• The ability to view change fees and commissions as well as the ability to save commission and tour codes on branded fares

Read more on Smartpoint鈥檚 Assisted Ticketing to streamline the processing of refunds and exchange and increase efficiency.

Enhanced personalization

Who doesn鈥檛听like to set up their workflow, their way? In developing Smartpoint 9.1, we prioritized giving users greater control over their interface set-up, with new personalization features. This gives you greater flexibility to tailor your display to meet your specific needs and preferences.

With the latest Smartpoint version 9.1, you can explore a host of new personalization features, such as:

• Improvements to the Flex Window layouts, giving you the view you need at a glance
• The ability to customize PNR viewer buttons, meaning agents can review PNR data faster with greater flexibility

Happy travelers

The changing customer demands that arose during 2020 aren鈥檛 going anywhere anytime soon. But the good news is: greater productivity + a personalized interface = more time to dedicate to the customer experience. In ordinary times delivering an excellent customer experience is viewed as essential 鈥� but to stay competitive as travel recovers, agents will need to offer even better, faster service. Paired with the right price, and top supplier content, you鈥檝e got the recipe to deliver a vastly improved traveller experience.

Some interesting additions in Smartpoint 9.1 that will help with this include:

• Improved AAA diamond rating in Hotel Retail, making it easier to locate and advise on the best hotels

• ‘Stay Safe’ hotel search allowing agents to highlight COVID-19 compliant hotels, which in turn will incentivize travelers to book

• And finally, even more accessibility to the Hotel Retail capability

Hit the ground running in 2021

There鈥檚 no doubt that it鈥檚 been a long year, filled with new and constantly evolving challenges. However, ending 2020 feels like a significant milestone on our collective recovery journey.

So what better way to kickstart a more prosperous 2021, than to get back more time in your day, boost your productivity, and above all else, deliver a better, faster customer experience.

Visit 乐播传媒 Marketplace to download Smartpoint 9.1 now, and get set for a brighter, better year ahead.

Learn more about 乐播传媒 Smartpoint 9.1

You can find a range of support and information on COVID-19 and recovery on our resource hub.

Please note that there are certain elements of the new Smartpoint 9.1 release which will only be available to either Galileo or Apollo customers.

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Here we鈥檙e explaining how expanding our new Rich Content and Branding solution听will help to simplify retailing these journeys, creating听more value for听both agencies and airlines.

Understanding the value of interlining

For airlines听Interlining allows airlines to reach destinations that they would otherwise not be able to serve alone. This encourages cooperation in the industry, and allows airlines to expand operations without significant investment. There are more than 8,000 airports with scheduled carrier service in the world (according to IATA), so there are potentially 64 million possible airport pairs someone could search for. It would be impossible to service this with direct flights. Thanks to interlining, and airlines鈥� use of hubs, it鈥檚 possible for someone to fly from almost any airport to any other with no more than four flights.

Needless to say, in the current climate this is more important than ever to the industry. With demand for international travel remaining low, airlines are faced with equally low load factors 鈥� meaning they can鈥檛 fill planes independently, and are relying on other airlines to help get more people on board. This is key to keeping flights commercially viable while we await a definitive solution to the pandemic.

For agencies听The advantage to agencies is that they can book a听through flight, connecting from one airline to another, without the hassle of making multiple bookings. This simplifies their workflow, saving听time, and on the whole making the booking process smoother and more satisfactory. Plus,听the more destinations that airlines can reach, the better the retailing possibilities for agents.

For travelers听And there are huge benefits for the customer too. While travelers may not know about interlining, they鈥檝e almost certainly taken a journey where it forms part of their itinerary.听 As I mentioned,听these partnerships simplify the traveler journey, particularly check-in and baggage transfer. Plus, having flights from different airlines connected together adds many more options, sometimes even at cheaper prices or better flight times. This is vital right now, with many听听or making听.

A new fare-branding functionality for interlining

All of the above shows how valuable interlining is to the travel industry. So, we鈥檝e been looking at ways to make retailing these journeys simpler, and to help our customers to maximize their associated fare and upsell revenue.

By expanding our听Branded Fares and Ancillaries听solution to include interline itineraries, we鈥檙e giving agents and travelers more information about the full range of booking options available to them. This means branded content will no longer be limited to code share and connecting flights, where all flight sectors within the same pricing unit use the same airline flight prefix. This brings interline journeys in line with the way other itineraries are presented on the booking platform, offering significant advantages to both airlines and agents.

Driving airline revenue听

Our airline customers already use our听Rich Content and Branding听tool to communicate their offers using images, product descriptions, branding and sales messages. Now, when an agency books an interline itinerary, these valuable elements of branding will also be presented to them. This will allow airlines to communicate on听various aspects of the journey, for example, whether a passenger could earn air miles on a particular fare, whether a bag was included, or if WiFi would be available on board.

