Flights Manager

The Company and Team

KE Adventure Travel has been operating active adventure holidays throughout the world since the mid-80s, and has grown to be one of the most respected adventure tour operators in the UK, and a market leader in this sector. The office is in beautiful Keswick in the Northern Lake District.

Anyone joining the company is likely to be well-travelled, active and passionate about adventure travel and the outdoors.

Summary

You will have overall responsibility for the booking and management of flights, ensuring that customers receive great service and the very best flights for connecting with their adventure holidays throughout the world. You will be the main point of contact for airlines and flight consolidators, working with them to ensure that we are able to effectively book and ticket the routes we need, and at the most competitive rates. You will also ensure that all flight related information is kept updated in the company’s systems and on customer documentation. 

Reporting to

Customer Sales & Support Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Working closely with the wider Customer Sales & Support team you will ensure that the most appropriate flights are sourced and booked for customers at a competitive price.
• Ensure that all flight queries are dealt with quickly and efficiently, and customers contacted directly, by phone, email or any other communication channel of their choice.  
• Manage the GDS system (Amadeus) and ensure Qs are monitored, flight schedule changes managed, company systems updated and ticketing undertaken in good time.
• Ensure internal systems are kept up to date with the latest flight information, and that all customer documentation is correct.

• Work closely with the Product team to ensure that trip joining instructions are clear and that flight routings work well with planned itineraries.
• Manage any flight schedule changes, and where routes are no longer viable, come up with creative solutions to ensure customers can still travel and trips go ahead.
• Work closely with Product Managers on product development, and flag up any new routes that give the potential for new itineraries to be developed.

• Set the selling prices for flights to ensure that we are competitive whilst still maintaining agreed margin levels.
• Monitor flight price changes and the competitor market on an ongoing basis, and change selling prices as necessary.
• Manage any wholesale changes due to events such as airline collapse, strikes, war or pandemic.
• Book KE staff and leader flights as required, and ensure that any travel industry deals are passed on to the team.
• Manage the IATA BSP payment system, and work with the accounts team to reconcile payments on a regular basis. 
• Train and support Customer Sales and Support staff in all aspects of quoting for and booking flights, including the use of Amadeus and other online booking systems.

• Review and continually improve the efficiency of internal systems and processes, and ensure that improving the customer experience is at the heart of all decisions made.
• Be actively involved in the company’s sustainability project, including our pledge to reduce carbon emissions over the next decade. This is likely to include a move to alternative transport types (such as trains) for short-haul travel, and a focus on airlines that use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) or more direct routes for example. 
• Provide out of hours flights support when specific operational issues occur
• Be a key member of the company’s crisis management team

Experience, Skills & Qualifications

• You will be an expert GDS (ideally Amadeus) user.
• 3-5 years of flight booking and ticketing experience within the travel industry
• Ideally an experienced people manager
• Great attention to detail – good with numbers and the written word
• Computer literate and quick to pick up new systems and processes
• Commercially astute and results orientated
• A people-person and a great communicator; fun, friendly and caring with lots of positive energy.

Working Hours and Location

We are recruiting ideally for a full-time role, although will consider slightly reduced, or non-standard hours.

This role is to be ideally based in our office in Keswick in Cumbria. We are currently hybrid working, and expect this to continue (for those who would like to), with the balance of office and home working being continually reviewed as the needs of customers, the business and team members evolve. For the right candidate we may consider remote working for this role, with the occasional office visit.

Being flexible is key. We are a relatively small team and it is a seasonal business, so all team members must be willing to help/support other roles or parts of the business at any time.

Travel

There are plenty of opportunities to travel overseas, to experience the company’s products and on airline fam trips. However it is not an obligatory part of this role.

The role will involve attendance of some meetings or events in the UK, but again this is not a large part of the job at this stage.

References

Work and personal references will be required.

How to apply

Email your CV with a covering letter explaining what you have to offer KE and why you think you are suitable for the job by clicking "Apply"

Please also include a list of any travel experience, your salary expectations and when you would be available to start.