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Additional Information
Survey data was collected through the 2011 ASTA Research Family. The ASTA Research Family is comprised of a representative sample of ASTA member travel agency owners and managers. The Research Family reflects ASTA members in key agency demographics including sales volume, leisure/business mix, number of part-time and full-time employees and geographic location. Members of the Research Family were recruited randomly and were contracted to complete at least seven out of nine surveys every four to five weeks from January 2011 through November 2011. The Family’s size varies from survey to survey due to non-response, agency closings, mergers and changes in membership status, but is designed to yield a response representative of all ASTA agency members. References to (travel) agencies in this report pertain to ASTA member agencies only.The survey data was collected online via www.surveygizmo.com in May 2011. 391 of the 472 family members, completed the survey. This reply level indicates a minimum of 95% confidence with an error rate +/-4.6% representing the total ASTA agency membership. This is considered to be a good sample with reliable results.
- Introduction
- Executive Summary
- 75% of Agencies Used a GDS in 2011
- Between 1999 and 2011 Agencies Using a GDS Has Dropped 23 Percentage Points
- Shift Between 2001 and 2010 in Share of Air Sales by Firm Size Consistent with Movement of Small Leisure Away from GDS Use
- GDS Users
- GDS Share and Usage
- The Sabre System Has Largest Share of ASTA GDS Users
- Market Share per GDS Has Fluctuated with Sabre Seeing the Most Sustained Growth in Share
- Each GDS Has a Very Different Mix of Agencies When Broken Out By Company Size
- Business Model Mix Is Different for Each GDS
- Two-Thirds of Agencies Have Used the Same GDS for 16+ Years
- The Agency-GDS Relationship Is Very Stable with 19 Years Being the Average Length of GDS Usage
- Very Few Agencies Changed GDS Provider in the Past Three Years of Tracking
- The Few Agencies That Did Change GDS Mostly Changed to Amadeus
- Most Agencies Do Not Use an Additional GDS
- In the Late 2000’s a Trend Seemed to be Building for Having a Second GDS - That Has Stopped Now
- Most ASTA Agencies Contract Directly for Their GDS with Only a Small Percentage Contracting Through a Host
- Agencies Most Likely to Book Air and Car Rental Using Their GDS
- Bookings and Booking Tools
- Percentage of Bookings through GDS Decreased for All Segments
- Most Agents Occasionally Check GDS Prices Against Those Found on the Internet
- Most Agencies Do Not Use any Online Booking Technology with their GDS
- Agencies Seeing Increased Bookings in 2011 Larger Percentage than Those Seeing a Decrease - First Time in Several Years
- Contract Characteristics
- “No-minimum” Pricing Plans Remains Dominate in 2011
- Pricing Plans Vary Widely Based on GDS Used
- 42% of Agencies Using Productivity or Fixed Monthly Pricing Have a “Minimum-use” Clause
- Very Few Agencies Fall Below Contracted Monthly Bookings with Many Not Having a Minimum Monthly Goal at All
- 3-Year Contracts Remain Most Popular - Although % Share has Dropped Since 2005
- Most Agencies Do Not Receive Incentive for Re-Signing
- Agencies Most Likely to Have Itinerary Invoicing as a Product Included in Their Contract
- Incentives, Credits & Costs
- 67% of Agencies Can Receive an Incentive or Credit based on Their Contract
- Agencies Using Sabre and Amadeus Most Likely to Have a Contract That Includes Credits or Incentives
- 63% of the Agencies with Credits/Incentives in their Contract Must Exceed a Specified Number of Bookings to Get Credits/Incentives
- Sabre Users More Likely Dependent on Hitting a Certain Booking Level to Receive Incentives and/or Credits
- Annually the Largest Segment of Agencies Receive Very Little Revenue from GDS
- Over 80% of Agencies Pay Under $1,000 Annually for Their GDS – 46% Paid No Fees at All
- Only a Small Segment of Agencies Make Revenue from their GDS Credits/Incentives
- Many Larger Agencies Receive Net Revenue from Their GDS– But Some Smaller Agencies Also Do Well
- Agencies Using Travelport GDSs More Likely to Make $20,000+ from Credits and/or Incentives
- Most Agencies Receives Credits Per Segment in the $1 Range
- Revenue from GDS Incentives/Credits Drops in 2011 as a Percentage of Total Revenue
- Selecting and Negotiating
- Value of Functionality Increases While Many Other Factors Rated Less Important Than in 2010
- Most Agencies Negotiate GDS Contract without Assistance or Networking
- 61% of Agencies Plan to Renew Their Current GDS Contract When It Expires
- GDS Satisfaction
- Ease of Booking Still Primary Reason for Renewing GDS Contract
- Satisfaction with GDS Content Varies Based on Segment as Expected
- The Percentage of Agencies Rating Content “Very Satisfied” Drops Across All Travel Categories between 2008 and 2011
- Higher Percentage of Sabre Users “Very Satisfied” with their GDS Content for Most Travel Categories
- The Largest Group of Agencies Are “Somewhat Satisfied” Customers
- GDS Non-Users
- Most of the Current Non-GDS Agencies Did NOT Use a GDS in the Past
- Dropping ARC Accreditation Is a Primary Reason for Dropping Their GDS
- Non-GDS Agencies Depend on Phone, Supplier Sites, and Online Booking Tools
- Appendix 1 – 2011 Research Family Demographics
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