Independent & Unique

Maupin Travel reaches for the stars with Amadeus

Maupin Travel is bound for the stars—literally. The Raleigh, North Carolina-based company is one of the only travel agencies in the United States authorized to sell space travel.

But outer space trips aren’t the only bragging rights of Maupin Travel. By using Amadeus Selling Platform and Amadeus e-Travel Management, the 29-year-old travel agency remains a leader in the North Carolina travel market and ranks among the top 40 agencies in the US.

We sat down with owner Tony Maupin to discuss the secret to his ongoing success.


Q. What makes Maupin Travel unique?

A. We specialize in corporate travel management, high-end leisure travel and are one of fewer than 50 travel agencies in the United States authorized to sell space travel. We just completed astronaut training, in fact. It costs $200,000 per person for space travel and I’ve joked with my sales rep Shawn Betschart that it’s a shame Amadeus doesn’t give you segment credit for space travel! We’d sell space travel through Amadeus if we could because we are so pleased with their bells and whistles.

Q. How long have you used Amadeus?

We switched from Sabre three years ago. We chose Amadeus because it was the only GDS product in the marketplace that sought agent input before development began.

Q. How has Amadeus helped Maupin Travel succeed?

A. The name alone carries some weight. We always recognize Amadeus as the industry leader in our travel management proposals to potential corporate clients. We’re still getting to know about the bells and whistles from Amadeus Selling Platform and are really taking advantage of them—we love Amadeus checkmytrip.com, for example. And the support from the help desk has been great.

But the best part has to be the GUI [graphical user interface], which makes it easy to train people who are not coming from a travel agency background on how to book travel. The point-and-click technology means I can hire someone who used to work at Nordstrom to work for Maupin Travel without much training. They don’t need GDS experience or need to know how to use the green screen. Amadeus e-Travel Management is robust, and much easier to use than any other GDS.

Q. Aside from space travel, what other new developments lie ahead for Maupin Travel?

A. We’re getting more involved in adventure travel, especially to the Poles, like cruises to Antarctica. We’re also seeing South America opening up more, (and the dollar is still strong there)—whether it’s a trip to Patagonia or hiking in South Chile. We are also seeing more family vacations with the grandparents taking their grandchildren on trips, giving mom and dad a break. Amadeus Selling Platform helps us with all of this, whether we’re booking a cruise or adding insurance to a transaction.

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