Our Track Record

31.12 '09 Comtec and Pharos succeed in Eurostar link for Thomas Cook

Comtec

Thomas Cook’s Globe project reached a significant milestone recently with the launch of automated Eurostar reservations.

Taking advantage of Comtec’s Travelink tour operator solution and the Pharos Xchange connectivity service for Eurostar bookings, Thomas Cook operations now benefit from the unique, fully integrated, flexible interface to the rail operator.

Embracing fully resilient systems for both online sales and call centre, reservations can now take advantage of Rail Inclusive Tour fares, all classes of fare, flexible ticket options and seat assignment. In addition itineraries may include over 100 destinations known as Eurostar Connections in France, Belgium, The Nederlands, Germany and Switzerland including TGV and other SNCF services.

The technology solution enables Thomas Cook to meet the demand for their very popular Cresta holidays to Disneyland which take advantage of Eurostar services. It is planned to add support for other Thomas Cook brands within the Globe project to take advantage of this new link to increase the success and benefits available to business from their important partnership with Eurostar.

The Travelink solution was delivered to Thomas Cook by Comtec in a very short timescale, taking advantage of the collaboration agreement formalised sometime ago between Pharos and Comtec for Eurostar, Eurotunnel and Ferry reservation services.

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21.12 '09 Ferries more in Greece

Our continuous development of Xchange services has led to increased support of Greek ferry operators.

This has been made possible in partnership with FORTHcrs, the dominant ferry sector IT supplier in Greece, the most dense ferry services sector anywhere.

Comprehensive FORTHcrs solutions are in use at over fifty operators, in addition to IT installations at agents, so we have great confidence in working with them to extend Xchange coverage.

Ferry lines added with international routes are Agoudimos, Endeavor, European Seaways, Montenegro and Ventouris.

The biggest operator, Blue Star Ferries, with around 700 routes and about 20% of the Greek domestic market, is also added. Blue Star is sister operator to Superfast, which together with Minoan means our online integrated support there now totals eight operators.

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16.12 '09 Passenger Shipping Association

PSA

As a connectivity company it is vital we are well connected !

Recently Pharos became an Associate Member of the PSA, the 50 year old, unique, not-for-profit organisation based in London and representing sea travel internationally and particularly in Western Europe and the UK.

The 14 Ferry Section Members, most of them Pharos clients and partners, regularly attend the association’s meetings, conferences and industry events.

The PSA successfully cultivates strong press relations on behalf of its Members and industry. Increasingly this influences sea travel as a passenger choice, for example through their Sail and Drive campaign.

We are now much better connected !

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23.06 '09 Vertical Group joins in, moves up

We are pleased to welcome the Vertical Group to our growing band of Xchange clients, to take advantage of our Eurostar, Eurotunnel and ferry reservation services.

Like many other Xchange users, they are a ‘second generation technology organisation’. Having already established themselves in online ferry reservations, with experience their needs became more discerning for a tailored solution to match their market aims, independence in their online links to suppliers of ferry and rail services and to be able to create their own markets. These were the factors in selecting Xchange.

Vertical, quoted as the longest established and largest providers of technology to the UK travel industry, whose clients include the Freedom Travel Group and Advantage Travel Centres, will make the service available to clients through multiple channels.

In the initial stage Vertical will utilise our flexible Internet Booking Engine, incorporating secure payments direct to bank and providing complete hand-off links to back office systems.

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06.02 '09 Comparison site specialist on board

Ferryonline

We are pleased to announce new client Grovelawn Internet Services Ltd has become the latest user of our Xchange reservations service.

Grovelawn are a well established company specialising in comparison web sites and offer a wide range of travel and insurance sites.

Their activities embrace ferry reservations and will shortly feature ferry operators around the UK supported by our Xchange service.

This will allow consumers to easily and swiftly find their ideal route, itinerary, price and operator to suit their needs.

Later, Grovelawn plan to expand by creating similar continental web site ferry reservation services, so benefiting from the extensive number of ferry operators in central Europe already available via Xchange.

