Leftcoaster
04-12-2008, 08:17 AM
I'll just cut & paste what I received:
Effective Sunday, April 13, 2008, Member Services will discontinue airline ticket and car rental reservation services in our office. Over the years, Member Services has continued to see a decline in Member interest for airline reservations due to competitive pricing offered directly by the airlines. Booking through Member Services has offered Members no pricing advantage, and while they might have shopped for ticket prices, they often booked directly with the airline. On average, only 3% of our weekly call volume is serviced by the Travel queue, with the majority of calls pertaining to Adventures by Disney or other Member Services’ functions due to Members selecting the Travel queue in error. During FY07, Member Services booked a total of 1226 airline reservations, which represents roughly 0.01% of the Member base using this service.
At the same time, we have been able to offer Members a better alternative to reserving car rental reservations. Through a partnership with National Car Rental and Alamo, Members can receive an up to 10% discount when reserving directly with National or Alamo by using a promotional code that will be made available to them. Additionally, the promotional code can be used when the Member is traveling to any destination offered by National or Alamo. This enhancement will provide Members with 24-hour access to reserve a rental car at a discounted rate from the convenience of their own home.
Effective Sunday, April 13, 2008, Member Services will discontinue airline ticket and car rental reservation services in our office. Over the years, Member Services has continued to see a decline in Member interest for airline reservations due to competitive pricing offered directly by the airlines. Booking through Member Services has offered Members no pricing advantage, and while they might have shopped for ticket prices, they often booked directly with the airline. On average, only 3% of our weekly call volume is serviced by the Travel queue, with the majority of calls pertaining to Adventures by Disney or other Member Services’ functions due to Members selecting the Travel queue in error. During FY07, Member Services booked a total of 1226 airline reservations, which represents roughly 0.01% of the Member base using this service.
At the same time, we have been able to offer Members a better alternative to reserving car rental reservations. Through a partnership with National Car Rental and Alamo, Members can receive an up to 10% discount when reserving directly with National or Alamo by using a promotional code that will be made available to them. Additionally, the promotional code can be used when the Member is traveling to any destination offered by National or Alamo. This enhancement will provide Members with 24-hour access to reserve a rental car at a discounted rate from the convenience of their own home.