Introduction

Several challenges face the small to medium sized travel company these days. The emergence of online travel powerhouses such as Expedia and Travelocity has been an especially significant source of competition. According to SmartMoney magazine, Americans will spend over $43 billion booking travel via the Internet. The lion’s share will go to the online powerhouses.

Independent travel agencies wishing to compete online have had basically three options. 1) Simply prompt web visitors to call in and book a trip, 2) License a third-party, template driven booking engine, or 3) Try and build a booking engine that connects to one of the major Global Distribution Systems (GDSs). In practice, most travel agencies have opted to just try and get a phone call. Those who have tried licensing third-party booking engines have been stuck with extremely basic and unintuitive booking engines that did not the “look-and-feel” of their corporate ID. Very few small to medium sized travel agencies have attempted to build their own as it is a very costly proposition.

Forion has solved the online travel dilemma for the travel agency with the eXtensible Travel Engine (XTE). For the first time, small to medium travel agencies can afford to have a powerful and intuitive booking engine that is on par with the online travel powerhouses. The XTE offers:

• Affordability
• Operates with all major GDSs
• Modular design allows for maximum flexibility
• Offers multi-destination travel (e.g. booking a flight to multiple islands)
• Customizable – can be tailored to match any corporate identity

Technology

XTE is a robust application developed entirely in Microsoft’s .NET Framework. The system utilizes a scalable, SQL Server database for its back end. For connectivity with all major Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), Forion has partnered with Solartis Corporation and is integrated with their TravelGate™ Web Services. TravelGate Web Services provides access to the functionality of the major Global Distribution Systems (GDS) in the form of web services. Each web service has a set of web methods that makes the sale of travel (air, car, hotel and cruises) easier and more flexible.

XTE Modules

XTE’s modular design gives it unlimited extensibility. The following is an overview of most of the available modules.

Air Travel Module

The Air Travel Module facilitates air travel for the company’s desired destinations. It allows for complete air fare price scanning, loading of private negotiated fares with airline contracts, special request management, frequent flyer program integration, ticketing and fulfillment through each GDS’ back end system, etc. All aspects of air travel management are incorporated into the flight module. This module is not required to use the XTE.

Auto Travel Module

Like the Air Travel Module, the Auto Travel Module is also optional. This module allows for integration of non-GDS automobile rental requests.  A company can manage rental car types, rental rules, seasonal information, and markup-based pricing.

Hotel Travel Module

The Hotel Travel Module is an optional, very detailed room reservation system capable of handing multiple chains at multiple destinations. This module can stand alone as an extremely powerful hotel reservation system, or can be combined with any other module.  With the built in hotel administration system, the reservation outcome is infinitely customizable. Room availability and pricing can be based on unlimited seasons, etc. This module incorporates a sophisticated black out date manager, allowing for complicated pricing structures. Additionally, all desired aspects of the hotel locale can be set such as: nearest airport, airport distance, amenities, restaurants, etc. The hotel system can optionally be integrated with any of the four main GDS systems (except Pegasus).  If GDS integration is not desired, all hotel season, pricing, and availability information can be easily managed with the hotel administration tool.

Full Payment Module

Forion recognizes that the average vacation is an expensive venture. Therefore, an intuitive deposit and full payment system has been created. One need not require full payment months in advance. With the Full Payment Module, the travel proprietor has the freedom to require only a deposit and then future payment dates. This unique feature yields a much higher booking rate than systems that require full payment at the time of booking.

Vacation Administration Module

The XTE includes a powerful Vacation Administration Module (VAM).  Whether the Hotel Travel Module is used alone or in combination with several other modules, the Vacation Administration Module allows any hotel, travel agency, or proprietor to completely stay on top of their customers.  The VAM includes a very powerful searching and fulfillment system that puts all necessary tools at the right manager’s fingertips.  Any authorized user can see daily and weekly statistics on vacation information, payments, and so on.  This module is required in the XTE.

Accounting Module

The Accounting Module allows any business to extract the information they need to run the financial side of their business.  Several financial and usage reports are available. This powerful feature bridges the gap most operators have between their booking and internal accounting systems.

Email Module

We understand that communication is the cornerstone of efficient business. Therefore, the XTE contains an advanced email carbon copy system. For every conceivable type of email sent, one can manage who receives copies of that email.  This feature is a built into the engine and available to all users.

Features

Unlimited Customizability
The XTE allows any business to customize the booking engine and booking tools to meet their needs. With unmatched power and flexibility, the XTE stands apart from its competition.

Superior Technology
The XTE is written in the newest and most powerful technologies available today. Microsoft’s .NET technology allows for unlimited versatility. In combination with the TravelGate Web Services, no competitor can match the versatility of this system. Whether you are a competitor of Travelocity or a three employee travel agency, the XTE fits your bill.

Modular System
Since The XTE is modular, you don’t have to pay for features you don’t need. This makes the system affordable for all levels of enterprise.  And, new modules are constantly being engineered. When a new module is created, you can take advantage of the entire suite of new features within it. We invite you to look at our competitors. No travel system can match the power that this modular architecture affords.

Multiple GDS Integration
The XTE integrates with every GDS. Whether you use Sabre or Galileo, the XTE will work for you. If you don’t know which system to use (or don’t want to use a GDS at all), we have the knowledge and the experience to help you make the right decision for your business.

Price
One of the founding principles in the design of XTE is that it had to be affordable for small to medium travel operators. Simply put, XTE is the only customizable booking engine that works with multiple GDSs and cost effective for the small to medium enterprise.