The Pain of Traditional Air Ticket Servicing
Air ticket servicing has always been a challenge for travel agencies. From bookings to last-minute changes, agencies juggle multiple tools, incur extra fees, and face complex systems that slow down operations. Each function, ticketing, date changes, refunds, and ancillaries, often requires a separate platform, each with its own costs and training requirements. But what if there was a better way?
What Is Air Ticket Servicing
For most travel agents, servicing a ticket is harder than selling one. Between cryptic GDS commands, mounting ADMs, and clunky refund tools, what should take minutes often takes hours and costs money. That’s why we built Iris: to simplify post-booking servicing into one smart, seamless experience. This includes:
- Booking flights through online platforms, travel agencies or direct airline office/website
- Managing reservations like changing dates, routes, or passenger details
- Providing support for cancellations, special requests, and flight disruptions
The problem? Traditional agencies need different tools for each task, and each tool comes with its own cost, training requirements, and complications.
The Hidden Costs of Traditional Servicing:
- Multiple tools for different servicing tasks
- Separate training for each system
- Monthly fees for each platform
- Confusing commands and manual processes
Some aggregators might be offering part of the servicing process but not the entire thing. It’s always good to look at their list of capabilities.
When evaluating new partnerships, make sure you’re getting a complete solution like Iris that addresses all your needs, not just a piece of the puzzle.
What Does Air Ticket Servicing Include?
Once a ticket is issued, changes are inevitable. These changes, known as “ticket servicing,” include:
- Ticket void - Cancelling a ticket on the same day it was issued.
- Date changes - Both voluntary (customer choice) and involuntary (airline changes)
- Refunds - Processing money back to customers
- Adding extras (after ticket issued) – Seat selection, extra luggage, meals, and other services
Traditional systems make these simple tasks complicated and expensive. Iris solves this by automating all servicing needs into one platform.
The Iris Aggregator Solution
At TPConnects, we’ve built Iris to solve these problems. Instead of paying for multiple tools, everything is included in one platform:
- No extra costs for automated servicing tools
- No additional training for new modules
- Click-based interface that is simple and visual
- User-friendly design that anyone can learn quickly
Want to check fares? Just click. Need to issue a ticket? One click. Want to void a ticket? It’s already on your screen, ready to change.
Fare and Baggage Details Upfront
See all penalties and rules, date change fees, no-show penalties, ticket validity, and cancellation charges, before issuing tickets. No more cryptic codes or hidden surprises.
When penalty information is clearly displayed upfront, travel agents gain a full understanding of associated costs, and agents are better equipped to avoid costly ADMs, saving time and reducing operational headaches.
Meet Trip Captain AI: Your Servicing Assistant
We are taking ticket servicing to the next level with Trip Captain AI. Coming soon to Iris. Here’s how it will work:
- Find any reservation by simply typing the passenger’s name
- Chat or speak your requirements to Trip Captain
- Get instant results and suggestions within seconds
- Continue the conversation or provide all details at once
For example, if a customer wants to change their flight date, just tell Trip Captain: “Customer John Smith wants to change his flight from March 15 to March 20.” Within seconds, you’ll see all options, fees, and can complete the change.
Real Benefits of Automation
Our automated approach delivers real results:
- Time and cost savings - Less manual work, more efficiency
- Zero debit memos - Automated calculations eliminate errors
- Transparent Penalties Upfront - showing all fees clearly before booking
- Better accuracy - Proper fare calculations every time
- Happier customers - Faster service, better experiences
NDC and Modern Retailing
The travel industry is moving toward NDC (New Distribution Capability), but this brings new challenges. It’s critical that you can service NDC tickets in a seamless way.
Our platform supports full NDC functionality:
- Multi-city and open-jaw bookings
- Additional services like meals, baggage and WIFI
- Multiple payment methods
- Book now, pay later options
- Complete post-booking automation
Why Servicing Matters More Than Booking
As explained by Altexsoft, booking a flight is only one part of the agency workflow not the largest or most complex one. Servicing the reservation can be much more challenging. This includes voiding (canceling a ticket purchase free of charge within a certain period of time), adding and changing passenger data, showing a seat map, rebooking, refunding, and more.
“Some aggregators might be offering part of the servicing but not the entire thing,” explains Stephanos Kykkotis, Director of Product at TPConnects. Sо it’s always good to look at their list of capabilities. We put a lot of emphasis on servicing, which is especially important for business travelers. If you want to exchange or refund a flight, it takes a button click. It’s not that straightforward with GDSs, for example.”
While some systems focus only on booking, we’ve built comprehensive servicing capabilities. Whether you need to void a ticket, change passenger details, show seat maps, or process refunds – everything happens with simple clicks.
How Iris Stands Apart for Air Ticket Servicing
- Some tools provide NDC content and support post-booking servicing but often require separate modules or interfaces for different tasks, and may not offer a unified, click-based experience.
- Some tools focus on global fare aggregation, but servicing is typically managed through multiple interfaces and may not offer the same level of support.
- Some offer servicing and revalidation tools, but traditional GDS systems can involve cryptic commands, separate modules, and additional fees for full post-ticketing functionality.
- Iris uniquely combines all servicing actions – voids, changes, refunds, ancillaries – into a single, intuitive platform with AI-powered support that is coming soon, no extra fees, and no complex commands. Everything is automated, visual, and integrated for agencies of any size. View all our supplier capabilities, including servicing, here.
The Bottom Line
The travel industry doesn’t need more tools – it needs better tools. Instead of juggling multiple platforms, paying separate fees, and training staff on different systems, agencies can now handle everything through one comprehensive platform.
With Iris aggregator, air ticket servicing is simple, fast, and cost-effective. No more surprises, no more complex commands, and no more frustrated customers waiting for simple changes.
The future of travel servicing is here, and it’s designed to make your life easier.
Ready to simplify your ticket servicing? Contact us today to see how Iris aggregator can transform your agency’s operations.
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