How to open air and railway ticket offices. How to open a ticket sales point

Useful tips

Currently, one can observe a trend of increasing popularity of air and rail transportation services. Of course, organizing a service that allows you to sell both air and train tickets is clearly not a new idea, but modern conditions has good prospects, as experts note that in the future the demand for tickets will most likely continue.

The demand for railway tickets is also growing due to the introduction of new services by Russian Railways, in particular, the possibility of online ticket booking. Such a service became possible as a result of the influence of scientific and technological progress, when it began to be created remote access end users to many services and products. However, it is worth noting that the official online booking service is still imperfect in cases where it is necessary, for example, to send luggage in a baggage car or transfer pets. Also problems with electronic registration may also arise for employees of companies going on a business trip, since in order to prepare an advance report it is necessary to present a paper ticket. Of course, the control coupon provided when purchasing a ticket online, in accordance with Order No. 322 of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated August 21, 2012, is a document of strict accountability, but for now many company accountants may refuse to accept it based on conservative images. Naturally, the service will gradually improve and subsequently online booking will be a complete 100% replacement for purchasing paper tickets. Actually, therefore, when opening a ticket office for the sale of railway tickets, it is worth thinking about further expansion of services, in particular, the introduction of sales of air tickets, as well as cooperation with travel companies.

Statistics show that today a considerable number of people agree to buy train tickets at a slightly more expensive price at commercial ticket offices, as this will allow them to avoid long standing in queues, that is, in fact, people are willing to pay extra for more comfortable conditions, since many ticket offices offer a ticket delivery service the address specified by the client.

Methods for opening a railway ticket office

In principle, there are two main ways to carry out the activity of selling railway tickets:

Concluding an agency agreement with JSC Russian Railways;
Concluding a subagency agreement with an existing agent.

For a young company, conclude agency contract extremely difficult due to high requirements in terms of equipping the box office, training employees, providing reporting, and the mandatory purchase of a certain number of tickets. The cost of the organizational stage will be about 6.5 thousand dollars, while this stage will include:

Accreditation;
Purchasing a specialized printer;
Completion of training courses for cash desk employees.

Concluding a subagency agreement for a start-up company is more preferable, since the requirements of agents, although also mandatory, are much easier to fulfill. The price of the organizational stage in this case will be approximately 5 times less than when concluding a direct agency agreement. It is worth noting that today some agents provide the opportunity to register online.

Working with agents is possible in two formats:

Depository settlements;
Credit line.

Naturally, with unfamiliar partners who do not have a significant business reputation, most likely, cooperation will take place in a depository format, when the money will need to be transferred to the agent before making a purchase, so it is necessary to provide for the availability Money on the organization's account.

Point of sale equipment

In fact, to open a railway ticket office you will need a room with an area of 45-50 square meters. m. It is more expedient to locate a cash register in central urban areas with high traffic, since in this case it will be much easier for couriers to work and cover a larger number of areas.

In addition to purchasing standard office furniture, you will need to install a grill on the cash register window, buy a safe for storing cash, and also equip the office with an alarm system. To organize a cashier’s workplace, you will also need to buy desktop computer with the ability to access the Internet.

Staff

IN staffing table An organization engaged in the sale of railway tickets must provide the following positions:

Cashier – 2 people;
Accountant – 1 person;
Security guard - 1 person;
Advertising manager – 1 person;
Courier – 3-5 people.

During seasonal periods, it will be necessary to hire more couriers and additional cashiers. At the initial stage, the functions of an accountant can be entrusted to a third-party organization; in the future, when expanding the business and opening additional points of sale, it will be more expedient to hire a separate specialist.

Expenses

To open a ticket office for selling railway tickets, you need about 23.8-33.5 thousand dollars:

Provision of services law firm upon registration – 1 thousand dollars;
Conclusion of an agreement with a subagent – 1.3-1.5 thousand dollars;
Purchase of office furniture – 3-4 thousand dollars;
Renovation of the premises - 5-6 thousand dollars;
Purchase of office equipment – 3.5-5 thousand dollars;
Working capital – 5-10 thousand dollars;
Website creation – 1.5-2 thousand dollars;
Advertising – 2-2.5 thousand dollars;
Other expenses – 1.5 thousand dollars.

Monthly expenses

Employee salaries – 5-7 thousand dollars;
Rent – 1.5-2.5 thousand dollars;
Advertising - 1.5-2 thousand dollars.

Total: 8-11.5 thousand dollars.

