Sources expect Air France-KLM in the next couple weeks to announce a surcharge for GDS bookings, much like rivals at Lufthansa Group and IAG. This will come as no surprise for many observers. One source said an announcement could come as early as next week, while another indicated early November. A third said the timing of the announcement… Read More »
There weren’t many for a while, but the number of choices for corporate online booking technology not tied to a specific travel management company has grown during the past couple years. No longer are corporate buyers faced with choosing only between Concur, Deem and GetThere for their enterprise needs. The list of small firms is healthy. Some are… Read More »
New York – With the British Airways/Iberia surcharge on GDS bookings set to take effect in two weeks, many eyes are on the United Kingdom’s largest GDS. Travelport arguably has both more influence on, and more to lose from, the outcome of the airlines’ program than any other intermediary. Speaking at a World Travel Inc. event here last week, Travelport… Read More »
New York – What is American Airlines senior vice president of global sales Alison Taylor cheerful about? What keeps her up at night? The answer to both questions is the same: the future state of AA’s GDS relationships. Speaking here last week at a World Travel Inc. event, Taylor reiterated AA’s stance that NDC is not about circumventing… Read More »
Carlson Wagonlit Travel joined rivals Amex GBT and HRG in creating a deal to avoid the IAG carriers’ GDS surcharge. CWT would use “participating GDSs.” It did not name the lone participating GDS, Amadeus, in its press statement. CWT said very little about the New Distribution Capability, posting the following in a client Q&A: “What agreement is in place between… Read More »
The new, Amadeus-endorsed model for airline distribution with International Airlines Group may or may not take hold among more travel management companies or even other GDSs. For now, it’s constructive to review the role of IATA’s New Distribution Capability. When IAG announced a GDS surcharge in May, NDC was the industry’s ticket to fee-free British Airways and Iberia… Read More »
There are three weeks to go before a surcharge takes effect on global distribution system bookings with British Airways and Iberia. Big travel management companies are revealing that they’re avoiding the fee on bookings through Amadeus thanks to the GDS company’s agreements with the airlines. Following a related Hogg Robinson Group announcement last week, American Express Global Business Travel… Read More »
Carlson Wagonlit Travel is showing it’s serious about lodging, with 150 people already in its RoomIt dedicated hotel division, and more to come next year. Six salespeople are selling RoomIt to businesses that are not clients of the mother ship. “We have already signed a RoomIt-only client,” said CWT president for hotels Scott Brennan during a late September… Read More »
Big travel management companies are beefing up their hotel programs. They say it’s a content play. Aggregating inventory, special prices and perks counteracts fragmentation. It gives their clients’ travelers less reason to stray from managed programs. That improves reporting and risk management. All good stuff. But, wait. Follow the money. First, a bit of history. U.S. airlines chipped… Read More »
Will blockchain disrupt processes, companies or nothing at all? The question is playing out in the contrasting market approaches of distribution startups Blockskye and Winding Tree. The former is careful. It’s into change from within. It’s talking to the old guard. The latter is boastful and aggressive. It’s using dubious claims to generate investment interest. The more aggressive… Read More »