A new local company taking off in the Arts and Industry Estate is a concierge travel-booking company, an offshoot of Trip a Deal, itself one of the fastest growing companies in the BRW top 100 in the travel sector in Australia.
‘Phone a Flight was originally set up to service Trip a Deal by organising the flight components of the very popular Trip a Deal packages. But the market shows that people need access to a friendly voice to help navigate their travel needs outside of the specific packages offered by Trip a Deal,’ said general manager Luke O’Dwyer.
‘Trip a Deal have packages supported by volume that are very strict on the parameters offered, in order to keep prices at rock bottom. However, Phone a Flight has an opportunity to leverage Trip a Deal volume and provide great pricing for bespoke, or concierge travel.
‘When I say bespoke travel, I mean that we are able to offer variations on existing Trip a Deal packages that, for example, might be for a much smaller group such as a family, or contain some variation in the itinerary to cater for individual interests and timetables.’
The Phone a Flight service is also a very effective system for organising corporate and business travel, because Phone a Flight is able to leverage Trip a Deal volumes to get very competitive rates in the market, and then pass them on to their customers.
Even in the online environment, researching flights and accommodation can be very time consuming. ‘Time-poor people really appreciate being able to call a locally based friendly voice so that they can discuss what they would like to be part of their itinerary. Our consultants can then provide them with the various options for their consideration and a seamless booking process. Our customers can always be confident that our experience and knowledge will provide them with the best possible options for their itinerary,’ said Luke.
‘Our staff are terrific at that. The key is to understand the client’s needs and wants, and then clients can feel that everything has been organised by someone reliable, leaving them free to just turn up and experience a beautiful and enjoyable holiday,’ or be quick, safe and comfortable on their business trip.
Fashion companies, health-retreat companies and surf-retreat companies, and big sporting teams such as the Gold Coast Titans are increasingly using Phone a Flight to put together flight services that suit the experiences they offer and the itineraries they have in mind, or just to give them peace of mind that proper arrangements have been made for their corporate group or sporting team to get where they need to be.
‘Phone a Flight also offers individual tailored services to SMEs or frequent flyers, such as leisure packages that can suit the needs of anyone including car hire, accommodation, visas, advice on travel, travel insurance, and everything you need, or you can just use us solely for flight services and just get us to organise the actual flights,’ said Luke.
More info: Phone a Flight are next to the Trip a Deal premises in Wollongbar St in Byron. They welcome people dropping in to have a chat about their needs with the friendly staff, or you can call 6639 5900.
Photo (Left to Right) – Bridget Bathersby, Carley Gault, Sarah Marinatos, Vanessa Murphy, Bridget Sadler & Jodee Sydney.
Loving their work
I have only been with PhoneAFlight for a few months now, and I love the way everyone has welcomed me here, not to mention the fun work environment that we have! Our team is very supportive and encourages each other to do their best work.
I started in the travel sector in 2014 and have loved every minute of it. I’ve travelled extensively throughout Europe and South America and I’m inspired to help other people find their love for travel. – Sara Viola
After travelling through South East Asia and Europe for 18 months I spent three years working as a travel agent in Wagga, so when I moved to Lennox Head it was only a matter of time before I found work in the travel Industry. I was immediately drawn to PhoneAFlight as it was a subsidiary of TripADeal, one of the fastest-growing travel companies in Australia. Working at PhoneAFlight has been extremely rewarding. The culture and people really bring the company to life and make it a fun and vibrant place to work. – Bridget Bathersby
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