Switching reservation systems is a crucial part of an airline merger, and a scary proposition. If it doesn’t go as planned, it can be traumatic for the carriers and their customers. Delta Air Lines in 201o had some glitches when absorbing Northwest’s reservations, but overall the migration wasn’t too disruptive. It was a very different…
[UPDATE, Oct. 1: In late September, Sabre GetThere made available bookings for United’s Economy Plus seating. Users without elite status on the airline have the option to split payment for the product upgrade by charging the added cost to a personal credit card if corporate policies disallow such purchases. Travel managers can decide whether the…
Air travel demand is fairly strong and airplanes are pretty full. Airlines are raking in profits. Fares are flat or down. Where will they go from here? Predicting airfares is risky, with wild cards in the form of fuel prices, competition and the economy. Fundamentally, fares are a function of supply and demand. An imbalance…
With parts of the United States finally thawed after another nasty winter, weary travelers can breathe a little easier. But cancellations are something airlines think about year-round. To better reaccommodate disrupted passengers, they are employing the next generation of internal automated rebooking systems and new processes for travel management companies. Some airlines at first sought to rebook as many…
When organizations don’t have enough air volume to earn negotiated discounts, many find small business programs are better than nothing. But they can be a bit more than that. They can, for example, fill gaps for midsize companies averse to contracts with multiple carriers. For airlines, these programs offer access to a fertile segment at costs below those of traditional…
American Airlines this quarter brought to most of its North American travel agencies revised back-end “override” incentive programs. Based on revenue share rather than passenger count, the move may put some travel buyers on guard for higher costs. It’s conceivable that the program presents agencies a reason to either transact higher fares and/or charge higher…
End of content
End of content
