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Ticket service center

Organization ticket service center for trains, planes, sea and river vessels, intercity buses - the idea, in general, is no longer new, but quite promising from the point of view of creating a profitable business, especially during the high summer holiday season.

Today, in Moscow alone, about 1,500 different types of train and plane tickets are sold. ticket offices. Most of them belong to 10 large agencies that deal exclusively ticketing - ticket sales.

If you believe expert estimates, more than a quarter of travelers are ready to buy tickets, the cost of which will be slightly higher, at the ticket offices of commercial structures, just so as not to waste their time and nerves in queues of regular railway and air ticket offices. And every year the number of people willing to pay for comfort is growing. Independent ticket offices agree on service fees with the carrier, so their amount differs by a maximum of 50 rubles. Agree, this is not much.

Someone may object - there is a loudly advertised service for online ticket booking, which Russian Railways recently launched? Alas, the service turned out to be not very convenient for passengers, and the “electronic ticket” itself was not entirely complete. In the form in which Russian Railways offers ticket sales via the Internet you still need to issue a ticket on a regular form, that is, the passenger must still come to the station and, after hanging around in line, pick up the ticket at the ticket office. In addition, you cannot buy a discounted ticket via the Internet, or reissue previously purchased tickets. Customers who have already used the new service note that cashiers at official ticket offices are often not even trained to issue travel documents sold through their own online service. And most importantly, when issuing tickets via the Internet, Russian Railways also takes a commission, almost the same as independent agents, so it turns out that for your 125 rubles of additional fee you also need to stand in line. In short, Russian Railways' innovation turned out to be clearly crude and inconvenient.

Unlike the heavy-handed monopolist, small private ticket offices offer their clients not only tickets, but also additional services delivery of tickets to the office or at the station, they accept payment in various forms. This, as well as the absence of queues and crowds, attracts future passengers to private ticket offices selling railway, air and other tickets. Although it happens that they offer passengers not the most convenient and cheapest, but the most expensive tickets.

On practice ticket office pays for itself in 2-3 years. To start a business, you will have to not only register a company, but also become a dealer of a large carrier, the same Russian Railways, Aeroflot, etc. To do this, by the way, you need to have serious financial resources in the form of bank guarantees and a deposit, because the services provided by large carriers, as a rule, are deposit services. Large carriers, especially monopolists, work mainly with those agents who can interest them in large volumes of sales, so most likely new players in this market will first have to become a sub-dealer or representative of a larger company engaged in ticketing (ticket sales).

Train ticket agencies make their living mainly from so-called “service fees”, which are charged in addition to the ticket price, as well as from the sale of additional services. Each company sets the size of the service fee independently, on average it is 100 - 150 rubles, delivery of a ticket to a client’s home costs about 250 - 300 rubles.

Let's see what requirements Russian Railways imposes on ticket agents?

The future agent is obliged to pre-equip the premises for a point of sale in accordance with certain requirements. Ticket sales point (ticket office) must have a convenient location; the presence of competitors nearby is highly undesirable. Another prerequisite is to have a reliable Internet connection.

Obtaining accreditation will cost a future agent 35 thousand rubles. In addition to the standard set of office furniture and equipment, you will need to purchase a special printer for issuing tickets from a specialized company for 100 thousand rubles and connect to the Express booking system, and this will cost 15–20 thousand rubles.

The next mandatory step is training cashiers in a specialized training center to work in the system. The cost of the courses is about 15 thousand rubles per person.

Another mandatory condition is that the agent must have a deposit in the bank in the amount of at least 10% of the monthly sales volume. Just in case, so to speak.

Thus, in order to fulfill all the requirements of Russian Railways even before concluding an agency agreement, the agent company must spend at least 180 thousand rubles. Further, monthly expenses will include a fee for servicing the Express system (4.5 thousand rubles), the salary of at least two cashiers and a courier. Plus, you will need to keep a deposit, maintain an office, and advertise your agency. And all this will have to be paid for with a service fee of 100-300 rubles for each ticket sold. How feasible is this task?

