How Non-IATA Travel Agents Operate

As the name suggests, non-IATA/independent travel agents are agents who are not accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA is considered to be one of the most basic resources for a travel agent because most airline bookings are done through the IATA portal.

In order to book from IATA, the travel agent must get registered with IATA as an IATA travel agent. However, it is also possible to buy and sell tickets without getting affiliated with IATA. All travel agents who do so are known as non-IATA/independent travel agents. These agents either purchase tickets from other IATA travel agencies or from the airline.

Non-IATA travel agents have had a major impact on the travel business, and their numbers have constantly grown over the years. In the traditional sense, a non-IATA travel agency basically functions by collecting orders, sending the booking to IATA travel agencies and forwarding the booked tickets to the customer.

However, traditional methods are now giving way to modern day technologies and one can make use of innovations in the non-IATA/independent travel agents market as well. With the increase in the number of non-IATA travel agents around the world, consolidators/host agencies and larger travel agencies are placing a lot of stress on getting more and more non-IATA travel agents under their umbrella.

Modern technological solutions also allow travel agents to build their business from the ground up. They can leverage basic operations, integrate ticket issuing systems, enjoy an excellent operational flow and boost their productivity. One solution that allows non-IATA/independent travel agents with such possibilities is the TTS Consolidator.

TTS Consolidator is basically a solution that enables a travel agency to take care of its ticketing business without having to get affiliated to IATA and without being forced to make any sort of changes to its way of operating.

Such solutions have become extremely beneficial and popular among agents who are not affiliated with IATA because they are extremely easy to use and flexible. They don’t require any prior knowledge of booking systems like Galileo GDS they can be accessed 24 x 7. Moreover, all the ticketing is done in real time. This helps the travel agent to eliminate the possibilities of lag time, a major worry for non-IATA/independent travel agents still working with traditional mediums.

For most parts, the non-IATA/independent travel agents market is dominated by home-based travel agents. These agents are the ones who can benefit the most from these technological innovations because solutions like the TTS Consolidator make processes really simple. They help the travel agent to eliminate the need to become an IATA travel agent and offer them with an IATA-like experience minus the hassles, financial implications, and extra processes.

A number of travel agencies were dropping out of the business and not getting affiliated with IATA because of the financial impacts of an IATA affiliation. However, with the development of such solutions, non-IATA/independent travel agents can actually operate without feeling the need for an IATA certification or increasing their dependence on IATA travel agencies.

Read also: To IATA or Not to IATA – That Is The Question

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