Boston – Travel management professionals agree that to be effective, new airline distribution programs need to offer at least as much functionality as existing systems do. Based on expert commentary at last week’s Global Business Travel Association convention here, it would appear that a solution to be welcomed by all key parties is a ways off. Dozens of speakers… Read More »
American Airlines will pay participating travel agencies $2 per net segment booked and ticketed using certified NDC connections at all points of sale on AA-marketed flights. The program requires agencies to cover distribution costs, but comes with a near-term content parity commitment. It also enables new possibilities for corporate bundles, waiver-and-favor management and risk management data. They’re not up and… Read More »
It’s hard not to gush over the new business travel app from ETA Inc., a startup that enjoyed investment from the International Air Transport Association’s NDC Innovation Fund. With travel distribution legend Jeff Katz and other Orbitz vets among its investors and advisors, ETA has produced a slick app. No two ways about it. The app remains in limited beta… Read More »
The International Air Transport Association’s New Distribution Capability has been in the making for about five years and many still don’t get it. Depending on your interpretation and where you sit, it’s either a promising or unsettling development for business travel distribution. NDC is neither a new airline reservations system nor a massive database of traveler information. It’s… Read More »
Lufthansa Group in September will add a 16 euro per-ticket surcharge to bookings made through global distribution systems. The idea is to lower distribution costs by encouraging customers to use direct channels. The strategy dismantles agreements that required the airlines to include all fares and inventory in the systems. Corporate accounts instead can have travelers book on the group’s airline websites, where negotiated… Read More »