According to Russian Railways, an average of 560–620 thousand tickets are sold throughout the country every day, and up to 900 thousand during the peak summer period. Independent agencies account for about a quarter of sales, which, if you think about it yourself, is quite a decent amount. On ordinary days, a good agency is able to sell 350-375 tickets, the service fees for which will bring it a profit of 70-80 thousand rubles. The deposit that the ticket sales agency is obliged to keep for such a sales volume under the terms of the agreement with Russian Railways will be at least one million rubles. This is unlikely to be an affordable option for small businesses. Small agencies usually sell 60-80 tickets a day, earning 12-16 thousand rubles in service fees. This is already on the verge of profitability, so many of them consider the sale of railway tickets as just one of the services, simultaneously selling air tickets and tickets for intercity bus routes. And it is right. Multi-ticket service centers attract more customers.

Recently, major players in independent ticket retail have been actively developing their subagency networks. Working as a subagent does not require large investments, but it can be a good source of additional income for service companies in business centers and travel agencies and travel agencies. The rights and capabilities of subagents are limited; they do not have direct access to the reservation system, but work through Russian Railways agents and their system. The mechanism of interaction between an agent and a subagent may be different. The most primitive option is when a subagent books a ticket with an agent and sends a courier to him with payment. The most advanced is when the subagent works in the agent’s system, has uniform ticket forms in hand and can print a travel document on his printer right on the spot.

The table below lists the main points of what is needed to open a point selling railway tickets.

How to open a ticket sales point

Ticket agent Subagent for ticket sales
Obtain accreditation of a point of sale in Russian Railways.
The waiting period is 3 - 4 months.
The asking price is 35 thousand rubles.
Strict requirements for the location and equipment of the ticket sales point.		 Conclude an agreement with a Russian Railways agent.
With some agents developing their retail subagency networks, you can register directly on their website.
Buy special equipment. The cost of the equipment is 100 thousand rubles.
The equipment requires special maintenance.		 A computer with access to the Internet is sufficient.
Organize a connection to the Express booking system.
Cost - 10 - 15 thousand rubles.
The monthly payment for the use and maintenance of the system is about 4.5 thousand rubles.		 Connect to the agent system.
Typically, such a scheme has limitations: it does not allow you to see the availability of free places, the information may be out of date.
It works according to the following scheme: sending data to the agent - receiving a response.
Hire a certified cashier or train your own.
The cost is about 15 - 30 thousand rubles.		 Learn how the system works. It will take one to two days.
Send a sales report to Russian Railways daily. Keep a deposit of at least 10% of monthly sales volume. Transfer to the agent a certain fixed amount as a guarantee of ticket redemption (usually about 20 - 30 thousand rubles).

Today on the Internet you can find many offers for those who want to become a representative of ticket sales, both for railway transport and for air flights. To search and book, for example, plane tickets, you can use the services of the largest Russian airline ticket search engine Aviasales , which searches and compares airfare prices online completely free of charge and finds the cheapest flight prices. Essentially, you just get access and the ability to work with a database of dozens of airlines.

Given the relative simplicity of the operation of such a business, the number of subagents for ticket sales is growing rapidly. The client needs service and does not care whether the seller is an agent or a subagent of the transport company, but it is important for him to receive a ticket in the right place and at the right time. So, there should be enough space in this market, if not for everyone, then for many.

The idea of ​​opening a ticket office for train and plane tickets comes to the minds of many entrepreneurs. And this is not surprising, because every year air and rail transportation services are becoming more and more in demand.

Such an enterprise is never left without buyers, since each of us from time to time needs to travel long distances. In addition, buying tickets directly at railway stations and airports today attracts few people, because it means endless queues and a waste of time. It is much more convenient to purchase tickets through online services or at ticket offices located near your home or work.

How to open a ticket office without large investments?

