Reissue a Ticket From the Beach? No Problem, Says Miami Agent

Gary Oakley gets a kick out of being able to reissue a ticket on the beach. On his iPhone. No fuss, no muss – everything properly formatted.

Oakley, vice president of travel services at House of Travel in the northern Miami suburb of Aventura, is an early user of Amadeus Selling Platform Connect, a system that liberates agents from their computers.

“Before, you were married to your computer,” Oakley said. “You had to get a certificate to use the Selling Platform, and you couldn’t use any other computer unless you bought another certificate.”

Sign in from anywhere
Now, using the completely web-based system, “you can sign in from anywhere” with just a user name and password, he said.

Oakley said that’s the biggest difference in Selling Platform Connect, which Amadeus began rolling out two years ago. It is currently available in more than 20 markets in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and North America.

The platform has customization and regionalization capabilities, enabling agencies to request local content integration or to have the solution packages designed to fit their way of working.

It includes the Cryptic Magic tool, which automatically translates cryptic commands into graphical actions, as well as a number of productivity enhancements.

The new navigation model provides interaction between the graphical interface and the command page.

Works on mobile
According to Oakley, the second big difference in the platform is the ability to use the platform on a handheld mobile device, including Apple devices. (Until a couple of years ago, Amadeus and Macs did not work and play well together.)

Whether he is out to dinner or at the beach, if Oakley gets an email from a client who needs to change a flight, he doesn’t have to say, “Let me find an agent to call you back.”

Service edge for agents
It’s that kind of hands-on, personal service that gives House of Travel, which serves a high-end clientele, its edge, he said. “We want to be ahead of the game and provide over-the-top experiences.”

The agency is expanding into larger quarters that will triple its space, which will be “very modern and chic,” Oakley said.

“We’re not the typical agency,” he said, noting that the new digs also will accommodate a pool table.