Shownotes
Welcome to another episode of the Luxury Travelers podcast, hosted by Rodney George. Today, Rodney is joined by Daniel Santiago from Regal Wings, a top air consolidation firm offering concierge services to elevate the travel experience. With expert insights, Daniel sheds light on the advantages of working with an air consolidator, like obtaining the best fares and having a dedicated team on hand 24/7 for travel needs. He shares why travelers increasingly choose premium cabins, offers tips on the best time to book, and emphasizes the value of refundable airfare. Rodney always signs off with, “Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think,” a reminder that today’s travel is about making each journey truly memorable.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- [2:04] Daniel defines what an air consolidator does
- [5:19] Discussion of the future of the airline industry
- [9:41] Why travelers are opting for premium cabins
- [13:06] When to book for the best fares
- [16:42] How Regal Wings also provides concierge services with 24/7 travel emergency support
- [18:12] Perks Regal Wings offers
- [22:32] An introduction to their private jet service and Daniel shares that luxury travel is the way to travel
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Air consolidators act as intermediaries between clients and airlines, offering discounted fares to simplify and reduce travel costs. While they once provided deep discounts by buying in bulk, post-COVID-19 industry changes mean these discounts are smaller yet still competitive and valuable for travelers.
- The airline industry is in a challenging and tumultuous phase, marked by rising ticket prices, frequent cancellations, and persistent service gaps like miscommunication and lost luggage. Premium cabin fares have surged, but service quality needs to catch up. Meanwhile, new Department of Transportation rules aim to strengthen consumer protections on issues like cancellations, delays, and overbooking, reflecting a significant shift toward consumer rights. This inflection point may benefit travelers, but it could also lead to higher prices as airlines respond to increased regulatory demands.
- Working with a travel advisor ensures you get the best prices, stay informed about top destinations, and have expert support to handle any issues. They provide insider knowledge on transportation and destinations, making your travel experience smoother and more enjoyable. Contact Rodney and his team today.
RESOURCES:
GUEST BIOGRAPHY: Daniel Santiago
I'm originally from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico and have spent the last 10 years promoting luxury travel with Regal Travel Group. My goal is to assist travel professionals with anything and everything about first and business-class airfare, private jet charter, and luxury yachts.
Want to chat about luxury travel? Give me a call at 212.444.9942
Transcripts
So buckle up and prepare for a journey into the lap of luxury. Now your host.
re finally getting around to [:An [00:01:00] important aspect of, of luxury travel is getting to the destination, uh, on time, uh, and, and getting there in the style that you want to get there in. And one of the things that we've run into [00:01:15] in, well, since COVID is it's getting very, uh, it's, it's a very tenuous part of the whole program. So today I asked Daniel Santiago, who's with Regal Wings, which is an air consolidation organization to join us.
So welcome to the show, [:Well, why don't you tell them from your perspective, because your perspective, that's, that's a hundred percent of what you do. So tell us a little bit about. [00:02:00] Air consolidation and how that works to benefit the client.
Daniel Santiago: Well, consolidators are quote unquote a middleman between the airlines and the airline and the travel industry.
y several different types of [:We don't control airfare whatsoever. We basically are just a middleman, middleman that is selling [00:02:45] to other parts of the industry. Um, our company started as a travel management company, as a TMC, um, about 20 years ago. We did a lot of, uh, companies in the New York area. And then from there, it kind of went [00:03:00] a different way than I think my boss would have wanted to.
different, um, companies. So [:Uh, I [00:03:30] want to say we used to have a lot of net or negotiated rates where we, uh, can actually get airfare lower than published price. Um, I want to say our biggest cause of fame was that we used to get up to 60 [00:03:45] percent of the published price. Which would then be sold to, um, again, travel advisors, travel companies, anybody that really wanted to just book it for the clients.
Rodney George: Yeah. Those were quote, the good old days. Yes,
iel Santiago: yes, yes. Then [:Rodney George: yeah, your job's much more difficult now than it was pre covid, uh, I would guess and less
Daniel Santiago: profit margin for sure.
for their airfare, but still [:Daniel Santiago: No, exactly. And I feel like that's one of the main reasons why we keep doing this, um, because I know clients are still out there and there are interested in, I feel like. The travel industry should have an opportunity to also bring discounts to their clients. [00:05:00] So, um, I think it's, it's an important step of working with the travel agent is helping you guys really bring those good prices to your clients.
hem on a regular basis to my [:Daniel Santiago: Well, right now it's very difficult. I know you guys, uh, have been hearing a lot of different news. I know. Just today, I think we got the, uh, DOT's new rule [00:05:30] on airline refunds, um, which is going to be changing the industry a lot, but the industry is in a state of disarray because there's a couple of things happening.
