PARSIPPANY, N.J. -- Galileo arranged for subscribers in the U.S.
and Canada to contract with AgentWare for access to Web fares from
33 Internet sites.
WebPoint, the Web fare solution that comes to Galileo agencies
through Galileo's preferred agreement with screen-scraper
AgentWare, complements Galileo's recent Preferred Fares program,
which put US Airways' fares directly into the GDS.
Unlike the Preferred Fares program, Galileo agents will have to
pay for Web-fare access through WebPoint.
An AgentWare spokesman said it offers numerous promotional deals
for partners, but the standard contract is a $1,500 setup fee, and
$35 per month for each terminal.
Marcie Verdin, Galileo's vice president of marketing in the
Americas, said Galileo's preferred deal with AgentWare guarantees
at least 10% off retail pricing and "the best pricing
available."
Subscribers access the WebPoint feature by clicking on the
WebFares Shopping tool.
WebPoint has been added to Galileo's Faring Tools product, which
retrieves private and published fares.
Galileo agencies that sign up for WebPoint can search up to 30
sites of the 33 that AgentWare scrapes simultaneously.
With WebPoint, the bookings take place on the supplier or
intermediary's Web site. Agencies can place the search results into
a PNR for auditing and generating reports.
The AgentWare spokesman said WebPoint doesn't scrape the Web
sites of American or Orbitz, which have sought to close their doors
to screen-scrapers.
Galileo began beta-testing WebPoint in June, with 40 agencies
participating.
It also began a pilot Web-fare program with TRX geared toward
corporate clients.
Verdin of Galileo said the company is still talking to TRX about
its so-called midoffice solution, which searches for better
Internet pricing after a booking is made.
While WebPoint is available in North America, Galileo said it
plans to introduce the product to other markets in early 2003.