This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel DISTRIBUTION in tourism and hospitality for May 2014.
Wednesday 28 May 2014:
Amadeus and GermanWings sign distribution and ancillary pact
- The Lufthansa-owned carrier will apparently be the first to also distribute full range of published fares through so-called "light ticketing" platforms, a process where agents can book low cost and hybrid carriers in the same way as traditional full service airlines.
Sabre gets pre-paid bags on
Iberia- The Spanish airline, part of the Interational Airlines Group, will be able to sell pre-pad bags to agents connected to the Sabre GDS. Iberia plans to add pre-reserved searts through the same process in the coming months.
Friday 23 May 2014:Travelport signs up CityJet
- With the distribution agreement in place, Travelport will enable its travel agencies (using Galileo and Worldspan) to take advantage of the bookability of CityJet fares and ancillaries within their normal workflow. The Dublin-based airline operates around 700 flights a week to destinations across Europe.
Thursday 22 May 2014:SilverRail secures Amtrak in new deal
- SilverRail, the recently heavily funded rail fares network provider, will help US train operating giant distribute tickets and availability across its entire network to third parties for a further three years. Electronic ticketing capability is part of the new agreement.
TripAdvisor adds restaurant booking tool to European city listings
Wednesday 21 May 2014:Datalex to power retail platform for Air Transat
- Datalex's Travel Distribution Platform (TDP) has been selected by Transat A.T (a tourism company) to power its Air Transat website.
Abacus to launch EMD with Air China in international markets
- Air China is implementing Abacus's electronic miscellaneous document (EMD) technology to create a paperless ticketing environment. The airline is taking the initiative with Abacus EMD outside China in order to comply with IATA’s mandate, and also to reap the benefit of being digital.
Friday 16 May 2014:Travelport extends long-term deal with Ezfly
- The Taiwan-based online travel agency will continue to use Travelport as part of a new multi-year agreement covering technology and content distribution. The pair have worked together for 14 years and the latest agreement comes ahead of plans by Ezfly to expand its operations.
CheapAir.com extends Bitcoin purchases to
Amtrak fares
- After recently announcing the ability to book Amtrak fares alongside plane fares, the company now takes Bitcoin for payment on Amtrak fares as well.
Thursday 15 May 2014:TripFactory partners with RezNext
- The new partnership between the companies will allow TripFactory to provide its consumers real-time room inventory from hotels across India for booking (and also for modification) while automating its own reservation process in the back end.
Wednesday 14 May 2014:Amadeus renews Qatar Airways partnership
- The Middle East-based carrier has extended its existing agreement with Amadeus to also include the ALTEA Suite of services, covering reservations, departure control and inventory. The latest deal is a "multi-year" extension.
Thursday 1 May 2014:Travelport ties up Travel Point for Oman distribution
- The distributor agreement between the pair will see Travel Point continue to be Travelport's re-seller of Galileo products, content and other services to third parties in Oman. The partnership is one of many national distribution agreements Travelport has with organisations around the world (especially in the Middle East) to act as its operator in local markets.
Sabre gets some
Etihad ancillaries
- The Middle East-based carrier will now sell extra legroom seats and pre-paid bags via the Sabre GDS as part of the pair's existing distribution agreement. Other carriers offering similar products through the Sabre GDS include Qantas, KLM, Alitalia and EasyJet.
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NB2: Travel distribution image via Shutterstock.