see tickets, at least in my [:We still have a lot of cancellations in the air, uh, in the airlines. There's a lot of, you know, miscommunications, lost luggage. There's a lot of service gaps that I think the airlines are not addressing or they really don't want to [00:06:15] address. Um, and then of course you still have all these new rules that the Department of Transportation is trying to really kind of, I don't wanna say, uh, control a little bit more of, of the process of selling airfare, but [00:06:30] they do wanna give the consumer a bit of a leg up on, um, things that, you know, are out of the control, meaning the cancellations, the late.
very very I feel we're in an [:Rodney George: Yeah, [00:07:00] it truly is because, uh, I, I mean, when you, when you look at taking a, a 10 day, two week European cruise and the cost of the cruise is, let's just say five, 6, 000 a person. And then we go to book the business class air [00:07:15] and it's the same five or six that, so it costs as much for that. Six hours to get across the pond as it does for 10 to 14 days on the cruise ship.
om that, that point of view, [:Daniel Santiago: And of course, and more airlines are actually, uh, feeding new, you know, premium cabin air, uh, into their, uh, the [00:07:45] roster.
g to be expensive people are [:Rodney George: Yeah. I don't know if you've even had a chance to read the [00:08:15] new, uh, refund regulations that came out this morning or not. I have not read them yet, but evidently, uh, the government is here to help us yet again.
s, because at the end of the [:So, um, the refunds, even though they're going to be coming through the airline directly, of course, um, it's something that we have to still [00:08:45] address with how we're going to manage that with our clientele. Yeah. But I think it's, I think it's a great step. I think there's a lot of things happening that I feel like we, as a, as a consumer, we can definitely push, you know, our legislators, [00:09:00] um, I know the AST, the American society of child advisors, it's always, On the lookout on on all these regulations and and they're all lobbying in in washington to really kind of make the consumer Uh, voice, uh, [00:09:15] a strong one
the airline industry would, [:That's true. Why do you think it is that that more and more travelers are opting to travel in the premium cabins for their international trips?
ngs. Obviously, we know that [:Um, there's a lot of people taking longer trips. They're [00:10:00] booking way far in advance. You probably know that um, because you do a lot of cruises You still I have people not looking for 2026 and they they are looking at a farther Uh date, which is uh, always great. So obviously capacity was not at the [00:10:15] moment Um the best capacity so you still have clients that um are willing to pay it They you know spend two three years you know on their uh You Under the COVID, um, uh, lockdown.
So [:Cause of course we've seen all those beautiful cabins, most cabins right now on the, on the business class side, either have doors or have a private [00:11:00] space. Um, so people like their privacy. A lot of people also use that obviously after the pandemic, because of the COVID scare, people want it to be not that close to other people.
m, and again, wants to go to [:So there's a lot of different perks and benefits that a lot of clients do take. Um, into consideration when they're going on a business class seat. Um, obviously I always say a luxury trip starts with a business class airfare. [00:11:45] Getting to a place it's as important as where you know, what place you pick to be on Um, so I feel like it really sets the mood to go on a business class seat to you know to your vacation it really [00:12:00] starts um Helping your mood once you're starting to get into your flight You know have that glass of wine or have the glass of champagne sit down see the menu Um, it really does change your outlook as to how your vacation is going to be.
So I [:Rodney George: Yeah. You know, it's kind of like a [00:12:30] word for it. I earned it. I deserve it.
I'm going to do it.
Daniel Santiago: I'm going to do it. Exactly. And I feel like, again, more people are waiting, they want to do it. And, and also there's a lot of more offers out there. So.
the, the airline industry's [:Or even, I mean, most of the time last [00:13:00] minute, it means it means you're going to pay a lot more, but where's that window make the most sense for where you sit?
or it. Um, so if you, if you [:Um, normally I want to say it, the plateau where you see a lot of the prices going down is normally, Between four and six months [00:13:30] prior to travel time So that is kind of the sweet spot for you to kind of start looking for airfare if you haven't booked it already um I want to say four to six months is always a good but if your client can pay it when the [00:13:45] first time you research it Book it really book it because there is no certain, um, you know, uh, aspect of me telling you, Oh, this is going to go down.
a lot of different variables [:Rodney George: you kind of confirmed it to me though.
And [:And now it's back out to almost 18 months. People are booking that far in advance. And, uh, with, with a cruise, if the price goes down, we can rebook it. Typically, but [00:15:00] again, there's so much pent up demand, uh, for travel that we're just, we're not seeing those prices decline as a matter of fact, we're actually seeing them work against the consumer.
So it pays to, to get that booking done early.
Daniel Santiago: [:I've always, always tell clients as well to always [00:15:45] keep, you know, those little flight alarms, you have Google flight has an alarm, right? As Hopper, um, those companies really help you to determine if the price is going to go down or not. Um, you know, once you already booked the land portion or the cruise [00:16:00] portion, then you can also play with the timeframe, but you always tell clients.
the itinerary might be, uh, [:Rodney George: You know, one of the things that, uh, that our clients are, are concerned with, but even if they haven't traveled recently is they've seen it on the news.