Prospects

In the first months of operation of the ticket office, due to the small customer base, most likely there will not be very many sales. During this period, proper conduct plays an important role. advertising campaign. Placing advertising on large posters and banners in such projects, as a rule, does not bring the most top scores. You can focus on submitting ads to thematic printed publications and access to corporate customers. Advertising on the Internet can bring good returns, especially if the site has the ability to book the necessary seats.

Taking into account the fact that the client base is not gaining quickly, opening a cash register and conducting advertising company it is best 1-2 months before the onset of the season. To achieve a stable cash flow, it seems advisable to enter into contracts with several companies whose employees often have to travel around the country.

Currently, there is a trend according to which many services become available to users without the need to visit real cash desks. Therefore, if we consider the prospects for the railway ticket office, we must count on a gradual transition to working remotely. The big advantage of this format of work is that in this case it is possible to combine the sale of both train tickets and plane tickets. After such an expansion, you can begin to provide services for selling not only tickets, but also for booking hotel rooms.

The fast pace of modern life is impossible without the mass movement of people in space using planes, trains, and buses. Pass in vehicles are the tickets that we purchase at the box office. Therefore, opening a ticket office as a way of doing business is a logical and attractive move. Already, more than a quarter of all travel documents are sold through commercial ticket offices. Moreover, the “lion’s share” of tickets are sold by travel agencies. This is especially true for international air travel.

It is not at all necessary to purchase a ticket “in addition” to a travel agency. Of course, organizing leisure time and booking a hotel are important components, but it is no secret that the air ticket makes up a significant share of the entire travel package (from 50 to 70%).

What do you need to open a cash register?! The main thing is to become an agent... or a super agent

At first glance, to open a ticket office you just need to rent a room and seat modern computer lightly trained cashier. In fact, the priority is access to information. To receive it, you need an agency or subagency agreement with the carrier company. But they are first accredited by the Transport Clearing House. If air transportation is carried out on international routes, then accreditation as an agent of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is required. In addition to the strict requirements for safe equipment and personnel qualifications, there is one more a big problem- IATA accepts financial guarantees from a narrow range of foreign banks. The situation is solved by a deposit of 20 thousand dollars, but such conditions are practically unrealistic for a small agency.

If all conditions are met, then the agency agreement allows you to use airline forms to issue tickets. The carrier strictly monitors the storage and use of forms, requires constant reporting, and in case of damage or loss, charges substantial fines (up to $500 per form).

An important aspect of the agency agreement is access to global network systems reservations (“Galileo”, “Gabriel”, “Amadeus”, “Sirena”, and for rail transport - “Express”). These systems carry out operational communication agents with air carriers and allow you to book tickets for any flight from any agent point. A one-time connection, depending on the operator, costs from $40 to $100. Therefore, it is more profitable to have constant traffic with a monthly payment of $40-60.

To open a ticket office you need to be well prepared in organizing flights and having an established client base. Then the air carrier will show interest in you, and you will not fall for the “cheap tricks” of some “dubious” air carriers. By wisely taking advantage of the difference in price for tickets from large companies, you can earn decent money (sometimes it reached $30 per ticket or $6-10 thousand per flight). The height of work - holidays. Then tickets are 50-70% more expensive and passenger traffic is higher.

Small travel agencies cannot become full-fledged agents. But our businessmen show flexibility, become subagents and work for “commissions”, amounting to about 6-7% of the ticket price. The companies are also not at a loss - they still have 5-7% of “commissions” left. The requirements for subagents have been slightly relaxed, but only slightly.

Selling air tickets through online ticket offices

Nowadays, no one will be surprised by the sale of tickets via the Internet. To stand out from competitors, agencies come up with various tricks. Some offer simultaneous hotel booking or subsequent car rental with the purchase of an air ticket. Others use exclusive programs to create optimal routes and flight conditions. And someone organizes home delivery of tickets anywhere in the country from the proposed catalog. True, this can take several days and will be paid separately from the ticket.

Also, many online cash desks offer wide choose charter flights, tickets for which are cheaper than regular flights.

The supply market situation changes every moment. Therefore, for the sake of efficiency, it is very important to have modern technology and communication systems.

"Highlight" from MPS

The situation with train tickets is somewhat different. The Ministry of Railways is a monopolist, therefore it dictates its own conditions, no less stringent than those of IATA. The agencies themselves, their locations and their staff are subject to accreditation. Only after this, a terminal for selling train tickets for routes across Russia is installed in the agency’s office. The contract is concluded not directly with the Ministry of Railways, but through intermediaries. For example, metropolitan Railway entrusted the signing of contracts to MZHA (Moscow Railway Agency). Since the contract does not provide for a “commission” remuneration, travel agencies do this on their own. From one ticket it reaches, on average, 120-150 rubles (and with delivery - even more expensive).