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31.01 '09 Irish Sea Trade Boost

Travel Solutions Belfast

We recently welcomed our new client Travel Solutions of Belfast, a major agency and tour operator active in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, to our expanding group of Xchange users.

Amongst their many specialist promotions, themes, events and tours, they are a well established ferry agent, working with P&O Irish Sea on the Scottish routes and Norfolkline on their Dublin and Belfast routes.

The ferry activities will shortly be made available online via our Xchange reservation service at www.travel-solutions.co.uk, in anticipation of growth from existing and new business areas.

Travel Solutions have opted to use our Webster Internet Booking Engine for the booking facility. Webster meets the complex needs of their wide variety of users, including members of Closed User Groups, subagents and affiliates, as well as retail consumers in both countries, with support of euro and Sterling payments.

In addition to our enthusiasm in working with Travel Solutions we have a sense of déjà-vu: they are a user of the Tourplan system, a previous partner organisation that we are pleased to be working with once again.

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12.01 '09 Short Breaks – Ferries and Eurotunnel join Eurostar

Shortbreaks

Short Breaks Ltd, our long standing tour operator client, have just celebrated 10 years of success and are developing and extending their business activities.

With accolades such as ‘Best Eurostar Branded Website’ (Eurostar Sales Awards), and ‘Favourite European Short Breaks Operator (by the Evening Standard Travel Awards), Short Breaks is very successful and well established as a Eurostar city breaks operator.

Recently we have collaborated with them to extend their activities further, branching out into Self Drive Holidays and breaks in France, Belgium and to Disneyland® Paris with ferry operators including P&O Ferries, Eurotunnel and others.

‘This development takes advantage of our proven success in breaks to the same region and our intimate knowledge of attractions, events and hotels’ noted Tony Cancelliere, responsible for the venture at Short Breaks. ‘The Self Drive options complement our existing Eurostar program with a selection of very good value holidays, which are particularly attractive in today’s economy’.

Due to the Pharos interface technology and Xchange reservations service, our client was able to incorporate the new reservations easily and without upheaval to operations.

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Brittany Ferries Brings Pharos On-board as Reservation System Partner

Brittany Ferries travel trade clients can look forward to enhanced selling opportunities following a recent long term agreement between Pharos Datacom and Brittany Ferries. Under the agreement Pharos will extend the scope and functionality of online access to the Brittany Ferries reservation system, providing simpler and more versatile options for tour operators, online travel agencies, intermediaries and other resellers integrating ferry bookings into their own sales processes.

A Web Services XML interface will enable clients and their technology providers to integrate ferry bookings with the Brittany Ferries reservations system for their own Web based sales applications. The new interface complies with the international XML standard for ferry bookings created by the TTI (Travel Technology Initiative).

Another stage of the agreement between the two companies is the enhancement of the traditional UNICORN service offered by Brittany Ferries, facilitating the use of IP connections in addition to the conventional X25 access.

The options offered by the new channels will create more efficient and versatile booking services for Brittany Ferries travel trade partners, and lead ultimately to increased trade bookings and improved user satisfaction.

"We have been implementing Web Services successfully for many years as a reliable and flexible basis for providing ferry bookings services for the travel trade. This was a major contributing factor to the confidence shown in us by Brittany Ferries in awarding this business critical service to Pharos", noted Alan Warburton, Managing Director, Pharos Datacom.

Andy Richings, IT Manager at Brittany Ferries added :

"This service will significantly improve our trade reservations efficiency and enable us to give a better service to our trade partners. We look forward to more efficient bookings and increased volumes particularly through Web Services integrated links to client systems. We have worked successfully with Pharos as a technology partner for over a decade."

The work of the TTI standards organisation and its collaboration with its international, US based, counterpart, OpenTravel, is of critical importance to the global passenger ferry sector.

General Manager of the TTI (Travel Technology Initiative), Mick Mott commented:

"The ferry XML standard was developed as a collaborative project and we are delighted that it continues to be taken up by the industry. It once again demonstrates that competing organisations can cooperate together for a common goal."