You can start a business selling air and railway tickets by establishing direct contractual relations with leading air carriers and the Russian Railways company, but this will require serious financial investments, because you will need to purchase or rent suitable premises, purchase a computer, hire cashiers, and provide access to reservation systems .

Moreover, the agency and subagency agreement provides for the partner to fulfill a number of requirements, including sales volume. To enter the market, you will need a large customer base and considerable investment in brand development.

However, there is an easier and more affordable way to start a business selling air and train tickets - you can become a partner of the UFS company and start earning money using software products of the UFS-online system.

We make money by selling train tickets in partnership with UFS

UFS LLC is the Russian market leader in the provision of services for the sale of railway tickets and an aggregator of air tickets. UFS is the developer and owner of the online system UFS-online, which allows you to sell tickets to any railway routes of Russian Railways JSC, FPC JSC, as well as aircraft of any domestic or foreign airlines. Through the system you can also, if desired, take out insurance and book hotels.

The company is a technological partner of JSC Russian Railways, a direct agent of JSC FPC and more than 200 airlines around the world. UFS LLC is accredited by the IATA Association and the Transport Clearing House.

The UFS LLC partner network includes more than 5 thousand Russian companies, including large banks, leading travel Internet portals, large retail chains and travel agencies. Among them are Euroset, Svyaznoy, Russian Post, etc.

What is the UFS-online system?

This is an online module that is offered under the terms of the White Label model - an affiliate program in which services are provided on the resources of another company directly under the brand of the seller. That is, you install a ready-made form on your website, by filling which, visitors to your website will be able to independently buy train tickets and air tickets.

To install the module on the site, you do not need to involve your own programmer, since the html code is developed and configured by UFS LLC specialists.

The income from the sale of each railway ticket is 30-40% of the established service fee. All costs of the new partner are reduced to paying a single fee for connecting to the system (in 2015 this is 20,000 rubles), then the company receives only income.

The UFS affiliate program also allows you to organize a full-fledged ticket office. All you need is a computer with Internet access.

Main advantages of electronic cash register:

  • free connection within 1-2 days;
  • free to use;
  • 24/7 information support;
  • obtaining complete information about air and railway tickets;
  • the ability to independently set the amount of commission;
  • no need to install additional equipment.
  • convenient and varied payment methods.

How to find inexpensive air tickets.

You can purchase plane tickets around the world on the avia.pro website. The modern system makes it possible to quickly find and buy tickets, without leaving the room, for many destinations of regular flights.

Favorable tariff for electronic tickets.

To select an air ticket, on the avia.pro website, in a special form, you need to enter the necessary information: departure airport and destination, dates, number of seats, and class. Fill out the form, and after a few seconds the service will select the best options based on your criteria.

In addition, you can set up a flexible search for plane tickets by departure date, round trip or one way in the range of ±3 days. To do this, just mark a special item, which will allow you to see the aircraft schedule both for a specific date and for the coming days.

The system usually provides results within a few minutes. Do not forget that the request sometimes takes longer, since this process is influenced by various indicators: Internet connection speed, speed of receiving data from service partners, PC parameters. Using the “Add to Favorites” button, which appears after the search, you can remember suitable tickets.

On the right side of the search there are filters, thanks to which you can easily select tickets according to the following parameters: availability of transfers, departure date, fare, transfer and flight time, agency and airline, payment method, transfer city.

Selection of the best offers for this month.

The search engine has a functional calendar. If necessary, a link is placed along with the search result, after clicking on which the price of tickets for each day of the month opens. Thanks to this, you can see how much you can buy a plane ticket on a specific day. If you are not limited in time, you can change the departure date by choosing the lowest price.

The actual purchase of tickets is carried out on the website of the service partner avia .pro. The search service offers services without commissions, fees or other types of payment for searching for air tickets and booking. You get absolutely free access to its search database. Clicking "Buy" will take you to a website where you can complete your purchase. It happens that the tickets you have chosen for the given route and price are not available. In this case, the search engine displays the most affordable tickets that are on sale.

