New York — Tech thinkers from corporate travel agencies, airlines, investment firms and others gathered Wednesday for the first Blockchain In Travel Summit, hosted by JetBlue Ventures. The consensus was consensus. For blockchain to improve how travel companies work with each other, it’s all about collaboration. These are early days. Speakers here and also during…
People disagree on how much and when, but blockchain seems destined to improve how hotels track and pay commissions to travel management companies. This always has been a gnarly process, so many will welcome the change. Clearing up mismatched data, resorting to dunning, failing to trust … it’s so bad, the industry accepts “commission recovery”…
Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) announced the completion of a proof of concept with Blockskye for the use of blockchain in corporate travel. The billing and settlement company also revealed the previously unnamed airline participant, United Airlines. It did not name the participating corporate account. ARC today described the pilot for reporting and settlement of United…
Air Canada is in talks with Blockskye and Winding Tree about ways to use their blockchain technologies in distribution, corporate contracts and settlement. Announced in late October, the latter relationship would have the airline connecting its NDC-compliant application programming interface to a public blockchain, according to Air Canada director of global product distribution Keith Wallis….
[UPDATE, Jan. 9, 2019: The airline working with ARC and Blockskye is United Airlines. Find more information here.] Blockchain startup Blockskye is running a proof of concept with the Airlines Reporting Corp. and also working with an unnamed airline and Fortune 100 corporate account to build a robust direct-booking and payment program. Blockchain would not enable…
The decision by Siemens to move all hotel sourcing to HRS isn’t only about improving the $101 billion industrial manufacturer’s lodging program. It supports a traveler-centric philosophy through flexibility and choice that’s also reflected in other areas like air travel and booking channels. Process efficiencies are a bonus. “This is not open booking by definition,”…
One of the first applications of blockchain to corporate travel is in the works at hotel distribution and contracting specialist HRS. Spurred in part by discussions with sourcing client Siemens, HRS is testing blockchain-powered smart contracts, allowing clients and hotels to negotiate rates that change based on environmental conditions. In another scenario, blockchain supports identity verification…
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