When booking flights for large groups, juggling passengers, seats, luggage and check-in, things can quickly become a headache! Utilising a group travel expert – such as our sister company Gray Dawes Events – can relieve the stress and make life a whole lot easier. Below, they’ve put together a quick guide on how to manage group travel.
What Is Group Travel?
By and large, Group Travel is defined by 10 or more individuals travelling to the same destination – but not necessarily from the same location or on the same date.
For these more complex enquiries (those with multiple departure locations or travel dates) we’ll utilise our group buying power and unique industry positioning to provide the lowest possible individual fares and manage all bookings for you on an individual basis. For those with simpler requirements, we’ll be able to take this one step further and consider Group Airfares…
What Are Group Airfares?
When 10 or more* are travelling to and from the same destination on the same flight – e.g. 15 travellers flying from Edinburgh to Barcelona on 5 December at 09:05, and returning on7 December at 17:30 – Group Airfares can come into play.
This type of airfare offers specially contracted rates for groups that give a guaranteed fare. They come with their own unique rules, usually making them far more flexible than a standard ticket – e.g. they can be held for a longer period of time.
*Note: group numbers vary on low cost airlines, and can be as high as 30 in some cases.
Why Book Group Airfares?
There are some great advantages to booking a group airfare:
- All fares are priced the same, meaning guests won’t pay different amounts.
- They usually include a longer hold on seats without the need to provide passenger details, giving you extra time to confirm who will be travelling without having to pay cancellation or change fees (fees do apply after tickets have been issued). Better still, if you do need to make any last minute changes or cancellations, the fees tend to be much cheaper than a regular ticket.
- They can often be booked with just a deposit, so there’s no need to find a large amount upfront while you’re still finalising your plans.
- And finally, it’s usually possible to include seat selection and dedicated check-in for your group, to make co-ordinating your passengers easier – you can sit certain guests together – great if you want to network with a specific passenger!
Why Use Gray Dawes?
Gray Dawes can source the most cost effective rate for your group travel needs by working directly with the airlines and likewise with hotels on your behalf. We cut through the jargon to provide clear, “plain English” rules and deadlines, then liaise with the airline to input all the data required at the right times, streamlining the booking process for you – it can be as simple as gathering a rooming list!
Our experience in negotiating group hotel rates means you’re guaranteed the best price based upon your requirements. And again, we don’t require guest names immediately: these can be submitted up to 7 days prior to arrival. Cancellation policies can also be negotiated to ensure you’re not restricted by tight contractual deadlines.
Where Do I Start?
To start the ball rolling with a group flight booking, just get in touch today with the following information:
- Your arrival and departure dates
- Your route
- Estimated number of passengers
- Whether you need checked in baggage included
- If you need airport transfers
- If you need hotel accommodation at your destination
Gray Dawes Events will acknowledge your email, start the search and aim to have some proposals to you within 2 business days. Then you choose whether or not to book with us. It really is that simple.
Gray Dawes Events
Whether it’s finding the perfect meeting space for your next sales team get-together, creating the wow factor for your company conference or everything in between, you’re in the right place.
Gray Dawes Events are part of the Gray Dawes Group – one of the UK’s largest independent travel management companies. With specialist, award-winning divisions providing tailored services for business travel, luxury leisure travel and meetings & events (that’s us!), we enjoy all the benefits that brings, both in terms of buying power and industry clout.
To help you navigate the changes of business travel, we’ve created the brand-new Traveller Toolkit. This invaluable online resource is packed full of easy-to-use guides and checklists for every stage of every journey. We detail exactly what you need to know and do before, during and after your trip in a post-pandemic, post Brexit world.
You can even check the travel restrictions and health status of your destination with our comprehensive COVID-19 Country Tracker, updated five times daily to ensure you have the very latest information to help keep you and your travellers safe.
Travel is changing. With common sense and a good TMC behind you, travellers can have the confidence to once again take to the skies. It’ll soon be back business as (un)usual.