So, we have told you where you can quickly and profitably purchase a plane ticket; all that remains is to pick up the document. Each electronic ticket is sent to the email you provide when paying. Make sure your address is correct. If you haven't found a message with an air ticket, check your spam. Print the receipt you received and show it at check-in.

How to choose an inexpensive plane ticket (ticket sales).

There are many indicators that affect the cost of a ticket. Using the avia .pro portal you can easily select tickets with discounts.

If you consider the following recommendations, you can purchase inexpensive tickets.

- Purchase or reserve a ticket in advance

- Travel in economy class

- View routes to nearby cities

- Follow promotions

- Buy air tickets online

- Buy a round trip ticket

- Keep track of seasonality

If you are still wondering where to buy a ticket, use the avia .pro portal. Save money and time!

The Aviasales agency offers you open an air ticket office right in your office in one day, without the need for accreditation and hiring specialists who know the reservation system. For air ticket sales You only need Internet access. That's all!

Do you have a website or blog about tourism and travel, a forum or a regional portal? Give users the opportunity look for cheap flights directly on your website and earn money from sold air tickets and hotel room reservations. Simply, automatically!

Who can become our partner for the sale of air tickets?

How it works?

You place an air ticket search form on your website. If a user is interested in buying an air ticket, then he searches for a ticket, books and buys it. You receive your commission of 50-70% of our income from the sold air ticket. In addition, we pay a commission for hotel bookings and other useful products and services.

The form for quickly searching for the cheapest air tickets to all destinations may look like this (one of the options):

(By the way, the example form is working and you can right here and now
find and buy the cheapest air tickets to all destinations!)

Why is Aviasales better than others?

  1. We are the largest and most famous Russian metasearch engine for air tickets. Our users buy tens of thousands of air tickets every month. Due to our volumes, we manage to receive the maximum commission from agencies and airlines, 2-3 times more than they pay anyone else. 70, and even 50% of this amount is more than you could get by working with them directly.
  2. We offer the widest selection of air tickets , working with both Russian and foreign partners, as well as directly with airlines, we provide the user with an objective picture of prices for air tickets in leading agencies and airlines, he does not need to look for tickets anywhere else. This means that with a high probability the user will find and buy the air ticket he needs from you.
  3. We offer the prices that airlines and partner agencies give us.
  4. We pay not only for air tickets, but also for other tourism products, for example, booking hotel rooms. Maximum income from each user is the main goal.
  5. We have been doing affiliate marketing for over 11 years. Our accumulated experience allows us to squeeze the most out of your traffic. You can view the purchase statistics of your visitors online in your personal account. You will be able to analyze the number of searches, bookings and sales.
  6. We are constantly improving the core and interface of our search engine, creating new services for site users, connecting new agencies and airlines. This is how we manage to achieve maximum conversion users into real buyers.
  7. We do not impose restrictions on traffic or the topic of your site - anyone can register and start earning money with us. When registering, we do not require you to sign a bunch of documents and provide detailed information - the whole process will only take a few minutes.

You can get more detailed information, find answers to your possible questions, download a presentation in pdf format, as well as register and start earning money with us by selling the cheapest air tickets at

Transport is one of the most sustainable sectors of the economy. The demand for passenger transportation is stable throughout the year, and with the onset of a certain season, the flow of passengers increases several times. Therefore, the sale of railway and air tickets as a business turns out to be very attractive for entrepreneurs.

But this activity is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Only a thorough study of the topic will allow you to create a successful business in the field of ticket sales.

Selling air tickets - how to organize

You can now find a flight ticket sales office everywhere: in shopping and office centers, in travel and insurance companies. Such an abundance of sales outlets generates interest among novice entrepreneurs. At first glance, it seems that to organize an air ticket office it is enough to rent a small room and establish trade relations with carriers. However, securing access to tickets is not so easy.

