Flight Operations Cost Analyst

Explora Journeys is a vibrant, cosmopolitan, European luxury brand, imagined in the heart of Swiss hospitality in Geneva. Leveraging our parent company MSC Group’s hundreds of years of maritime expertise, our fleet of six luxury ships (four currently in the pipeline) are being built and designed in a totally different and unique way that will transform and redefine the cruise experience, creating a category of its own, appealing to the next generation of luxury travellers.

In line with Corporate policies and procedures, the Flight Operation Cost Control Analyst has the aim to ensure that all costs related to flight services are correct and properly posted both into the reservation system (Seaware) and into the accounting system (SAP) through a cost verification process, which implies creating Purchase Orders in SAP and re-costing (adjusting costs) Air items into Seaware to ensure the accurate quality of data in General production reports.

Responsibilities:

• Verify costs for Tour Operating Flight items, adjusting them in the Company’s systems for providing correct reporting information.
• Conduct comprehensive reviews and reconciliations of air travel reservations against internal systems and third-party data sources to ensure consistency and accuracy with company policies (verifying passenger information, flight details, fares, and associated charges), identifying and investigating discrepancies, inconsistencies, or errors in booking data, implementing corrective actions as necessary to maintain data integrity.
• Ensure the accurate recording of all air travel-related financial transactions (payments, refunds, adjustments) to uphold financial integrity, collaborating with the finance and accounting department to reconcile financial records, promptly addressing and resolving any discrepancies.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies between air travel bookings and associated financial records, ensure timely corrections while interacting with internal teams, travel partners, and airlines to rectify discrepancies, clarify issues, and gather any missing information.
• Generate and distribute regular reports summarizing the status of air travel reconciliations, highlighting outstanding discrepancies and their resolutions, analyzing trends to provide actionable insights to management, supporting ongoing improvements in accuracy and efficiency.
• Identify and recommend opportunities to streamline reconciliation processes, enhancing data accuracy and efficiency, collaborating with cross-functional teams to implement process enhancements and automation solutions, driving continuous improvement within the department.
• Partner with the reservations team to ensure the accurate and timely communication of air travel information, coordinating effectively with third-party travel partners and airlines to address reconciliation-related matters and foster strong working relationships.
• Ensure documentation is easily accessible for audit and reporting purposes, adhering to company standards and maintaining comprehensive and organized records of reconciliation activities, communications, and issue resolutions to support transparency and accountability.
• Conduct regular audits of reconciliation processes to ensure compliance with industry standards and company policies, identifying areas for improvement and enhancing overall quality control and daily checks of flight item costs, focusing on BSP emissions, to ensure accurate financial tracking, reviewing weekly IATA invoices across all countries for cost reconciliation, ensuring accuracy and timely payment.
• Evaluate rebilling invoices related to flight items for completeness and correctness.
• Actively participate in month-end closing activities to support timely and accurate financial reporting, ensuring all reconciliations are completed and discrepancies addressed.

Qualifications:

• A previous experience in travel industry reconciliation, accounting, or financial analysis.
• Fluent in oral and written English; any other European language is considered a plus.
• Familiarity with airline reservation systems and booking processes is a plus.
• Knowledge of air travel industry regulations and procedures (Airline Reconciliation Corporation, International Air Transport Association, Billing and Settlement Plan) is a plus.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Excel and other relevant software for data analysis.
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
• Excellent communication, strong analytical skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Problem-solving mindset with the ability to investigate and resolve complex discrepancies.

VISA Requirements:

• Right to work in Italy.