Prepared by editors: "Business GiD"
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Nowadays, you can purchase tickets by contacting any office of a tour operator or airline. Here they will help you choose best option by price and time. There are no longer such queues as in Soviet times, thanks to a sufficient number of ticket offices.

Air ticket offices are found in large cities much more often than railway ones. This is explained by the fact that the Ministry of Railways is still a monopolist. At the stations there are queues and a lot of resellers offering tickets for more popular flights.

Today in Russia 10-15% of all tickets are sold by travel companies. The percentage increases when it comes to international travel. If you buy a ticket from a travel agency, it is not necessary to have a travel package. 50-70% of the cost of the “package” is tickets. Air travel is much more important and more expensive than booking a hotel and organizing leisure activities.

From the outside it may seem that you just need to rent a room and install a computer to open an airline ticket office. In reality, everything is much more complicated. The most important thing here is information. Organizing access to information sources involves many harsh conditions. To sell plane tickets, you must be an agent or subagent of the airline whose tickets you are going to sell. All companies have their own requirements. To become an agent foreign company you need to register as an accredited agent of IATA (International Transport Association). This association places very strict requirements on safe equipment and on the level of training of personnel who will be involved in issuing tickets. In addition, IATA accepts guarantees only from a certain range of foreign banks. For membership in IATA, a deposit of $20,000 is required. For a small agency, these conditions are practically impossible to meet. In this case, you can conclude a subagency agreement.

Agency agreements allow you to issue tickets on the air carrier's forms (stocks). The airline's primary concern is the safety of the effluent. To avoid loss or damage to waste, their owners check the reliability of their potential agent’s safe equipment (and, in general, the conditions for storing and filling out forms) and the qualifications of the personnel. If wastewater is damaged, a fine will be charged to the agency. The amount of the fine depends on the airline. Approximately $200-500 per form. This is to obtain financial guarantees; in case of termination of the contract, the deposit is returned.

However, in order to become an airline agent, it is not enough just to become an accredited agent of IATA or the Transport Clearing House (for agents of Russian airlines).

It is very important to have access to global systems reservations (“Amadeus”, “Gabriel”, “Galileo”, “Star” or “Sirena”, for railway transportation - “Express”). You can connect one-time or permanently. Such systems allow you to book seats on any flight from anywhere in the world. Access to such systems costs $40-60 per month and $40-100 for a one-time connection (depending on the operator).

You can become an airline agent only if you have experience in organizing flights and a client base, otherwise you will not be of interest to the carrier. It is not recommended to use “cheap” transportation services. By “playing” on the difference in prices between major airlines, you can save $6,000-10,000 per flight or $30 per ticket.

The bulk of flights occur on holidays: New Year, May holidays. Due to the fact that liners often return empty, ticket prices vary. For example, a ticket to Egypt on regular days costs about $170, on holidays - $260-280.

If a travel agency cannot afford the agency of several major air carriers, they resort to subagency agreements. You can become a subagent of any airline only with its permission and on the terms established by the company. Although these requirements are no longer as severe as agency requirements. There are subagents, as well as commission agents.

They receive approximately 6-7% of the ticket price. The company itself receives 5-7% as a commission. However, many airlines have a bonus system. But because tariff plans are constantly growing, even large companies find it difficult to receive bonuses regularly.

The practice of selling tickets online has long existed. A lot of Internet agencies have appeared and you need to be able to “stand out from the crowd.” Thus, one of these agencies offers booking air tickets for international and domestic airlines, hotels, and car rentals via the Internet. It has a specially developed program that allows you to process a huge volume of applications and make reservations in real time (it immediately reports the availability of seats and the price of the ticket). With such a system, savings are visible (booking a ticket without intermediaries), time (filling out a simple form and Fast shipping ticket by courier), freedom of choice (dozens of flight options and mass special offers). Besides, this system allows you to get a ticket not only with a courier, but also on your own, at the airport or in one of the cities of Russia (even not a very large one). However, such a service is provided for a fee.

The system allows small travel agencies to serve their clients better. It also provides for commissions for travel agencies.

There are difficulties in booking tickets for charter flights. Information about them is available only from the travel agency that organized it. Tickets for “charts” are cheaper than for regular flights. Now a number of Internet sites allow you not only to purchase tickets for “charts”, but also to compare the prices of most carriers and choose the cheapest and most convenient option.

The situation is different in the case of booking train tickets, because... MPS is a monopolist. Here tickets are not booked, but issued, which, in principle, is the same thing.

