Many Macedonian travel agencies offer accommodation and packages, but not air tickets. Adding air ticketing can significantly increase revenue and client loyalty.
If your agency already offers accommodation, packages, and travel arrangements — air tickets are the natural next step. Direct access to global reservation systems isn’t possible without IATA accreditation, but there’s a solution. Here’s how to find it.
Why air tickets are key for your agency
When a client books a package, someone has to book their flight too. If you don’t do it, the client goes elsewhere — and that same agent might get the whole package next time too. By adding air tickets to your offering:
- You become a one-stop shop for your clients
- You increase total revenue per client
- You build deeper loyalty — the client doesn’t have to go elsewhere
Clients value being able to finish everything in one place: accommodation, transport, air tickets. When they get complete service, they’re less likely to look for another agent for their next trip.
The problem with IATA and BSP
To issue air tickets in your own name, you need IATA accreditation. That brings:
- Bank guarantees that grow with sales volume
- Strict settlement deadlines through the BSP system
- Significant administration — a person responsible for compliance and reporting
For a small or medium agency, these costs are often unsustainable. IATA accreditation makes sense for agencies with high sales volume, but for those just starting out or with a seasonal character — the burden is too great.
The solution: sub-agent partnership
Instead of going through the entire IATA/BSP process, you can become part of an IATA-accredited consolidator’s sub-agent network. Through this partnership you get:
- Access to Amadeus GDS — without your own IATA code
- A professional booking system available to you
- Training on the system and ongoing support
- The ability to issue tickets for all major airlines
You work with your clients, keep your margin — and the consolidator carries the entire IATA/BSP infrastructure. Your agency looks professional to clients, without carrying the hidden costs of IATA membership.
What this means for your agency
With Avionet as a partner, you can start offering air tickets immediately — without investing in IATA accreditation, without bank guarantees, and without BSP administration. You get more than 15 years of air travel experience as your back-office support.
Key points
- Adding air tickets increases both client value and agency revenue
- IATA accreditation brings high costs and administrative burden for small agencies
- Sub-agent partnership offers access to Amadeus GDS without your own IATA code
- Avionet provides more than 15 years of experience as support for your agency