Sandrine de Saint Sauveur, President & CEO of APG Inc. | Travel Research Online

Image
Image

Sandrine de Saint Sauveur, President & CEO of APG Inc.

 

sandrineAPG] Sandrine de Saint Savuer is a mover and shaker in the airline industry. As a native of France, she came to America to attend San Diego State University. She has worked in the travel industry for 20 years and currently serves as the President & CEO of APG, Inc. Her passion for travel was sparked at a young age while on a turbulent flight to St. Thomas – she recalls never feeling more exhilarated. With her father in the airline industry, she felt it was in her blood to follow his lead. For more information on APG Interline E-Ticketing, visit their website at www.apgiet.com

 

Travel Research Online: APG has gained a strong presence in the airline industry. Can you explain further the function of APG?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: APG stands for The Air Promotion Group (APG) Network. The organization was established in 1991 to meet the demands for airline representation (Sales and Marketing) services worldwide. Today, we are the world’s leading network for Airline Distribution and Financial Services with 112 offices serving 176 countries on 6 continents. We have commercial relationships with over 240 airlines. Some of the services we offer include, in addition to  Interline Electronic Ticketing in cooperation with Heli Air Monaco (APG IET),  a robust General Sales & Services Agency (GSSA) practice, variable cost access to IATA’s 83 BSPs (APG IBCS) and ARC in the United States (AACP). We also have just created a product in partnership with UATP (ACTP).

 

Travel Research Online: What is your role with APG and how long have you been with the company?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur:  At APG I’ve been in charge of developing our programs in both France and throughout Europe together with APG associates from around the world. In April, 2007 I was named President & CEO of APG France. Since January 2011, I have also been in charge of integrating The APG Network Associates into APG, Inc. where, today, I serve as President.

 

Travel Research Online: Exactly how does APG IET work?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: APG IET is an interline e-ticketing platform developed in partnership with Heli Air Monaco (airline code: YO). “Interlining” is an agreement between airlines to handle passengers travelling on a multi-airline itinerary. Airlines that participate in the APG IET program are able to be ticketed and interlined in 83 BSPs around the world and ARC in the United States.

 

Travel Research Online: What role does Heli Air Monaco play in the APG IET program?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: Heli Air Monaco,  started in 1976, is a helicopter airline service offering 50 daily shuttle flights between Nice (NCE) and Monaco (MCM) airports. Heli Air Monaco (YO) acts as the “validating carrier” for the IET program. Travel agents can visit www.apgiet.com  for information on participating carriers, ticketing instructions by GDS, etc. You can also locate and contact your local APG office via our website.

 

Travel Research Online: What sets APG IET apart from the competition?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: APG IET accepts all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and UATP. We also permit agents to automatically revalidate and refund tickets via their GDS. Also we have local offices with team members focused on developing and maintaining relationships with the travel agent community.

 

Travel Research Online: How does APG IET benefit travel agents?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: Let’s use the United States as an example. In addition to infinite interline ticketing combinations normally unavailable to agents, “plating” with YO provides access to many non-ARC participating airlines in our portfolio including Shenzhen Airlines (ZH), Air Caraibes (TX), Bearskin Airlines (JV), Luxair (LG) and Atlasjet (KK) to name just a few.  Another benefit, is the ability to ticket participating carriers in any GDS and purchase with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or UATP.

 

Travel Research Online: Is there a membership cost or are there fees to participate in the program?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: There are no membership or hidden fees. Travel agents that ticket through a GDS already have the ability to plate and validate on  YO.

 

Travel Research Online: If agents have questions or need assistance, who do they call?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: We have 112 local offices covering 176 countries on six continents. For example, in the United States you can call 877-764-9354 or email apgiet@apg-usa.us. You can find a local APG office via our website: www.apg-ga.com/iet. Agents can also call our Global Call Center in Paris: 003 315 377 1325 or reach them via email helpdeskiet@apg-ga.com.

 

Travel Research Online: Is there anything new on the horizon for APG IET?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: Growth  is on the horizon! We currently we have 89 airlines under contract, 76 can already be ticketed on YO with many more to come.

 

Travel Research Online: How do you see the travel industry performing in the coming years? What does this mean for APG IET?
Sandrine de Saint Sauveur: The local economy maybe strong or weak, but the need to explore – for business or leisure – is a large part of the Global Economy. With new frontiers open, complex itineraries are soon to follow. This is good for the industry as a whole, especially travel agents who can provide services that can simplify the complicated. I believe APG IET will be an important part of an agent’s tool box well into the future.

 

Share your thoughts on “Sandrine de Saint Sauveur, President & CEO of APG Inc.”

You must be a registered user and be logged in to post a comment.