The Moscow Railway (MZD) entrusted the conclusion of contracts to the Moscow Railway Agency (MZA). The agreement concluded by the tour operator with MZhA stipulates that a railway ticket sales terminal will be located in the company’s office and allows the sale of tickets for domestic Russian routes.

The MFA has no less requirements than IATA. There are three stages of accreditation: 1 - accreditation of the agent’s right to have a contract, 2 - accreditation of the point of sale itself, 3 - accreditation of employees who will work at the point of sale in this company.

Travel agencies set their own fees, because... MHA does not provide commissions. The fee for each company is different, approximately 120 rubles. from the ticket.

There is one nuance in the ticket business. During the season there are too many tours and in order to attract clients, travel agencies may not charge the 5% sales tax. The fact is that when purchasing a ticket from an air carrier, the travel company entity does not pay this tax. In theory, this tax should be collected from the client, but...

So, to summarize, we can say that it is more profitable to sell air tickets, because... MJA does not make commissions. Also, it is much more profitable to have not a depositary relationship with the airline, but to enjoy the maximum degree of loyalty on the part of the airline.

Based on an article by Oleg Cresp published in the Business Journal

Transport is one of the most sustainable sectors of the economy. The demand for passenger transportation is stable throughout the year, and with the onset of a certain season, the flow of passengers increases several times. Therefore, the sale of railway and air tickets as a business turns out to be very attractive for entrepreneurs.

But this activity is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Only a thorough study of the topic will allow you to create a successful business in the field of ticket sales.

Selling air tickets - how to organize

You can now find a flight ticket sales office everywhere: in shopping and office centers, in travel and insurance companies. Such an abundance of sales outlets generates interest among novice entrepreneurs. At first glance, it seems that to organize an air ticket office it is enough to rent a small room and set up trade relations with carriers. However, securing access to tickets is not so easy.

How to open an airline ticket office from scratch? Today it is possible to work in two directions: as an agent or subagent. Both options allow you to sell air tickets, but the requirements for the seller for each type of cooperation are significantly different.

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Opening an airline ticket office under an agency agreement

To conclude an agency agreement you must:

be accredited by the International Transport Association - IATA or the Transport Clearing Company;
conduct vocational training employees in accordance with the requirements of airlines and accrediting companies (personnel are also subject to requirements regarding work experience in the transportation sector);
prepare the office in accordance with regulatory requirements for ticket office premises;
gain access to ticket booking systems - “Gabriel”, “Amadeus”, “Galileo”, “Sirena”, “Start”.

In addition, each airline presents its Additional requirements to possible agents. For example, an agency agreement may provide for conditions for the agent to open a certain number points of sale, or on the mandatory purchase of a certain number of tickets, including by flight.

Important! Agents are subject to serious requirements in terms of sales volumes in the form of monthly plans, as well as the presence of an active client base.

An air carrier can advise a businessman on how to open an airline ticket office directly, but it rarely comes to the conclusion of an agency agreement, since airlines need large operators who can organize large-scale sales and have serious financial resources.

Opening a point of sale of air tickets under a subagency agreement

A more acceptable option for many entrepreneurs for organizing the sale of air tickets is to become a subagent. Almost all airlines allow their agents to have sub-agents. They are also subject to certain requirements, but not as strict as in the first case.

To conclude a subagency agreement, you must contact the agent and fulfill all the conditions imposed by his partner airline, as well as the agent himself. Most often, these conditions provide for the following responsibilities of the subagent: equip the point of sale with office equipment, conduct training for staff in working with special programs, provide advertising support.

All this should reflect the air ticket office that some airline agencies require from their potential partners. Subagents are rarely required to meet sales volume requirements, and a mandatory ticket purchase quota is not established. Working under a subagency agreement is the most attractive option for creating your own business selling airline tickets, which does not require major investments.

More details about what types of airline ticket offices there are, and how such enterprises make money, are described in the following video:

How to organize the sale of train tickets

No less interesting direction The “ticket business” is the sale of railway tickets. Here the situation is somewhat different from the air transportation sector. Russian Railways is a monopolist, and therefore dictates very strict conditions for organizing ticket sales.

Today, Russian Railways has several dozen direct agents, as the company conducts a serious selection of partners. To cooperate with a company on an agent basis, you must pass three levels of accreditation:

accreditation of the right to conclude a contract;
confirmation of compliance of each point of sale with established requirements;
accreditation of each employee selling tickets.

In addition, Russian Railways reserves the right to monitor the activities of the agent, including conducting periodic certification of the partner’s sales offices and personnel.

