Group Plans Web Gateway

 Advantage is planning to launch an online selling platform for members in August that will aggregate content from all of its preferred suppliers. 

Advantage chief executive John McEwan described it as being like a travel supermarket for members with bookability built in.

"At the moment, if you want to book a bed bank, in order to asses the best possible deal you have to visit the bed banks individually and you could have as many as half a dozen browsers open at any one time", he said.

"This is an aggregation system that brings together everything in one place.  It gives members a one-stop shop."

The new system will initially support accommodation-only and air but will eventually have extras such as car hire as well as cruise.  Agents will also be able to book flight ancillaries such as meals and speedy boarding.

The system is free to use, except when booking some low-cost flights.

It will reflect the consortium's preferred supplier arrangements but can be tailored by agents when there are regional or member-specific deals in place.  It will also have other more niche 'sub-sets' including a new luxury hotel programme being developed by Advantage.

Advantage Travel Gateway can be accessed either via a log-in on a web browser or through existing systems provided to members by the likes of Comtec and the consortium's existing SABS system developed by Micros.

The gateway is designed to be a business-to-business system but members with consumer websites will be able to link it to provide a search and book facility for customers.

Atol cover will be provided by individual members but could eventually be offered by Advantage if it agrees a proposed CAA franchise agreement.

McEwan added: "There are a lot of selling systems out there provided by consortia and other players where you can get access to content but are taken off to a suppliers' site.  The real benefit of this system is to aggregate the content to make it as easy as possible for our members."