Andavo Travel CEO Talks New Mobile Tech and Home-Based Agents

Recently Andavo Travel CEO Mike Cameron visited Travel Agent’s New York offices to talk the host agency’s new mobile technology offerings and the changing state of home-based travel agents. 

Building on the company’s Advisor Care platform, which launched last year, Andavo’s new Airportal 360 mobile app allows agents to view their clients’ locations and itineraries on their mobile devices. 

RELATED: Andavo Travel Introduces New AdvisorCare Technology System

With Airportal 360, agents can use their mobile devices to view the locations of all their clients on a map, along with real-time warnings and disaster notifications. 

“If an agent isn’t at home and they hear about a situation somewhere in the world, they can look at it on a map on their mobile device,” Cameron said. 

Airportal 360 also offers the ability to view the itineraries for both present and future travelers, view traveler contact information and email a client their itinerary with a press of a button. The “email itinerary” button was a commonly requested feature by agents, Cameron said. 

The new mobile portal was helpful during the recent Malaysia Airlines disaster, said Cameron. “While we did not have anyone on that flight, we did have somebody on Malaysia Airlines in that country at the time,” Cameron said. “We were able to see that on the system and get in touch with them.”

airportal 360 mobile platformThe Changing Shape of Host Agencies

Andavo is also rolling out a new website with a tighter focus, Cameron said. 

“Previously we had had a consumer-facing website, but we’re a host agency,” Cameron said. The new website is entirely host agency-focused, encompassing Andavo’s offerings for home-based travel agents, independent contractors who rent desk space at Andavo offices and hosted brick-and-mortar agencies. 

“We have found that independent contractors look for five main things from a host agency,” Cameron said. “A connection to a consortia; buying power; technology; support with technology, accounting and marketing; and a community.”

The new website highlights these qualities in Andavo Travel, Cameron said, showcasing offerings like Andavo Mart, Travel Week and an online community Cameron likened to an “internal Facebook” for Andavo agents. 

“We’re seeing more and more independent contractors, because people don’t want to take care of the overhead,” Cameron said, noting that airlines also look more favorably on independent contractors. “That’s why we’ve migrated from a consumer-facing to a host agency – we can build the platform and agents can bring the clients to us.”

Visit www.andavotravel.com