Travelport and British Airways/Iberia agreed to a framework for surcharge-free airfares, adopting the private channel concept for travel agency users that sacrifice GDS incentives.
It wasn’t unexpected, but the agreement serves as a letdown for some U.K. travel agency leaders who were hoping the market’s top GDS would fight the private-channel construct. Amadeus and Sabre had previously agreed to the program.
According to a Travelport spokesperson, users will continue to benefit from Travelport’s “beyond-booking capability that enable workflow automation, change management processes, multiple content integration, robotics for fulfillment and other vital services. Meanwhile, Travelport is working to develop NDC connections and is on track to achieve IATA Level 3 status in the coming weeks.”
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