The requirements for subagents are also quite high, but are more feasible for specialists who know the specifics of Russian Railways.

When opening a railway ticket office, it is important to know how to make money selling railway tickets, since neither the carrier nor the agents pay a commission on sales. In this case, the profit is generated through a service fee for issuing a ticket, the amount of which the subagent sets independently or in agreement with the agent. Additional income can bring auxiliary services, for example, ticket delivery, hotel reservations, etc.

Selling tickets online is a real business

Having an idea of how to open a railway and air ticket office, you can plan to create your own business in this direction. One interesting option is to sell tickets on the Internet. In this case, there is no need to organize an office or hire staff, all costs are minimal.

To do this, you need to enter into a subagency agreement and set up sales channels. This could be a specialized website, message boards, social media.

IN Lately specialized services appeared on the network and partnership programs, which allow you to sell tickets without leaving your home. The organizers of such resources regularly conduct training webinars on the topic: how to make money by selling railway and air tickets on the Internet, which allows even a person who is not familiar with the peculiarities of transportation to start a business in this area.

Buying and booking tickets online is gaining popularity among consumers. Potential entrepreneurs who are thinking about it should take a closer look at this area. This is one of the few working business ideas with minimal investment and great prospects.

Businesses such as opening an airline ticket office in Russia are becoming increasingly popular. The reason for this is that the services of companies specializing in flights are in great demand all over the world. However, purchasing air tickets directly at the airport, as experience shows, often causes a lot of anxiety.

To avoid unnecessary hassle, you can buy a ticket in a separate place. Consideration of such a situation gives serious grounds to assume that opening an airline ticket office can generate significant income. It should be especially taken into account that the sales figures for plane tickets are growing rapidly.

Underwater rocks

At first glance, the question of how to open an airline ticket office seems easy to solve. However, organizing such a business entails a number of specific problems that novice entrepreneurs are unlikely to be able to cope with. Firstly, many newcomers have the false impression that the entry threshold into this business is low.

The air ticket office that you are going to organize will require an impressive amount of investment. It should also be remembered that in the first couple of months, points of sale, without much promotion, operate at a loss. Since air tickets are not classified as essential trade items, maintaining the required sales volume requires a large target audience.

Various cooperation options

To open a cash register, an entrepreneur must have extensive connections in the agencies of influential companies, which are necessary to conclude profitable contracts. Another good option is to cooperate with companies whose employees are forced to regularly buy air tickets when going on business trips.

This way you will create a permanent customer base. Another significant factor is the ability to maintain competitive prices. Without this opportunity, it is unacceptable to wonder how to open an airline ticket office.

Conclusion of contracts

Today, the organization of the cash register can be carried out in two ways. The first involves concluding a direct contract with a company that provides air transportation services. The second method states that you can resort to a subagency agreement.

It is recommended to enter into a direct agency agreement only for experienced businessmen who have decided to invest in a new direction, since influential air carriers invariably impose strict conditions. The first is to comply with strict rules for organizing and equipping points of sale. It is quite problematic to comply with them throughout the entire cooperation.

Failure to comply this requirement, as experience shows, often leads to all kinds of penalties, as well as termination of contracts. The second condition is the stable purchase of the pre-agreed volume of air tickets. It is clear that novice entrepreneurs do not have the opportunity to sell all their goods due to the lack of a wide customer base.

For this reason, most businessmen enter into subagency agreements. Although agent requirements are not as strict, they are also mandatory. Also, in order to identify possible violations, airline employees carry out regular checks.

Arrangement of premises for an airline ticket office

Before you buy necessary equipment, it is necessary to carry out work to prepare the premises in which you plan to sell plane tickets in the future. Of course, comfort should be ensured and information access should be provided to visitors.

To do this, you will need a pair of monitors that will broadcast the current aircraft schedule. It is also mandatory to have chairs for waiting clients. The room must be equipped with an air conditioning system. The walls of airline ticket offices should be decorated in light colors (beige and blue colors are perfect).

Also, we must not forget about the stand, which will provide the operating schedule of the point of sale, the main rules of air transportation, as well as any other necessary information. Agent agreements may include requirements for mandatory availability in fire protection and alarm systems with alarm sensors.

Technical equipment

If you are thinking about how to open an airline ticket office, then it is important to know that for it normal functioning it is necessary to purchase a number of equipment. You will need a floor safe designed to store ticket forms and cash; Personal Computer, with the help of which reporting will be carried out; standard printer for printing various documentation; a device that supports printing on ticket forms; and, of course, a telephone.