Atlas Travel International Airfares Price 21% to 64% Lower Than National Averages

MILFORD, Mass., May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Airfare is on the rise, but Atlas Travel International has kept prices 21% to 64% lower than national averages and year-over-year analysis shows Atlas Travel has kept fares 8% to 17% lower than national average. Some of the key reasons for this price difference include:

-- Seasoned travel counselors are able to find good fares
-- High online booking adoption reduces average ticket price
-- Use of BookingBuilder -- robotic Internet airfare finding and
rebooking tool
-- Integration of consolidator fares
-- Research on alternate city/airport search
-- Atlas' affiliation with BCD Travel
-- Possible influence of shuttle fares

"Business travel is an important component of a companies' overall sales strategy and with the ever tightening economy, the savings that we are able to deliver to our customers is increasingly important," explained Elaine Osgood, president of Atlas Travel International.

Atlas Travel International Airfares Price 21% to 64% Lower than National
Averages

Month Type Percentage Atlas is
Lower Per Trip per Per Travel GPA
Topaz
March Domestic US 21% Lower 24% Lower
International 28% Lower 49% Lower
April Domestic US 22% Lower 22% Lower
International 49% Lower 64% Lower

Year over Year Analysis Shows Atlas Travel International Has Kept Fares 8% to

17% Lower than National Average

2007 Atlas Ticket Prices compared to 2008

Month Type Atlas Fares Atlas Average Price Increase/Decrease
Per Trip in compared to 2008
2007
March Domestic US $ 400.54 2.8% Increase in 2008 (Nat'l avg.- 17%
2007 Increase*)
International $ 2,076.55 1.2% Decrease in 2008 (Nat'l avg.- 19%
Decrease*)
April Domestic US $ 413.96 0.4% Decrease in 2008 (Nat'l avg.- 15%
2007 Increase*)
International $ 1,926.26 9.8% Increase in 2008 (Nat'l avg.- 17%
Increase*)

2008 Ticket Prices

Month Type Atlas Fares Topaz National Travel GPA National
Per Trip Average Per Trip Average Per Trip

March Domestic US $ 411.74 $ 521 $394.86
2008 International $ 2,051.87 $ 2,875 $1474.76
April Domestic US $ 412.33 $ 530 $410.83
International $ 2,116.18 $ 4,184 $1516.87

Topaz Data from http://etopaz.com/benchmarking.html

Travel GPA numbers from Prime Numbers: https://www.travelgpa.com/travelgpa/index.html

About Atlas Travel International, Inc.:

Atlas Travel International is a full-service, $65 million dollar travel agency serving corporate, vacation and meeting travel needs. Honored as a leading business in New England and a leader in the travel industry, Atlas is headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts and has offices throughout the New England region. More information about Atlas Travel International is available on the Web at http://www.atlastravel.com/ or by calling 1-800-776-9817.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Atlas Travel International, Inc.

CONTACT: Kate Koziol, CTC of K Squared Communications, Inc.,
+1-773-412-6840, kkoziol@ksqrd.com for Atlas Travel International, Inc.

Web site: http://www.atlastravel.com/

2008-05-30 07:05:00 0373539 PRNEWSWIRE