Australians still want to travel but the increasingly chaotic airfare market is turning travel advisors into problem-solvers rather than simple booking agents, Complex Travel Group managing director Mark Trim says.
At a media briefing in Sydney last night, Trim said demand for business class travel over the next six months remains strong despite rising fares, reduced availability and increasingly complex airline pricing models.
But it’s “solving problems, not selling the dream”, he said.
In describing a market where consumers are highly motivated to travel, particularly to Europe, but are being forced to rethink how they get there, Trim said travellers are increasingly open to extra stopovers or flying with less familiar carriers if it means better value.
“There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach, which is making booking with a true expert more valuable than ever,” he said.
Trim said traditional one-stop routings through Asian hubs are under pressure, with Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific heavily booked or charging premium prices for the upcoming northern summer.
“The era of easy Asian gateway bookings is largely gone for the upcoming Northern summer season,” he said. Instead, he pointed to Turkish Airlines as a standout value option, alongside Oman Air, Vietnam Airlines, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air.
The Adelaide-based specialist advisors, originally founded as RoundAbout Travel in 2008, has expanded to include several brands that cater to different aspects of travel and rewards offerings. While RoundAbout Travel focuses on round the world airfares, QFlyer looks at airfare management for high-tier Qantas frequent flyer members while Flat Beds offers value-driven Business and First Class airfare deals. Offshoot Flat Beds Tour + Cruise expands the offering to include luxury tour and cruise booking services.
While the current geopolitical climate has had its impact, its hasn’t hindered Complex Travel Group’s continued growth with CEO Anthony Riemann revealing to Travel Weekly that the company will soon add two more staff to its Melbourne office, expects to top 100 staff across Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland offices by year’s end and turnover will be just under $200 million.
Dynamic pricing frustration grows
Beyond supply issues, Trim said airline pricing itself has fundamentally changed. He said major carriers are using NDC technology and continuous pricing, replacing traditional fare ladders with near-limitless price points that can shift according to search behaviour, device type and browsing history.
That means fares can rise quickly and may not return to previous levels if a traveller delays booking. Cached prices on metasearch and OTA platforms can also lag behind live inventory, leading to a growing trust gap when customers click through only to find fares unavailable or more expensive. But Complex knows where to find the gaps where consumers can not.
Trim said the rise of AI makes human advisers more valuable, not less.
“The market is quite literally a game most consumers are playing without knowing the rules,” he said with advisors able to access live inventory, understand booking classes, prevent costly mistakes and package airfares with tours or cruises to unlock better value.
“This is a major driver behind Complex Travel Group’s 30–40 per cent year-on-year growth, because people are frustrated and are losing trust in what they’re seeing online,” he said.
Global business travel keeps moving, but confidence nosedives as costs and conflict bite
Business class no longer means what it used to
Trim also warned premium travellers cannot assume business class includes traditional perks. Lounge access, baggage, seat selection and refundability can now vary widely depending on airline, route and fare family, with some lower-tier business fares now non-refundable.
He said some travellers are arriving at airports after paying thousands for a premium ticket, only to discover lounge access is not included.
“It’s critical for consumers to make informed cost benefit decisions and expert agents can bring these different rules into the forefront of conversations, rather than being an afterthought,” he said.
Seasons shift as Europe demand stays hot
Trim said the old travel calendar is also changing. September has become a major Europe peak period, while May is rapidly emerging as the next sweet spot for affluent travellers seeking milder weather and better pricing.
Meanwhile, cruise demand is helping pull airfare bookings further forward.
Gen Thompson from Flat Beds Tour + Cruise, a top seller of Emerald, Scenic and Viking cruises, says Europe enquiries have rebounded strongly, with luxury small-ship cruising, Antarctica expeditions, Egypt and Portugal all performing strongly.
For advisors, in an era of AI tools and complex pricing, niche travel expertise is more valuable than ever.
