Announcing financial results today for the first nine months of this year, Lufthansa Group executives offered an update on the company’s distribution and digitization strategies. In short, it will be some time before the split from traditional distribution practices bears fruit. As it moves to a Datalex-provided platform, Lufthansa Group carrier Swiss is expected next year…
[UPDATE, Nov. 27, 2017: International Air Transport Association members last week approved rule revisions allowing travel agencies to use their own credit cards or “alternative transfer methods” to purchase airline tickets on clients’ behalf. The revisions changed the wording of IATA Resolution 890 to bring it “in line with industry rules and best practices,” according…
Travel management sources said British Airways parent IAG should go back to the drawing board on recently discussed alternatives to its surcharge program, due to take effect Nov. 1. An IAG official offered no comment on news that the firm is in the market talking to travel management companies about an incentive program not unlike…
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….
You generally will not see interviews published here, but an opportunity that came up last week made an exception worthwhile. What follows are excerpts of separate interviews with top executives at the three largest travel management companies. We spoke by phone with American Express Global Business Travel president Philippe Chérèque last Monday, Carlson Wagonlit Travel…
British Airways expects later this month to share more details about its distribution strategy. Possibly in conjunction with a surcharge on GDS bookings, BA will discuss use of IATA’s New Distribution Capability. Lufthansa made its big splash along these lines nearly two years ago. Last week the Germany-based airline group hyped NDC-enabled direct connections with…
Pioneering a new airline distribution program has its perks. The Lufthansa direct-connect initiative with Siemens will benefit the conglomerate’s travelers even when they don’t book that way. More than eight months into the program, Siemens officials last week briefed The Company Dime on progress and lessons learned. It was always part of the plan to provide…
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