March 2005

Experts can cut cost of flights

Business travellers can now access the best flight deals and slash the costs of booking their trips by going on-line with a Leamington based company.

Instead of having to surf the net themselves, companies can save both time and costs by logging onto the website, www.merlinonline.net, of Leamington based Travel Management Group (TMG).

David Moore, TMG's Director of Business Travel, said the new service would enable clients to book no-frills airlines and to take advantage of TMG's own low-cost Wizard fares on-line.
"Our staff use their expertise to source the best deals and find lower-cost options and then put them on our Merlin on-line website," he said.

Mr Moore said there was increasing demand from clients for on-line booking, as it allowed much more flexibility.
"In the days of instant travel requirements, business people can make their last-minute bookings on-line while sitting in a taxi or waiting at the airport."

TMG, whose clients include Volvo, Chelsea FC and Arsenal, is one of the largest independent travel organisations in the country.
Volvo Truck and Bus has been using the company for 14 years.
Purchasing director Ian Walker said: "We have eight trading companies on this site, and to save money and avoid wasting time, our employees are encouraged to use Travel Management.
"We tell them what our travel requirements are and they always come back with the best recommended routes and airlines."
Most TMG clients have a travel policy which can govern anything from who are the preferred suppliers to what class of hotel a certain employee can be booked into and how much that person can spend.

The company hope to provide a similar on-line system for booking rail travel, hotels and cars later this year.

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