STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 21, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- SAS' focus on weekend packages continues and this spring sales of the Fly & Stay package will start at travel agencies throughout Scandinavia. Fly & Stay, which is part of SAS' increased focus on the private travel segment, combines air travel with hotel stays and at times event tickets. During January this year, the number of bookings of package tours to large cities tripled compared with the year-earlier period.
SAS has already negotiated and contracted special prices for hotels worldwide with which customers received assistance in booking. SAS Pleasure is now taking another step and offering customers a complete package trip.
"We are pleased to be able to offer SAS' frequent travelers a favorable SAS alternative in the private travel segment," said Lena Wennerstein, Fly & Stay Product Manager. "Fly & Stay is a travel package on the traveler's own terms, with full flexibility. As a result of the travel agencies in Scandinavia now beginning to sell the product, it becomes more accessible to customers."
One of the strongest trends in the private travel segment is package tours in which the customers to a greater extent seek customized concepts. Travelers often have limited time and, accordingly, want to make the most of the weekend.
The philosophy behind SAS' focus on package trips is to be able to offer attractive packages comprising air travel and carefully selected hotels, in prime locations at times that are normally not booked by business travelers.
With the new American booking system used by the SAS Call Center, all transactions are in real time as a result of which the customer determines directly if the trip he or she wants is available.
Travel agencies throughout the Nordic region have shown great interest in SAS package trips. The security represented by the brand and the new booking system that facilitates online booking will be a major advantage when Fly & Stay is launched on a full scale.
Fly & Stay travelers currently can travel to 58 locations in Scandinavia, to 21 destinations in Europe and to New York in the US. There are a wide range of combinations. Customers can book theater, opera and musical tickets, spa visits and rental cars in conjunction with the purchase of flight tickets. Additional destinations with attractive package solutions and events are being presented on SAS' website this spring.
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