Sunquest revises pricing structure

Starting tomorrow (Oct. 4), Sunquest is introducing a revised price structure that will see the surcharge, currently bundled with the base price, broken out and the base price reduced accordingly. “Since introducing the new pricing structure for our winter 12/13 program earlier this year, it has become apparent that a reasonable percentage of travel agents still use base prices only when searching for and quoting packages to their clients, and as a result, they didn’t see the benefits of our new pricing model,”says Steve Butchart, vice-president, Sunquest. “We recognize the need to make the overall price comparison process easier, and to do so we are breaking out the surcharge from the base price.”The surcharge will display as a lump sum alongside the taxes. “This surcharge will be commissionable for agents, as it was under the initial structure, and allows for an easier like-for-like comparison of our packages with our competitors,”added Butchart. “Under this new structure, the base price will decrease accordingly, such that the total price remains the same and commission levels remain completely intact; this move simply makes it easier for agents who search on base prices only to provide their clients with more choice.”Here are a few examples of package pricing (for illustrative purposes only): Toronto to Riviera Maya: Was $779 + $121.92 tax = $900.92 p.p., now $549 + 351.92 tax and surcharge = $900.92 p.p.; Calgary to Puerto Vallarta: Was $899 + 128.24 tax = $1,027.24 p.p., now $669 + $358.24 tax and surcharge = $1,027.24 p.p. (http://www.Sunquest.ca)