And that is, [:Daniel Santiago: Yeah. So we basically are, [00:16:45] I don't like to call ourselves a consolidator, even though we are.
[:Um, we do have a, uh, human, uh, reservations team. Real human beings, yes. Yeah, real human beings that would actually help you out. So instead of your clients or any travel agents clients dealing with the airline directly, they [00:17:30] can deal with us, which would be, uh, faster and obviously nicer than the airlines.
their sleeves up and found, [:Daniel Santiago: for. And again, it's, it's a concierge level. I feel like now, uh, a lot of travelers are willing to pay a little bit more, but they really wanted to be more of a service.
er for travel agents is that [:Rodney George: What, what do you guys do, if anything, from your perspective to enhance the, the traveler's experience, uh, in flying?
l, apart from, uh, obviously [:Um being human. We're not an angel We're not an algorithm. So we always try to give you guys the best pricing out there, which [00:18:30] is obviously great Um, there are perks apart from the 24 7 emergency services that we always also deal with the cancellations and refunds That's very important if clients end up canceling a flight And they need a refund.
Those things [:Um, which again, those things we can. Uh, we will address later on, um, once we read, uh, the DOT, but the idea is that we are the one stop shop for your travel agents, [00:19:15] um, to, to basically deal with the, uh, air instead of dealing with the airline. So I feel clients also get a better response and a quicker response when agents work with us.
d times with Regal Wings are [:Daniel Santiago: to get rebooked or even and even if if it's for a cancellation sometimes you have to wait Um because the tickets are in our system It's quicker for us to just [00:19:45] cancel it send you back the information and that's done if it's a refundable ticket You know, those are either refunded back to what the uh your client's uh account Um, and or uh, if they have any loyalty points as well So all those things we can do [00:20:00] because we are it's part of our system And that's another big thing always try to go for refundable airfare That's one thing that I always tell clients if you can do refundable, please do refundable Um, that's one of the keys that a lot of people don't [00:20:15] understand that prices can be lower But if it's not refundable airfare, you lose a lot of the benefits in cancellations and refunds
Rodney George: Yeah.
if you have a non cancelable [:Daniel Santiago: Things are very, that's why I always say, always be aware [00:20:45] of what is, you know, what perks you get with refundable tickets that you don't get with a non refundable airfare.
tickets are super expensive [:That's a date Um, so those are very important things for people to keep tabs on and we as a company That's what we do. We have a javelin that has a client that [00:21:30] refunded or canceled We always send an email say hey, you know what you still have this credit, please set it make sure You know that you are going to use all that money So we always always keep keep tabs with the agents as well so they can communicate with their clients
Rodney George: Yeah, [:And, and I think, I think you may have, especially in today's environment, uh, I think that the cancelable airfares are more important than ever. Uh, just because of, I mean, people, [00:22:00] life is iffy and people, uh, change their mind about this. Things happen.
here's things that you can't [:Rodney George: now we got about five minutes left here uh, what are you guys doing in the in the area of uh, [00:22:30] Private jet charters.
the clients were, you know, [:So we actually do help book travel, uh, private jets for, uh, travel advisors. We are an, uh, broker. So that means we work with operators all over the world. That means if you want to, you know, if your client [00:23:00] wants to travel, you know, from Florida to the Caribbean, or they want to do something in Mexico, I'm actually doing one for a family, a pretty high end family that wants to go from Boston to Cape town.
[:Um, so we could do any type of aircraft from turboprops. Small flights all the way to the ultra long range jet. Um, private jets is great for, you know, groups, families. If you're a sports traveler, if you want to go golfing and you want to [00:23:45] bring your own golf clubs, if you've got to go skiing and you want to bring your own skis, it's a great option to do a private jet.
rom Florida to New York. And [:Rodney George: Well, just not to date this too much, but the Yankees, uh, don't win the night, they won't be flying anywhere for a while, right?
ntiago: They're going to be. [:Rodney George: No, and it's, it's really, really hard to, to come back from a, from a three game deficit, but nonetheless, um, anything else you'd like to [00:24:30] tell us about regal wings in closing? Because we've got a couple of minutes here.
If you've got anything else that you want to throw in?
guys to start doing it. Um, [:Um, again, a lot of people are definitely looking at, uh, premium cabbing as a way for them to. Really kind of set a tone to their vacation. So [00:25:15] no better tone than being in a business custody for a while. Apart from that, again, we are here to, to help your travel agent. Always spoke with a travel agent. I feel travel agents really are, are superheroes in the travel industry.
They've [:Rodney George: Well, Daniel, we appreciate the insight that you've been able to share with us today.
out there now in air travel. [:It's later than you think it is. Bye for now. so
Daniel Santiago: much. Bye.
for joining us on the Luxury [:
