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Post by artisans on Jan 10, 2009 13:30:54 GMT 2
Launched in the UK in January 2009, Aldi Travel have been operating in Germany, Austria & Switzerland since 2003. They are not ATOL bonded but they are covered by ABTA and all bookings are protected by a new insurance product called Supplier Failure Cover. Available only online, not all of their holidays are at ‘bargain-basement' prices. In Corfu, there are only two all-inclusive destinations, one of which is ‘Aqualand’ and the other a refurbished hotel a little distance from the sea. Their online prices vary according to demand, just like easyJet and there are a few slightly vague issues about their method of operation.
Baggage allowance varies depending on the airline being used - Disabilities or special needs should be declared before booking - Hotel transfer arrangements are not specified - Who to contact for advice in resort is less than clear -
One wonders how this latest trend will affect high street travel agents.
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Post by sthelenssaint on Jan 10, 2009 13:54:29 GMT 2
loaf, potatoes, milk ,oh and a flight to corfu please. sorry steve couldnt resist it .. john
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2009 15:45:31 GMT 2
Reading through the website this morning, I found this in there "About Aldi travel" page, which I suppose is a sort of an ATOL substitute.
Yeiamas, Chris
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Post by artisans on Jan 10, 2009 16:52:38 GMT 2
Personally , I think that there are too many missing facts to give me total piece of mind to book through Aldi.
Another booking agent does not increase availability to Corfu. Also, unless only the flights are used, Aldi's service does not help Roda.
Not knowing which tour company one is actually booking with makes me hesitate. I am not sure where Aldi fits into the equation. They are not the only supermarket now to offer holidays, but somewhere along the line these additional "agents" will be paid. Where does the extra money come from? Either holiday prices across the board increase (which we are seeing, despite the current economic situation) or someone gets a worse deal - the accommodation owners perhaps?
All in all - I am not sure that the market needs the supermarkets to take something else under their wings. It always seems that the customer is being told that they are getting a better deal but frequently it is the middlemen and the shareholders who actually benefit, while the customer and the accommodation providers get a poorer deal.
We do need more promotion for Corfu and in particular Roda. Easyjet has increased their routes this year which is great to see. Aldi is just another booking agent. If I was to book a package then I would prefer to book with a company that was ATOL registered and gave me the proper information before I paid any money.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2009 23:14:34 GMT 2
What missing facts do you refer to. Would you not say that Aldi are acting just like any other Travel Agent such as Going Places, Thomas Cook, Thomson etc etc. All they do is sell the holiday to the customer on behalf of the company. If flight only increases visits to Corfu, then surely it must in turn, subject to people booking, increase the visits to Roda. Maybe it is early days yet, and they will expand on their present resorts.
From what I can see, if one completes all details it does show that you are dealing with Thomas Cook or Thomson. Obviously I cannot say where the money comes from if any at all, but yes, I would also say something has to come out of the equation for Aldi. However, the prices are there to see, and they are not much different when booking a package compared to other Travel Agents. Although their Flight only tickets are of a better value, although not compared to some. I think the way things are going we may see the supermarket being the keyholder to many things. A number of Travel Agents have gone under in the past, as well as airlines. Maybe with their main backing of being a supermarket, things maybe better. I do not know.
I agree in total that more promotion is required for Corfu, and I one who admits that I spend a lot of time visiting different Travel Agents, talking to Airlines, and Tour Operators asking for their views, and why they do not do the Corfu route. I get many answers, some a load of rubbish, and others with fair to good reasons, to which I normally have an answer of my own. For instance, I have been on the campaign for Easyjet to fly to Corfu for the best part of 6 years or more. I am first to admit that the present route does not fall to me, but it is proof that if enough squeel, the piggys come running. There were many squeeling to Easyjet, and eventually they come up with the routes.
SFC is very similar if not equal to ATOL. You look up the reasons behind Supplier Failure Cover, and you will read that it has come into its own since the demise of airlines such as Zoom and XL, and is designed for those who in the main book independently because as you know, flight only is not covered by ATOL. Surely that has to be a bonus against the same happening to others which happen to those back in the summer.
I must emphasise, I am not advocating that Aldi will do, or can do any better than anyone else, but it appears to me that they are only acting in the same market as other supermarkets, and more importanly other Travel Agents.
Yeiamas, Chris
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Post by artisans on Jan 11, 2009 12:07:56 GMT 2
Any new operator bringing people to Corfu can only be good for the Island whether it be easyJet, Kiss or Aldi and they are all worthy of our support. Being primarily concerned with Roda there is nothing in the Aldi venture that will benefit the village. Their two destinations in Corfu are all-inclusive and, as such, visitors are unlikely to use them for a flight-only service. Unless, or until, an enterprising Roda business gets themselves included in the Aldi programme, there is likely to be little of advantage for us. Come on guys, there is a big opportunity here!
My concern is that Aldi are merely 'cherry-picking' the travel market and I wonder how they would honestly answer the question 'what business is Aldi really in?' In an age when complex conglomerates are shedding their acquisitions to concentrate on core business, is Aldi bucking the trend? I always thought that Tesco were in the grocery business and then they introduced financial services - of course, the reality is that they have always been in the money business by virtue of groceries and finance is, in fact, their core business. What about Aldi - if their core business is in groceries and household consumables, could they sell off their travel business in the face of European recession?
Roda needs long-term, committed travel operators with whom we can work to everyone's benefit. If Aldi Travel is here to stay, let's hope we can encourage someone in the village to get into bed with them.
Steve
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Post by sthelenssaint on Jan 11, 2009 12:20:17 GMT 2
totally agree steve there is some very good accomodation in roda, that to put it mildly were "let down" by tour operators, some new blood might be the catalyst to kickstart a resurgence of roda
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2009 1:18:51 GMT 2
I agree, but it as well as Aldi putting the feelers out for business, those in Roda and other resorts looking for a link up to the travel world, need to persue the matter also.
I for one am forever corresponding with old companies and new companies such as Aldi to tell them there is more scope out there and they need to put out the feelers, and suss the ground.
In my opinion, at present Aldi is doing no more than acting as a Travel Agent for many Tour Operators, and I think time will tell if it gets going. Lets face they have not failed in anything else so far.
Many other Tour Operators started of with one or two resorts, and in the AI role. Take First Choice for instance up and around Acharavi. I suppose Aldi have done this to check out the competition. If it works hopefully they will widen their lists.
Yeiamas, Chris
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