While the current circumstances make forecasting hard, we fully expect this new functionality to result in a lift in brand displays and incremental revenue generated through agents, by enabling them to upsell interline fares. These are metrics that we report to airlines to increase flexibility and transparency, which will further support industry recovery. As with code share and connecting flights, there are some nuances to the new functionality, but this is similar across other platforms and fare types.

Enabling agency upsell听

When agents booking an interline itinerary cannot see each airlines鈥� individual branding, this makes visualizing what they are selling much more difficult, and reduces听the scope for upselling. Given that our agency customers make over 10 million interline bookings per year, this creates a huge missed opportunity, and right now, the industry needs to embrace all potential revenue-enhancing actions.

By enabling branding for interline itineraries, travel agents will be able to see branded fares and ancillary details for interline flights at the beginning of the user journey. Another bonus is that the change is automatic for current users of the platform, and every API and Agent UI that already incorporates branded fares will also start to see the benefit of the change.

But don鈥檛 just take my word for it. Speaking about the new functionality, one of our agency customers, located in Poland, said the following:听鈥淲e have a lot of customers wanting to purchase tickets from decentral locations in Poland such as Krakow and Wraclaw, and flying to the US, to for example Washington or Los Angeles. The cheapest and 鈥榮hortest鈥� connecting flights 鈥� there are no direct flights 鈥� often involve multiple airlines such as LOT Polish Airlines connecting to United Airlines. As most base level airline fares within Europe and the US are now 鈥榥o checked bag fares鈥� it means that the majority of offers on our search screen will only suit those passengers wanting to travel with hand luggage only. Now with the extension of 乐播传媒鈥檚 Branded Fares program to cover interline itineraries, it means we can supply other types of fares, including those with checked bags included, more flexible and more comfortable options, to other passenger groups.鈥澨�

Find out more

Given the value that interlining has to the aviation and travel industries 鈥� as well as adding simplicity to the traveler journey 鈥� we鈥檙e prioritizing making retailing these itineraries simpler, and more user-friendly. We鈥檙e really pleased to share this innovation with our agency and airline customers, and will continue to find ways to tap into the opportunities that exist in retailing interlining journeys.

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Ticketing is complex at the best of times, especially when it comes to voiding a ticket, refunds, and revalidation. Add in a global pandemic and an unprecedented number of refund requests and involuntary exchanges, and it becomes a very time-consuming process that causes agents untold stress.

That鈥檚 why we have added a new capability to 乐播传媒 Smartpoint to streamline the processing of refunds and exchanges called听Assisted Ticketing.

The challenges of ticketing

The nuances of ticketing present some key challenges for travel agencies. For example, new agents who are not familiar with cryptic formats and may not be able to perform the complex cryptic entries to complete these kinds of transactions.

Even seasoned agents may know some of the cryptic commands, but since many of the processes are not everyday transactions, they may be uncomfortable with exchanges or creating manual fares.

And on top of this, reduced agency headcount may mean that agencies no longer have specialty desks to do ticketing functions, so it falls to the frontline agent who may not be familiar with the cryptic formats, to complete these tasks.

Introducing Smartpoint Assisted Ticketing

Assisted Ticketing through 乐播传媒 Smartpoint will help to relieve some of the ticketing complexity for travel agencies.

Some key features include:

• Issue my ticket:听Enabling agents to ensure accuracy before a ticket is issued by reviewing changes or adding to modifiers
• Involuntary change: If an airline has made changes it allows the agent to quickly prepare the ticket for manual exchange and issuance.
• Manual fare builder:听Create a manual fare that cannot be system auto-priced, or make changes to a system-generated fare
• Ticket refund:听Due to COVID-19, many airlines are allowing agents to refund tickets without penalty 鈥� Assisted Ticketing supports full or partial manual refunds
• Ticket void:听Void a ticket and issue a new one if the customer has changed their mind rather than exchanging the original
• Ticket revalidation:听Agents can revalidate all tickets in a booking file using simple fill-in formats
• Ticket list:听Easily see lists of tickets for each passenger issued in a booking file and the ticket status.

Key benefits

By simplifying the ticketing process and speeding up the time it takes to complete these tasks, agencies can expect to see a few key benefits which include:

• Increased efficiency:听Assisted Ticketing will allow any agent using Smartpoint to quickly and efficiently perform complex ticketing functions. It will also help to eliminate some inefficiencies by improving the accuracy of data passing from front to mid to back office.
• Reduced service costs:听Increased efficiency means reduced manual overhead to service travelers. Agents鈥� time is freed up to focus on the opportunities to create additional revenue.
• Improved traveler experience:听When it comes to canceling or rearranging a trip, it鈥檚 no surprise that travelers鈥� emotions can be fraught. Assisted Ticketing lets agents service travelers fast and improve their experience 鈥� allowing your agency to be there for the traveler when it really matters.

