N. Van travel co. charts new course By John Goodman Contributing Writer AIR travellers continue to reap great benefits from deregulation and the open skies policies of the 90s. Ticket prices are down and the tre- quency of air travel is up with changes occurring on an almost daily basis. Cheapest flight to Paris? ‘Try Air Kazakhstan out of JFK. Cheapest flight to Houston? Whar time did you want to leave? . More than 100 new routes between Canada and the U.S. have been added in the. past year increasing capacity by 30 per cent. Vancouver's airport — is already talking about further expansion of its facilities. As part of a booming Pacific Rim economy the city gets a steady supply of business travellers and the popularity of Alaskan cruis- es draws the Icisure market. Who better to negotiate this labyrinthine network of infinite possibility than your neighborhood travel agent? . ,North Vancouver's Mer- cury Travel has operated in the Edgemont Boulevard area since 1967. They are part of Advantage Travel Centres — one‘ of Canada’s largest travel corporations with over 250 offices across “the. country. Through Advantage they are also affiliated with WIN, the Worldwide Independent Travel Network. . “The structure of the indus- uy is changing,” _ says Mercury’s Lisa Tomlinson, and the collective power of the company gives its agents a competitive edge. As an example on Sept. 1 the two major Canadian: air- lincs changed the way they do business with the nation’s 25,000 travel agents. Air Canada and Canadian placed ‘fee caps on agency commis- sions. . Prior to that date agents received 8.25 per cent from the airline for booking domestic flights (a return business-class ticket from Vancouver to Toronto would have earned - close to $200 in commission) * bur under the new rules they can make no more than $60 on a return ticket. International flights are not affected. The fee cap was not unex- pected as a similar rate was implemented in the United . States in February of last year; however, the adjustment will still have a significant impact on the Canadian travel indus- try. Agencies must find new methods to make up the differ- ence in revenues. The main way this will be achieved is through a fee-based pricing systen, “The consumer isn’t inter- ested in how the travel industry is affected. They are interested in how they will be affected,” says Tomlinson, “People do not begrudge a nominal fee when it adds to.the value.” Mercury Travel estimates they will need to generate $12,000 per year to maintain the current level. of services. Approximately 40% of their business is corporate and 60% leisure. The more lucrative cor- i porate portion helps to offset the lower costs associated with Ivisure pursuits. Costa Rica was a popular destination in 1995 while adventure travel and family all- inclusive trips are among the tends this year, Different types of travel by their very nature require different resources and “the role, of the agent is to be an unbiased researcher acting on behalf of the client,” says Tomlinson. The types of services consumers expect from an agency can run the gamut from making tee time reservations in Palm Springs, to knowing the ferry schedules in MERCURY Travel’s Lisa Tomlinson: the role of the agent is to be an unbiased researcher. affordable winter breaks Get away from B.C.'s winter and vacation in the Algarve on Portugal's southern coast! INCLUDES: * Airfare from Vancouver * 11 night apartment stay © Overnight in Amsterdam * Transfers * And more! Tl nights from *1,399 chy STAY Two Nights at $49 and the " . . 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