Distribution

Scroll down to review The Company Dime‘s coverage of travel distribution.

The travel industry thrives on a complex network of channels connecting travelers with desired experiences. The Company Dime‘s travel distribution category delves into this intricate system, offering subscribers invaluable knowledge and insights. Our in-depth articles explore the various channels that constitute corporate travel distribution, both traditional and emerging.

Getting all the relevant, bookable inventory in front of business travelers is a never-ending challenge. Airlines, hotels and other suppliers constantly tinker with their products and pricing, and often favor direct distribution over third-party channels. That creates complexity in business travel technology.

Readers can expect thorough coverage of the relationships and dynamics between airlines, hotels, travel management companies, global distribution systems and other suppliers and intermediaries. We closely examine developments associated with the New Distribution Capability (NDC), direct booking initiatives and the rise of new entrants looking to disrupt legacy models.

Subscribers benefit from our scrutiny of the often-opaque world of distribution costs and revenue streams, including incentive payments, agency commissions and booking fees. We shed light on these essential commercial arrangements.

We also track the technological forces reshaping distribution, from the positioning of online booking tools to the potential of emerging solutions like artificial intelligence, blockchain and virtual payment. Readers stay informed on innovations that could unlock efficiencies and improve the traveler experience.

Our coverage clarifies major industry debates, such as the relative merits of GDS and NDC content, and our Op Eds deliver provocative thought leadership from all corners of the industry. Contributor insights on timely issues — like rethinking travel management company commercial models — make for essential reading.

With a critical eye and a healthy dose of skepticism, The Company Dime delivers must-have intelligence for anyone seeking to understand the present and future of travel distribution.

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You get what you pay for, and most travel industry business news is free. We sell insight. Our mission is quality journalism for those interested in business travel services, expense management practices and travel industry change. Our features, exclusives and analysis equip business travel professionals with vital info for top performance.

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Tye Radcliffe, Accelya

Q&A: Accelya Chief Customer Success Officer Tye Radcliffe

Supporting New Distribution Capability aspirations at American, Delta, United and many other airline customers, Accelya sits on distribution’s cutting edge. For 2024, the company — which acquired Farelogix in 2020 — reported a 146 percent year-over-year jump in NDC transactions among corporate travel management companies connected to airlines through its APIs. The firm claims it…

Notebook: Corporate Travel Consultants Analyze GBT-CWT Review (w/Audio)
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Notebook: Corporate Travel Consultants Analyze GBT-CWT Review (w/Audio)

Festive Road’s Caroline Strachan predicted she would often say “it depends” when unpacking the government reviews of Amex GBT’s planned acquisition of CWT. It turned out that she wasn’t the only one during a live online discussion on Wednesday. Do large customers and small customers need different services from travel management companies? It depends. Can…

GBT Met AA’s NDC Goal With ‘Owned Channels,’ Says It Won’t Force Them On CWT Clients
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GBT Met AA’s NDC Goal With ‘Owned Channels,’ Says It Won’t Force Them On CWT Clients

Answering the U.S. Department of Justice’s Jan. 10 lawsuit, American Express Global Business Travel on Tuesday said that its “owned channels,” including proprietary booking interfaces Egencia and Neo, were processing nearly 50 percent of American Airlines transactions using the New Distribution Capability as of April 2024. At the time, AA’s target was 30 percent. “Amex…

Mark Nasr, Air Canada

NDC Sputters, But It’s Still The Future

The consensus among execs at airlines, travel management companies, global distribution system firms and other tech intermediaries is that NDC should become mainstream this year (if it hasn’t already). Not all buyers are like-minded. Industry metrics reflect a stall in momentum. Many corporate customers remain unconvinced about growing NDC. Some program managers who had enabled…

Serko To Buy Sabre’s GetThere
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Serko To Buy Sabre’s GetThere

Serko agreed to acquire Sabre’s GetThere online booking solution for $12 million. The parties also will “collaborate on the development of new product capabilities for corporate customers, as well as the growth and expansion of the companies’ relevant customer base,” according to a Monday statement. “The partnership also defines a joint approach to commercial, sales…

Decius Valmorbida, Amadeus
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Q&A: Decius Valmorbida, President Of Amadeus’ Travel Unit (Audio)

Amadeus named Decius Valmorbida president of its travel unit in August 2020. A native of Brazil, Valmorbida originally joined Amadeus in 2004 and has been a member of its executive committee since 2017. He spoke on Tuesday with The Company Dime during a live interview on the LinkedIn Audio platform. Among other topics, he responded…

Anita Salvatore, Corporate Travel Management
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CTM Fee For No-Commission Lodging Would Reflect Shifting Distribution Dynamics

Corporate Travel Management is floating a $5 fee on hotel transactions that don’t generate commissions for the travel management company, according to sources.  They did not know whether such a fee would apply to all or hotel-only transactions, online or offline bookings, or existing or new clients. The program could differ by geography. An official…

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