How it works

While the new 9.0.2 Smartpoint release is available to both Galileo and Apollo customers the听Assisted Ticketing capability will only available to Galileo users. Apollo users upgrading to version 9.0.2 will benefit from performance-related enhancements provided by Edge Proxy.

To start using the Assisted Ticketing feature, you will need to upgrade to Smartpoint 9.0.2. and the capability will be available for any PNR that contains air segments (excluding NDC segments).

Once in the PNR, agents can easily access Assisted Ticketing by clicking the new icon in the top right of the PNR viewer or by clicking the TKT icon that appears on the sidebar.

Smartpoint Assisted Ticketing opens and allows the agent to make various selections, based on the task they need to accomplish. The agent makes their selection and completes the form.

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In the last few months, COVID-19 has added a lot of complexity to an already complex travel ecosystem. With ever-changing airline and hotel policies and government restrictions on travel across the world, travel agents often need to look at many different sources for the most up-to-date information before making a booking.

More often than not, this means leaving the GDS workflow and searching for information like the quarantine measures and safety precautions in place in various locations. It鈥檚 an added step in the process that adds time and complexity听鈥� and for agencies that are operating with a reduced workforce, it means efficiency is reduced.

At 乐播传媒, we believe this information is critical to support the recovery of safe and responsible travel. That鈥檚 why we have developed a new plugin so information on government restrictions and airline safety measures is available to agents within the 乐播传媒 Smartpoint workflow.

Airline health & safety tracker

In response to demand from travelers and travel agents for information on airline health and safety measures, we鈥檝e added an airline health & safety tracker to the COVID-19 Smartpoint plugin. It highlights the safety measures being undertaken by more than 80 of the world鈥檚 largest airlines 鈥� all available at a glance. It is delivered to both online and offline travel agencies through the plugin, as well as through our API-based merchandising solution, Branded Fares Data File. We have also made this information available to the wider industry through our COVID-19 resource hub.

COVID-19 information within your workflow

乐播传媒 has worked with Safeture 鈥斕齛 Swedish global employee safety platform provider, to integrate this important information into Smartpoint agent desktop. The plugin is available free of charge for agency customers and shows integrated information such as

• Country lockdown level indicators
• Government听restrictions
• Quarantine measures in place

The information is shown based on the countries within the itinerary. Agents can also search through an interactive world map that indicates lockdown levels in each country, allowing them to advise travelers on specific destinations.

This data is continuously monitored and updated by Safeture and makes keeping track of the vast range of rules and restrictions much simpler.

Customers can download the COVID-19 plugin from 乐播传媒 Marketplace听.

What customers are saying

鈥淲orking with the 乐播传媒 COVID-19 Smartpoint plugin will allow our consultants to advise our customers and travelers on up-to-date country/destination information regarding this pandemic straight from the Smartpoint desktop. 乐播传媒 has turned this around so quickly and it is great to know they are listening to the needs of the industry and supplying leading-edge tools so quickly.鈥澨鼵olin Boddy, Group Commercial Director,听

鈥淲ith the 乐播传媒 COVID-19 Smartpoint plugin, we can provide reliable, sourced information to clients on the destinations they鈥檙e planning to travel to or through, without leaving the workflow. In this way, we鈥檙e able to continue providing a top-class service to clients who can confidently make travel choices and book flights.鈥澨齋cott Pawley, Managing Director,听

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The emergency flexibility framework allows for restrictions on previously-issued tickets to be relaxed and provides an automated way to amend the rules on ticket changes. Before this, only rule conditions that were in effect when the ticket was issued could be used on existing tickets.

This means tickets bought before COVID-19 can be updated to comply with new airline policies on fee waivers and validity periods. The automation also means that both agents and travelers can understand the rules being put in place by airlines, without needing to go through individual airlines鈥� policies, which may change regularly.

Who can take advantage of Emergency Flexibility?

All 乐播传媒 customers that work on ticket exchanges with an airline that has adopted emergency flexibility have access to this solution through our agency or API channel.

Have all airlines adopted Emergency Flexibility?

More than 60 airlines have adopted this solution so far. Participating airlines include Air France-KLM, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, and Singapore Airlines.

Supporting industry recovery

乐播传媒 has been undertaking a number of other initiatives to help our customers and the wider industry through recovery.

Initiatives include:

• Extending validity of tickets to two years: As the COVID-19 situation continues to change quickly, many airlines have now听. As a result, 乐播传媒 has now extended the validity of tickets from one year to two years for automated voluntary exchanges through our agent desktop and API channels. This means that agents can now perform automated and manual reissues or exchanges for tickets up to two years鈥� old.
• COVID-19 Smartpoint plugin: This gives travel agencies access to information on government restrictions, lockdowns, and safety measures across the globe 鈥� all within the agent鈥檚 Smartpoint workflow.
• Recovery hub: This resource hub contains details on supplier safety measures and policies and links to other useful information.

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