How to open an airline ticket office from scratch? Today it is possible to work in two directions: as an agent or subagent. Both options allow you to sell air tickets, but the requirements for the seller for each type of cooperation are significantly different.

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Opening an airline ticket office under an agency agreement

To conclude an agency agreement you must:

  • be accredited by the International Transport Association - IATA or the Transport Clearing Company;
  • conduct professional training for employees in accordance with the requirements of airlines and accrediting companies (personnel are also required to have work experience in the transportation industry);
  • prepare the office in accordance with regulatory requirements for ticket office premises;
  • gain access to ticket booking systems - “Gabriel”, “Amadeus”, “Galileo”, “Sirena”, “Start”.

In addition, each airline has its own additional requirements for possible agents. For example, an agency agreement may provide for conditions for the agent to open a certain number of sales points, or for the mandatory purchase of a certain number of tickets, including by flight.

Important! Agents are subject to serious requirements in terms of sales volumes in the form of monthly plans, as well as the presence of an active client base.

An air carrier can advise a businessman on how to open an airline ticket office directly, but it rarely comes to the conclusion of an agency agreement, since airlines need large operators who can organize large-scale sales and have serious financial resources.

Opening a point of sale of air tickets under a subagency agreement

A more acceptable option for many entrepreneurs for organizing the sale of air tickets is to become a subagent. Almost all airlines allow their agents to have sub-agents. They are also subject to certain requirements, but not as strict as in the first case.

To conclude a subagency agreement, you must contact the agent and fulfill all the conditions imposed by his partner airline, as well as the agent himself. Most often, these conditions provide for the following responsibilities of the subagent: to equip the point of sale with office equipment, conduct training for staff in working with special programs, and provide advertising support.

All this should reflect the air ticket office that some airline agencies require from their potential partners. Subagents are rarely required to meet sales volume requirements, and a mandatory ticket purchase quota is not established. Working under a subagency agreement is the most attractive option for creating your own business selling airline tickets, which does not require major investments.

More details about what types of airline ticket offices there are, and how such enterprises make money, are described in the following video:

How to organize the sale of train tickets

An equally interesting area of ​​the “ticket business” is the sale of railway tickets. Here the situation is somewhat different from the air transportation sector. Russian Railways is a monopolist, and therefore dictates very strict conditions for organizing ticket sales.

Today, Russian Railways has several dozen direct agents, as the company conducts a serious selection of partners. To cooperate with a company on an agent basis, you must pass three levels of accreditation:

  • accreditation of the right to conclude a contract;
  • confirmation of compliance of each point of sale with established requirements;
  • accreditation of each employee selling tickets.

In addition, Russian Railways reserves the right to monitor the agent’s activities, including conducting periodic certification of the partner’s sales offices and personnel.

The requirements for subagents are also quite high, but are more feasible for specialists who know the specifics of Russian Railways.

When opening a railway ticket office, it is important to know how to make money selling railway tickets, since neither the carrier nor the agents pay a commission on sales. In this case, the profit is generated through a service fee for issuing a ticket, the amount of which the subagent sets independently or in agreement with the agent. Ancillary services, such as ticket delivery, hotel reservations, etc., can bring additional income.

Selling tickets online is a real business

Having an idea of ​​how to open a railway and air ticket office, you can plan to create your own business in this direction. One interesting option is to sell tickets on the Internet. In this case, there is no need to organize an office or hire staff, all costs are minimal.

To do this, you need to enter into a subagency agreement and set up sales channels. This could be a specialized website, message boards, social networks.

Recently, specialized services and affiliate programs have appeared online that allow you to sell tickets without leaving your home. The organizers of such resources regularly conduct training webinars on the topic: how to make money by selling railway and air tickets on the Internet, which allows even a person who is not familiar with the peculiarities of transportation to start a business in this area.

Buying and booking tickets online is gaining popularity among consumers. Potential entrepreneurs who are thinking about it should take a closer look at this area. This is one of the few working business ideas with minimal investment and great prospects.