Lee, will check into this MTEI---looks pretty intersting :-)
Check out this item on IFLY and its E-Commerce Developments
<<<<ednesday June 24, 11:24 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: 800 Travel Systems, Inc.
800 Travel Moves Forward on e-business Initiative
TAMPA, Fla., June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- 800 Travel Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: IFLY - news) announced today that their
e-business initiative has passed a critical milestone. Now that the interactive system design envisioned by management has been
fleshed out by an IBM Authorized Business Partner the company intends to move forward in implementing an interactive travel
reservation service over the Internet. It is building on its strong and growing core '800' Travel business by integrating proven
Internet technologies.
Mark Mastrini, the Company's President, commented that ''800 Travel Systems is taking an innovative approach to
conducting commerce over the Internet. We have analyzed the various solutions out in the market and determined that by
aligning our current business with Internet Technologies, we can improve our customer service, while opening our business to a
larger audience.''
Mr. Mastrini continues, ''The challenge in e-commerce is closing the sale on the web. Recent reports from Forrester
Research,'' a leading technology research firm, ''and others indicate that most Internet sales are still closed using a traditional
call center. Our approach will allow for members of our site to close the sale with an agent over the Internet. Our customers
will benefit from our advanced call center ticketing systems by means of a secured interactive chat session with a skilled agent.
The Internet will allow us to quickly gather necessary information from our members, closing the sale faster than our '800'
phone service. We hope to have a pilot program running before the end of this summer.''
Over the next few weeks 800 Travel Systems expects to finalize contracts with the technology companies that will be working
on various components of this Initiative.
800 Travel System, one of the 100 largest independent travel agencies in the United States, provides low-priced airline tickets
for domestic and international travel through its easy to remember numbers ''800-LOW-AIR-FARE'' (800-569-2473) AND
''800-FLY-4-LESS'' (800-359-4537). Consistent with its plans as announced at the time of its initial public offering 800
Travel Systems has increased the number of its agents from 110 at the date of the IPO, January 15th, 1998, to 153 agents at
the end of the 1st Quarter, to approximately 238 today, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of calls answered.
This release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of the Company. The ability of the
Company to achieve the results anticipated is dependent upon various factors discussed in its annual report on Form 1O-KSB,
including the Company's relationships with various airlines and economic conditions impacting upon the success of the airline
and industry generally.
SOU>>>> |
