FAQ:


Objective
The goal of our PAL service is to provide travel agencies an alternative means to purchase consolidator fares. This is simply a faster and easier method to the alternative of physically calling the consolidator. This system does not have hold times, working hours, busy signals, communication barriers, or misquotes due to fare rules, etc. This system is fast, easy-to-use, reliable, open 24 x 7 and designed to save you time and become as profitable as you can be.

System Capabilities
Our system is designed to work with multiple GDS and we continue to stress and expand our R&D efforts to accommodate new features and continually enhance our systems. Several of our technologies are patent-pending and have provided the industry with tremendous insight as to how to validate, price, and book consolidator fares.

Even though the system provides greater access and reliability, it is not intended to completely transition your interaction from phone to Internet. At Patheo we recognize the importance of human interaction as part of customer service and total customer satisfaction. As comprehensive as this technology is, there are still limitations demonstrating the need and importance of human interaction.

Our system can price any point-to-point and double open-jaw itinerary that the consolidators load in our database. It can book any point-to-point and double open-jaw itinerary, except when a feeder airline is involved. For example, our system can price an Air New Zealand fare from Roanoke to London on April 3, 2001, but our system cannot book this fare because the passenger must go on Delta from Roanoke to New York and board the Air New Zealand flight from New York to London. We prompt you when a fare cannot be booked through our system and give you the capability to either call that consolidator or send E-mail and you will have a response within hours. We cannot price or book stopovers, around the world, multi-stops, and tours at this time.

Frequently Asked Questions
These are questions that many of our travel agencies have asked and are relevant to the use and understanding of this service. If you are a first-time user, we highly recommend reading the information below.

Who is Patheo?
Patheo is the technology partner that has enabled consolidators to perform business over Internet. All fulfillment is done by the consolidator directly.

What does this service cost?
Our normally discounted rate is $19 a month for each log-in & password. We recommend that each agent within a travel agency get their own log-in and password so each agent can maintain their own profile and track their own client bookings through the system. If you a larger travel agency, your company can qualify for a group discount. Please contact our sales group at 310-787-8778 or travelagents@Patheo.com .

How many consolidators are participating?
Over 25 consolidators currently work with Patheo. Not all of our consolidators participate on this mall site. We have made an effort to select only those consolidators that can meet certain service levels for our travel agencies. If you would like a consolidator to be added to this mall, simply ask the consolidator to contact our sales group at 310-787-8778 or consolidators@Patheo.com .

Each consolidator has different policies. How do I know which consolidator to buy from?
Next to each consolidator’s name is a "Rules" link that tells you what the consolidator's policies are. Please view these rules before you purchase from the consolidator. Many of your questions can be answered by simply viewing the rules page.

How much do I mark-up?
The fares quoted are net fares and you can add whatever mark-up you like.

Do the fares quoted include taxes?
No. The fares listed on the first page are net fares only. Taxes, surcharges, and shipping and handling fees are itemized and shown on the last screen before the PNR is created.

Who ships the tickets?
The consolidator.

When are the tickets issued?
They are normally issued within 2-3 days after the payment has clear ed. This is listed on the "Rules" page next to the consolidator’s name.

Are the fares guaranteed?
Some consolidators offer a fare guarantee. Meaning, if you book a fare with a consolidator that offers a fare guarantee, the consolidator will honor that fare even in the case of a discrepancy if payment is received within the stated number of days. Fare guarantees range from 2-4 days depending upon the consolidator. This is listed in the rules page next to the consolidator’s name.

Where do I mail checks?
Checks have to be mailed directly to the consolidator. The address will be displayed at the end of the booking process. In the near future, instead of mailing checks, you will be able to send it electronically. The details will follow in the next few weeks. In the meantime, all payments have to be sent directly to the consolidator.

Can I pay using the customer’s credit card?
Yes. This is the most widely used form of payment.

Who is the merchant on the credit card?
The consolidator or the airline. In either case, the consolidator processes the payment.

Do I have to fax a signed copy of the passenger's credit card and valid picture ID?
Some consolidators require the passengers signature, while others do not. This is listed in the "Rules" page next to the consolidator’s name.

Can I pay with a third-party credit card?
Some consolidators allow this, while most do not. This is listed in the "Rules" page next to the consolidator’s name.

Can I pay for tickets with my American Express, Visa, or Mastercard Corporate Card?
This would be considered a third-party credit card transaction which some consolidators may allow, while most do not. This is listed in the "Rules" page next to the consolidator’s name.

Is the system reliable?
Yes. The system is reliable, although exceptions may occur. Unlike a published fare, this is a very complex system in which data is passed through four different entities when making a single reservation (Patheo, CRS, the Consolidator, and the airline). Even though the data is transferred through several channels, the system is very reliable and the error rate is minimal. On occasion, a booking may not go through. In these instances an order number is displayed and you are notified of the status of your booking within 24 hours by the consolidator. There are several reasons a booking may not get confirmed immediately. Here are examples of th e most common ones:

• The CRS connection was temporarily interrupted
• The specific class of service became unavailable since the last update of the reservations system. This can be caused by the lack of direct access in certain CRS sytems.

How are the fares sorted?
The fares are sorted by price from lowest to highest.

Are all the fares shown available?
No, you must select a fare and check its availability. Unlike a published fare, a consolidator fare is highly restricted and a number of rules must be checked in order to display its availability.

What if the fare I choose is not available?
You can:

• Change the itinerary date
• Select another fare from the list
• Generate an automated e-mail request to the consolidator and you will have a response within 24 hours (this capability will be available November 13) 

Many international carriers do not depart from smaller cities. How does your system handle multi-airline itineraries (feeders)? Are consolidator fares available from any departure city to any destination city?
Many international carriers fly from just a few gateway cities in the US and have certain routing requirements to accommodate passengers departing from offline cities. You can still search these fares through our system, however, online booking capability may be limited. In such instances, you will see the accurate fare from origin to destination, however, you will be prompted to call the consolidator or send an e-mail to book the itinerary and you will receive a response to your request within 24 hours.

Do you have domestic fares?
Consolidator fares are mostly sold for International travel. However, several of our consolidators do have a limited number of domestic fares. Over time you will see a greater number of domestic fares sold through this consolidation channel.

After I book, can I see the PNR in my CRS?
No, the PNR resides in the consolidator’s CRS.

How do I view the bookings I have made through the system?
We provide our member travel agencies with a unique product called Instamanage. Instamanage can be accessed through your browser after you login by clicking on "Manage Bookings ". Instamanage provides you with complete details and status for all your bookings that you have made with our system. Instamanage also provides you with a message system with a time stamp and history of all messages you have sent and received to the consolidator. The message system is reliable and eliminates any verbal miscommunications.

Can I cancel a booking?
You can only cancel a booking when its status is still "New". Otherwise all cancellations must be made directly with the consolidator via the message system or by phone. Penalties may apply depending on the fare rules which are displayed at the time of booking. 

Can I make a change on a booking?
All changes must be made directly with the consolidator via the message system or by phone. Penalties may apply depending on the fare rules which are displayed at the time of booking.

Who do I call in case of disputes?
All disputes must be communicated to the consolidator directly. Patheo has made every effort to only allow credible and reliable consolidators to be a part of this service. You can also inform Patheo in case of a dispute and we will record your complaint and try to help in resolving the matter.

Please contact us at support@Patheo.com if you have any questions.

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