Featured Press Article
Holiday Taxis Eyes in-resort Transfers - Travel weekly - 16 Dec 2002
Agents are being encouraged to sell separate components of the traditional package holiday with the launch of an in-resort taxi transfer service called Holiday Taxis. The brainchild of former Holiday Hotels executive and ex JMC commercial manager Paul Stanyer, Holiday Taxis will mean agents can sell pre-paid transfers to and from airports to customers who have already bought their flight and hotels
The trade will be given wholesale fares, allowing them access to charge their own prices depending on the destination and the distance between airports and resorts. So far Holiday Taxis has secured deals with Global Travel Group and Telewest, but is keen to work with as many trade partners as possible. Bookings can be made on the trade site at www.holidaytaxis.com. A consumer site will follow showing retail prices. Stanyer said Holiday taxis was capitalising on the boom in independent travel, but it could also be offered alongside the lates market and operators who had chosen to strip out parts of the package. He said - for a one week late deal you would pay around £150, plus £10-£20 for your ticket on departure and £5 for security tax. Then there's the option of paying £5 for a meal on the aircraft and the option of paying £15 for a transfer. The package is no longer a package.
Due to go live on January 1 initial destinations include all major Mediterranean resorts, followed by European cities, Florida and the Caribbean with ski products possible for winter 2003. Stanyer has set a bookings target of around 20,000 for the first year. We're not out to be threat to the major tour operators, we won't even be a minor irritant, he said. One way prices per taxi lead in at £24 from Majorca Airport to Magaluf, £14 from Tenerife Airport to Las Americas and £19 from Rhodes Airport to Faliraki.
