United Airlines is testing continuous pricing on some U.S. routes. The concept frees airlines from the traditional alphabet-based fare class structure and permits more flexibility with smaller jumps between price points. Distributing such fares through all channels is a challenge, and United is pressing ahead on direct booking for corporate accounts. It’s planning a new…
[CORRECTION, Aug. 15, 2022: “There is no direct integration in place between TravelPerk and Hilton,” according to a prepared Aug. 8 statement from TravelPerk. The company apologized “for any confusion or misunderstanding” and indicated that when TravelPerk chief commercial officer JC Taunay-Bucalo said during a July phone interview that the company had a direct connection…
Ten years after the International Air Transport Association introduced its New Distribution Capability standards for web-based protocols to sell airline products, corporate travel bookings using those protocols remain a drop in the bucket. Including leisure bookings, NDC’s penetration of indirect distribution for IATA member airlines in the quarter ending in March was 10 percent, driven…
Travelport this month announced enhancements including a self-service portal allowing travelers to manage their bookings. The portal was one reason longtime Travelport subscribers Christopherson Business Travel and Fox World Travel upgraded to the new Travelport+ platform. The pair also cited multisource content aggregation, new merchandizing capabilities and more automation for things like ticket exchanges. Travelport…
Sabre on Wednesday said former CWT president and CEO Kurt Ekert, who previously spent 14 years as a leader with Travelport and related organizations, would become its president as of Jan. 3. Sean Menke retains the CEO role. The move builds “a leadership team for the future of Sabre,” according to a press statement. A…
Air Canada 18 years ago debuted fare families, a response to low-cost competition that set off a revolution in airline pricing. The company’s decision shortly thereafter to make some fares exclusive to its direct channels augured similar moves more than a decade later by big carriers in Europe and elsewhere. Is Montréal changing the game…
Airline distribution expert Cory Garner last week contemplated whether or not “product-based” airline displays were compatible with the indirect distribution channel favored by corporate travel programs. It’s very difficult, he said, and getting it done requires “a lot of alignment and consultation amongst the various stakeholders.” Those are not hallmarks of the historical relationships between…
End of content
End of content
