Delray Beach, FL – June 11, 2013: Hickory Global Partners (HICKORY), a strategic business alliance travel company, which provides innovative service, distribution and technology to their network of travel agency and supplier partners, announced GCL Concierge as its preferred private air travel partner. Moreover, Hickory Global Partners is the first agency group to reach an agreement with GCL Concierge, as part of its strategy to guide the industry toward greater profitability and measurable results through thoughtful innovation.
HICKORY chose GCL Concierge, the on-demand reseller of the world’s largest and most prestigious fleet of private aircraft, in part because their processes and procedures are customized to support Hickory Global Partners in particular, and the travel management community, in general. “We are pleased to offer a brand new world-class private air product to our network of agencies,” commented Chris Dane, President of Hickory Global Partners. “This exciting new opportunity furthers our track record of providing the best service and most innovative booking tools to the Hickory agency network.”
As an affiliate member of GCL Concierge, travel agents can now provide to customers instant, online fixed pricing for guaranteed best in class aircraft, coupled with the latest safety standards and avionics. This new service will result in an added revenue stream for agents, while offering customers the absolute best in private air service.
By eliminating the middleman, GCL Concierge makes it quicker and easier for agents to book private air charter. In addition, they can secure charter airliners and provide the technology to include these large airliner charters within the GDS for a seamless computerized reservation experience. “We are changing the way people search and book private aircraft,” said Jim Collins, C.E.O. of GCL Concierge. “We are committed to improving the current distribution channels for the private jet industry. In doing so, we are delivering Hickory’s global network of agents the world’s largest, safest and most luxurious fleet of business jet aircraft. Never before has this exclusive access been available to the travel management community.”
Both HICKORY and GCL Concierge place forward-thinking technology in pivotal roles in their respective business models. HICKORY offers GCL Concierge an innovative distribution channel.
Hickory Global Partner’s mission is to forge long and mutually beneficial relationships with agencies and suppliers by delivering measurable results. HICKORY provides leading-edge rate programs, products and services to travel agencies to make their businesses more efficient and profitable.
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About HICKORY – Hickory Global Partners, An INTRAVEL Company
Positioning itself as a strategic business alliance rather than a consortium, HICKORY’s unique approach focuses on return on investment for agency and supplier partners alike. HICKORY even guarantees its agency partners a positive ROI. With a suite of services including a visionary hotel incentive program, robust and one-of-a kind air program, car rental program and 24/7 support products, HICKORY is an important strategic partner to travel agencies. Proprietary, innovative tools designed to share data with agency partners allow agencies to make better, faster decisions, thus driving more revenue. These tools also enable HICKORY to aggregate bookings from agency partners. Hotelier partners gain access to a reporting platform that illustrates daily, weekly and monthly booking trends across the HICKORY network. Supplier partners also benefit from measurable results and extensive distribution and marketing opportunities across the HICKORY global network. For more information about Hickory Global Partners, visit www.HickoryTravel.com.
About GCL Concierge
As the exclusive on-demand reseller of the world’s largest and most prestigious fleet of fractional private aircraft, GCL Concierge offers fixed cost pricing for guaranteed availability on light, mid-size and heavy aircraft. GCL Concierge takes great pride in providing the world's best maintained and newest fleet of more than 700 aircraft, utilizing the most advanced avionics technology. In addition, the program offers clients the industry’s highest safety standards, guaranteed recovery in the event of delays and mechanicals, best-in-class short notice availability, accommodating to last minute changes, and flexible cancellation terms. GCL Concierge handles all types of air charter, from business jets for leisure or cross country meetings, to a 747-400 heading from Chicago to Sydney, Australia.
