[UPDATE, March 30, 2018: As expected, Travelport and Air France KLM reached a new “private channel” deal. So did Amadeus. As a result, users of the Amadeus and Travelport global distribution systems can enter into deals with the airline group to avoid the distribution surcharge Air France KLM plans to apply, effective April 1. According to statements attributed… Read More »
Sabre CEO Sean Menke confirmed what many suspected. The IAG private channel option for travel agencies caught up in reworked economics between airlines and GDSs is about foregoing GDS incentives. Parent of British Airways and Iberia, IAG created “two buckets for the agency community,” Menke explained during the Wednesday Bernstein Technology Summit. He called them the “haves and have-nots.” The… Read More »
[UPDATE: We published new info on Air France-KLM here.] 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… Read More »
Businesses are paying less for some international airline tickets than they have in years, according to corporate travel benchmarks. It’s not because airlines have cut published pricing. Instead, they have kept selling more low-bucket inventory closer to departure. That brings down passenger yield, a proxy for fare paid. Some U.S. routes to London and China are showing sharply reduced average fares paid.… Read More »