Operations ManagerCore responsibilities

7. Trains

  • Issue train tickets as early as possible to secure the best price and availability — the same logic as hotels.
  • Booking windows vary by operator (Italo, Trenitalia, French operators, etc.); each has its own. (The specific windows will be documented separately.)

Point-to-point trains (e.g. Paris–Nice, Paris–Avignon, Rome–Florence)

  • Set the correct price. The Travel Designer enters the point-to-point train at a maximum price, because the preset price is almost never the real one. The Operations Manager sets the correct price at the time of ticketing.
  • Check where the hotel is in relation to the station. If the station is very close to the hotel (a couple of minutes by car) and a transfer has been included, the client may get annoyed. They may still want it — for example with a lot of luggage — but they must be informed that the hotel is very close.

The four transfer combinations

Every point-to-point train involves one of four transfer combinations. The Operations Manager checks the choice made and that the itinerary shows the corresponding clarifying text.

VIT 4 TRAVELTrains: four transfer combinationsEach combination must be described clearly on the itinerary.HotelDeparture stationArrival stationHotel01Both transfersVIT transferTrainVIT transfer02Departure onlyVIT transferTrainOn their own03Arrival onlyOn their ownTrainVIT transfer04No transferOn their ownTrainOn their ownVIT transferTrainOwn way: taxi or on footThe Operations Manager’s checkCheck that the booked transfers match the chosen combination and the itinerary text.Every move must be clear to the traveller.
  1. Both transfers: hotel → station on departure, train, then station → hotel on arrival.
  2. Departure transfer only: hotel → station, train, and on arrival the client makes their own way (taxi or on foot).
  3. Arrival transfer only: the client gets to the departure station on their own, train, then station → hotel on arrival.
  4. No transfer: the train only.

Make sure the transfers actually booked match the chosen combination and the itinerary text, so as to avoid misunderstandings with the client. Watch out for cases where the lack of a transfer is a problem — e.g. Rome–Sorrento, where the train arrives in Naples and a taxi from Naples to Sorrento is very expensive: a private driver all the way to the hotel is the right solution.

Panoramic trains in Switzerland

  • Two distinct elements: ticket purchase and seat reservation. Both must be done. (The full procedure will be documented separately.)