How school tour operators can save time and money on group flights
Organising a school trip abroad can be tricky. When you have students, teachers and chaperones all hoping to travel together, coordinating a large group takes a lot more strategic planning.
Booking group flights is one of the more complex parts of organising a school trip.
You have to think about ground transport, departure airports, seat availability, changing passenger numbers, deadlines and deposits, all whilst staying within budget.
That’s a lot to contend with.
As a school tour operator, you may understand the complex nature of arranging these educational experiences. However, we’re here to share our tips on how you can save more time and money on group flights, so you can ensure the best possible trip for your customers, for the best price.
Start planning group flights as early as possible
Once you've had an initial enquiry from a school and you’ve discussed where and when they would like to travel, you are ready to begin planning the group flights, even if it feels too early in the booking process.
The earlier you can start looking at flights, the more time and flexibility you will give yourself to find the best deals, make changes and meet all payment deadlines. This can be particularly important for popular destinations and peak travel periods.
Ideally, you need to give yourself nine months to secure the best possible flights, but if you have enough information to start looking even earlier than this, many airlines will release their flight schedule 12 months in advance.
By giving yourself as much time as possible, you can find the best and most cost-effective solution for your customers.
Look beyond the headline airfare
The temptation is to secure the cheapest seats in order to offer the most affordable package to your customers.
However, the cheapest individual fare isn't necessarily the cheapest solution for a school group. Availability, flexibility, baggage, changes and group conditions all affect the real cost and convenience.
A slightly higher fare with better group conditions could actually help you save money, as well as time spent on administrative tasks. With that in mind, you need to assess:
Checked and cabin baggage and additional costs
Seat allocation and whether this costs extra
Taxes and fees
Costs to make changes, such as passenger names
Deposits and payment deadlines
Cancellation terms
Transfers between airports
Overnight stays caused by unsuitable schedules
By assessing these key factors at the beginning of the flight booking process, you can choose the most convenient flights for the best fare.
Consider all peak and off-peak options
School travel has predictable pressure points. Ideally, these trips are organised outside of school hours, for example at weekends or during school breaks. However, peak times like Easter, summer, half term or Christmas can make group flights far more expensive.
Availability also becomes a challenging part of the equation during peak seasons.
As a result, it can be better to encourage schools to use alternative airports, departure times or routing options where possible, rather than relying on one preferred flight.
Avoiding peak times can also hugely reduce the cost of seats, though this will be up to the discretion of the school and will be impacted by factors such as the age of the pupils and the purpose of the trip.
Work with a group flight specialist
Group bookings are different from booking dozens of individual tickets, and when arranging a school trip, dedicated group fares can be absolutely necessary to streamline logistics and cut costs.
This is why it can be beneficial to work with a group flight specialist like BTB Travel Management. Group flight specialists like this will understand:
Group allocations
Airline group policies
Ticketing and deposit deadlines
Passenger-name list requirements and name change rules
Group payment structures
Not only this, but they will have strong existing relationships with some of the world’s biggest airlines. This can help you to see even bigger savings on group airfares.
Reduce the hidden cost of administration
As a busy school tour operator, time is money. Managing group flights requires you to:
Search flights
Request availability
Compare options
Deal with airlines
Secure seats
Collect passenger details
Make amendments
Meet deadlines
And that is before you've even considered ground transportation, accommodation and educational activities. It is the time spent on these administrative tasks that can really cost you and, as a result, your customers.
The hours you spend managing each booking are precious. Working with a group flight specialist can reduce the number of tasks your team has to manage internally and make this part of the process much easier.
The less research, administration and deadline management your team has to do, the more you can save on administrative costs. Savings you can pass on to your customers.
Working with BTG Travel Management
Is your team looking to make your next school group flights easier to find and manage?
At BTG Travel, our expert team of group flight specialists has over 20 years’ experience in the industry, along with well-established relationships with some of the world’s biggest airlines, including BA, Emirates, China Southern, KLM and Aviance.
So, if you’d like help booking group flights for a school trip, get in touch today to discuss your requirements and get an obligation-free quote.