New 'Bank' Provides Missing Links for Finding Cheap Airfare Deals

The work front has been decidedly busy recently and my Blog is having to take a back seat in my ‘to do’ list. Been endeavoring to assist with the publishing of a new website which is intended as a first step in building a foundation for the eventual publication of our Irish site. The Site’s Primary focus, as you will see below, is sourcing of international airfares – yep – hey if you’re outsida Ireland slipping in by air is the easiest way to go.

12 months in the making, launch delayed 3 times, the green light is finally on – it’s a go! “AirBank-travel.com hit the cyberwaves at 12.00 last night and whew – there were a few good stories created in the development of the site. The following is our press release that was issued today to mark the occasion.

Alton Bay, NH (PRWEB) June 14, 2006 -- The recent launch of AirBank-travel.com -- a new 'Bank' focused on sourcing the best international airfare deals -- is demonstrating that the goliaths of the on-line travel sites can be beaten in the market for the cheapest airfare deal by experienced agents with an intuitive feel, objectivity, old fashioned customer service, and the intelligent use of technology applied in the best interests of the consumer.

“What is the real price of a cheap airfare deal from the Internet?” asks Jeanne Crouse, President of Great Escape Travel Services and co-developer of AirBank. “How confident can Internet buyers of airfares be that they are getting the lowest airfare? Those questions were recently answered in a December 2005 investigative report by Consumer Reports' Webwatch. The report concluded that travel search engines will not always offer the lowest airfare.

“After years of booking airfares, the Webwatch results confirmed my experiences,” said Crouse. “Pricing cheap airfares can be like trying to get a fix on the height of a roller coaster at any given point in time. AirBank is a top performer against the big online travel agencies and travel search engines. We find the cheapest international airfare price -- with a flight itinerary that makes sense -- approximately 80% of the time." She added, "If AirBank cannot deliver the lowest airfare, we'll tell our clients where to find it. Our mission is to find the best airfare deals for our clients."

According to Crouse, the basis of AirBanks' success is the intuitive feel experienced agents develop in knowing where to find the 'best' cheap airfare and working on the 'inside' of the industry with the bank's blue chip supplier members. Using big volume based relationships, supplier members of the bank purchase airfares in advance for resale at substantially reduced prices.

The AirBank supplier members have deep pockets. In addition to meeting stringent performance criteria, members must purchase tickets to the value of at least $20 million annually.

Crouse went on to say that clients' confidence in AirBank stems from more than its solid foundation and results: The 'Bank' has no bias on which airline it uses, advice is objective, convoluted itineraries with multiple stopovers are simplified, airport taxes are minimized, the cheapest price is the real price and problems are sorted by real people.

"How valuable is a client's time?" Crouse asked. "The 'cheapest' flight may have 4 stopovers and take 2 days. For a few dollars more, we may find a flight that arrives the next day. The overall value to our clients is much higher."

AirBank has found its niche in the air travel market and may be a "silver bullet" for consumers. The biggest is not always the best. And while AirBank's clients are having fun traveling, they are also doing good -- all net profits from AirBank are donated to causes involved in conserving the environment and developing entrepreneurial spirit within young people.

About AirBank:
AirBank is a division of Great Escape Travel Services LLC . Jeanne Crouse, president and co-owner first entered the travel industry in 1992, is a graduate of the University of Hartford, MBA and the University of Kentucky, MFA and was honored as the first recipient of Hartford College's Businessperson of the Year award.

About WebWatch:
Consumer Reports' WebWatch is a project of Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine and ConsumerReports.org. Excerpts quoted in this release were drawn from a December 20th 2005 Webwatch report by William J.McGee entitled Do Travel Search Engines Deliver?- An examination of the Leading Sites. (http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/dynamic/travel-reports-aggregators.cfm)