The SkyLink team
l-r: SkyGreece Airlines Darlene Paolucci; SkyLink President Yuvraj Data; SkyGreece's Abid Aziz & SkyLink Marketing Director Shanaz Pithawala
The busy mini-trade show scene
Enthusiastic SkyLink partners l-r: Phyllis Bissoondial & Janet Evans, Gala Travels; Linda Slater, Nerissa Slater & Daphne Fung, Janetravel & Cruise
The well attended SkyLink presentations in the Woodbine Banquet & Convention Hall's ballroom
SkyLink
wound up its annual road show in Toronto last week in a ballroom filled with
enthusiastic agent and supplier partners.
Judging by
the attendance and the energy in the room, the consolidator's theme of building
on successful relationships hit the mark.
SkyLink
President Yuvraj Data told the audience that the key to bigger success for both
his company and its agent client comes down to effective, mutually beneficial
partnerships.
Datta says
that means both sides need to find value in the relationship. How does Skylink
hold up its end?
“This
industry is so dynamic that it changes every day," said Datta. “We listen to
feedback from agents to find out how we can provide you with the best tools.
And we've added tours, cruises, transfers and packages so agents can book
product everywhere."
It's also
easier than ever to book with Skylink through its TripPro engine, now available
24/7.
A broad
range of agency and airline representatives gave Datta a big round of applause
when he ended his introduction to the evening by saying, “I love all of you!"
Judging by
the response from the agents I spoke to – the feeling is mutual. When I asked
what they liked best about SkyLink, the responses came very quickly: “Best
fares." “Rewards." “Easy." “Fast."
The numbers
back up the anecdotal evidence. Skylink bookings increased by 26% in 2014, and
the number of agencies using the company's services was up 18%, despite the
number of IATA agency locations in Canada contracting by 6% during the year.
Perhaps
most important to an agent audience is the fact that Skylink paid out 33% more
in commissions in 2014. That's a number agents can definitely relate to.
