Maximizing Brand Power

There’s power in being part of a major brand, and American Airlines (AA) Vacations puts that power in the hands of travel agents who book its products. The company offers customizable packages to its 350 destinations in 50 countries, providing agents with the ability to take advantage of volume leverage in the form of low hotel rates, 100 percent bulk airfares, 24-hour holds on flights and low deposits.

The packager also offers activities, tours and transfers through its partnerships with destination management companies. These commissionable options are presented to travel advisors during the booking process through the agent portal, making it easy to add activities and transfers to any AA Vacations package.

As AA Vacations President Eduardo Marcos noted, the packager is “really well positioned” to offer customers access to American Airlines’ vast network, a network that continues to expand. The carrier recently started flying to Budapest, Prague and Reykjavik, and also has new routes to Latin America, he added.

Service to existing destinations is continuously being enhanced. For example, American will soon start using new 787 aircraft on flights to Cancun.

The operator’s travel agent portal was recently updated and expanded, with new content pages for almost every destination, and additions being made continuously, Marcos said. Agents can now search under multiple categories—including adults-only, adventure, beach, budget, casino, elevated amenities, golf, ski and spa—to narrow the options.

There is also a new hot deals section where the operator promotes its best prices. The entire look and feel of the site is now “fresh, modern and more responsive,” he added.

AA Vacations’ support system is strong, Marcos said. A team of salespeople is in constant contact with agents, conducting events in conjunction with tourist boards and resort partners so agents can get to know the product.

To ensure that the product remains appealing, Marcos said an experienced team of product managers is always on the road seeking out new travel options so that agents can suggest packages that will work for specific clients.

“Agents are critically important to our business, and we offer a competitive incentive program for them,” Marcos said. “We also provide many tools that make it easy to book with us and come up with the best holiday for their clients.” That compensation program includes regular promotions in conjunction with individual properties or resort groups.

The company is also adding to the marketing tools it offers to help agents sell, Marcos said. There is already a weekly email with special deals, and agents can always access sales representatives to discuss marketing needs. “We are working to get agents better self-service tools so they can market our products faster and easier,” he said.

Another benefit of working with an airline-affiliated packager is a powerful loyalty program. Members of AAdvantage, the airline’s loyalty program, “have no reason to book their vacation packages anywhere else,” he said.

Travelers get 1,000 bonus miles for every package booked, and there are regular promotions where customers can earn many more miles. And those benefits accrue on flights operated by American Airlines’ codeshare partners and its fellow members of the global Oneworld Alliance.

Agents can also get in on the mileage benefits. In fact, rewards had been limited to 25,000 miles for tax reasons, but agents can now earn more than that if they submit tax-related documentation. As an example, AA Vacations ran a promotion with AMResorts called Race for Miles where top-producing agents won a trip and competed for a share of 1 million AAdvantage miles.

“It’s not only a way for us to reward our top-producing agents, but also a way for them to become familiar with our partner resorts,” Marcos said.

Agents still unfamiliar with AA Vacations should register with the company, he added. “It’s easy to register, and we pay commission from the first booking.”

Marcos said he is bullish about the future of vacation packages and for AA Vacations in particular as it invests heavily in technology to improve the booking experience. The company has “the best network of travel professionals and the best team in the industry with many years of experience who are curating the best products,” he said.