Travel Company Teams With Toledo Express

By Anonymous

According to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Toledo Express Airport receives 20 to 30 phone calls each day from travelers who wish to book a flight out of the airport. Such passengers include people who don’t want – or don’t know how – to submit their credit card information online, are not currently working with a travel -agent, or are having trouble reaching airlines directly by phone. A new partnership between Atlas World Travel and Toledo. Express aims to provide a new solution that it claims will simplify the travel process while helping keep flight dollars local.

“There are so many people looking for [flight] information that don’t want to search [online]; they would rather book with an airport,” stated Kris Nichter, director of marketing, business development, and community affairs for the Port Authority.

“Nationally, there is a definite trend for the regional airports to do their own online booking,” added Gina Garwood, president and owner of Atlas World Travel, which recently moved into a new downtown Sylvania location after having been located on North Republic in Sylvania for 17 years. “Consequently, Toledo Express has taken a look at this [issue] over the past few years and decided that it makes sense… We were delighted to be part of the bid process.”

As Toledo Business Journal went to press, Toledo Express was preparing to launch an online product in late April. The website, www.flytoledoexpress.com, will be powered by Atlas World Travel and officially owned by Toledo Express.

“We wanted to create a website for travelers to see what Toledo Express offers and to see that they can get from here to there with multiple carriers,” Nichter added. “More than anything, we’re trying to make travelers’ lives a little easier.” According to Nichter, the website will promote the Fly Local, Buy Local! campaign because, instead of local dollars going to national companies such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, money will remain in Toledo.

“We think that the website will help position Toledo Express by offering the lowest possible airfares and more effectively allowing the airport to communicate with area travelers,” Nichter explained. “Our tagline is. ‘It’s as easy as clicking, buying, and flying.’ “

Atlas’ role will be to manage the website, report information to the Port Authority, maintain day-to-day site requirements. and power the website. A physical facility is in the works on the site of the airport as well.

“We’re looking at how the airport would like us to manage the on- site [facility] and how we want to move forward,” Garwood stated. “The earliest could be June, and the latest would be September because we want to make sure that when we do it, we do it right. We want the right personnel, because a farily hybrid type of employee will have to be hired as manager. The manager will need to have total leisure capability, and they’ll need to understand corporate, exchanges, and refunds. Last minute isues that we would normally lhandle are now going to be handled out at the airport too, which is great.”

Garwood explained that Toledo Express will not be aiming to compete with Toledo-area travel agents. Rather, the airport recognizes the opportunity to be competitive within its own market. She stated, “Airline numbers are getting tougher and tougher to find. So people call the airport. We’re basically going to be an extension of Toledo Express as a partnership.”

Atlas World Travel is also celebrating its recent collaboration with American Express as an official travel representative agency.

“We’re delighted because there are some great synergies there and some excellent opportunities for our leisure side and our corporate side – particularly on the corporate side,” added Garwood. She explained that, in the third quarter of this year, her company will be announcing a double points program. For example, leisure travelers who are enrolled in an American Express reward program will receive monetary credits on their credit card accounts after they exceed a certain amount of spending on their leisure travel.

“In addition to receiving great service, [travelers] have the security of knowing [their trip] is being taken care of locally instead of with a 1-800 phone number or website with American Express,” Garwood stated. “[American Express] understands that, while big corporations want the big gorilla behind them, they also want local service that they can’t get online. And we do it for less money, so it’s a real win-win situation.”

Nichter explained the benefit of Atlas’ partnership with American Express is key for the Port Authority as well.

“We have the benefit of dealing with a local company that has been in business for many years, has multiple locations throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, and has the power of American Express,” he stated. “They are one of the few, if not the only, authorized trvel representatives in the state of Ohio. That gives us a lot of additional reasons to work with them.”

Copyright Telex Communications, Inc. May 01, 2007

(c) 2007 Toledo Business Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.