GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus - July 2012

Product news, releases, projects and more from the global distribution systems during July 2012 - all here, in one easy read.

More recent updates first:

Monday 30 July 2012:

Travelport signs first Universal Desktop customer in the Middle East. Cozmo Travel, based in the United Arab Emirates, joins a number of agencies around the world using the new platform. Universal Desktop allows agents to combine all elements of search and booking of multiple products via desktop, replacing existing green screen commands and functionality.
No gold medal for Travelport as it takes painful tumble in the Olympic hurdles [VIDEO]
SITA doubles the speed of data exchange to help airlines over the Olympic peak

Friday 27 July 2012:

Sabre claims to have 80 developers on Sabre Red Workspace platform. The service originally launched in September 2011 as a way to attract external developers to play with its technology and create an appstore of products for agents to use. The announcement comes just a day after Amadeus unveiled its developer centre and Travelport launched a developer-created mobile GDS application.
Amadeus signs SpiceJet with technology deal. The agreement sees Amadeus e-Travel Management system used for distribution as well as some ecommerce services. Connected corporate agents will be able to search and book fares and secure some ancillary services such as in-flight meals.
Startups in Europe speak out about the struggle to hire talent
Introducing Managed Travel 2.0, a revolution in corporate travel that will affect everyone

Wednesday 25 July 2012:

Bulgarian Air signs distribution agreement with Travelport. The full content agreement sees the carrier's published fares made available to all Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan GDS-connected agents around the world. The airline will also use Travelport's NAVS functionality (Numeric Availability Status Messagesfor green screen displays).
Sabre pushes video conferencing tools into HD. Customers using Sabre Virtual Meetings will now be able to book high definition video conferencing rooms, the company says. The move is a further enhancement to the previously announced agreement with Glowpoint to provide agents and their corporate customers to search and secure bookings for facilities around the world.
Dutch online travel agency TIX signs technology and distribution deal with Travelport. The agreement covers Travelport's e-Pricing technology as well as shifting "the majority" of its content volume to the Galileo GDS. TIX is launched in June 2010 and claims it will reach Euro 100 million turnover in 2012.
Travelport lets agents play with the GDS on-the-road via iPhone application
Amadeus opens up code to third parties, promises revolution in travel app development
Revealed: Winners in the battle for airline ancillary revenue
FlightFox lets hackers find consumers the best air ticket
What happens if the hotel industry finally says RIP to rate parity?
Finally, something BIG to get excited about in hotel technology

Tuesday 24 July 2012:

Travelport creates mobile app for Italian student travel group. The app for CTS Viaggi, called CTS Mobile, is available on Apple and Android devices and allows users search and book flights and hotels using maps as well as by price or proximity. The is part of a wider technology agreement between the pair. CTS has around 215,000 members and sells travel services to over 500 destinations around the world.
Airlines must up their game: only a quarter of passengers satisfied with on-board wifi
Tnooz-Sabre FREE Webinar: Technology and its massive impact on the travel experience
Hipmunk dives into premium services for business travel, yet Concur is hot on its furry tail

Monday 23 July 2012:

AeroSvit signs technology deal with Amadeus. The Ukrainian carrier will use the Amadeus ALTEA platform for inventory and aircraft management. Other ecommerce services are included in the deal, including the aancillary services module for booking additional products via the web and agencies.
Abacus opens office in Afghanistan. The expansion comes by way of a deal with Kabul Star Technologies to establish a local presence in the country, the 31st market for Abacus. The partnership allows travel agents in the country to buy airline tickets via the Abacus GDS, rather than via other parties in Pakistan, India and UAE.
Kayak IPOs today at $1 billion valuation, analysts make predictions about future

Friday 20 July 2012:

Travelport pushes enhanced version of Agencia to Air Canada. The new system allows agencies to shop, book and modify the carrier full content and ancillary products via the Galileo GDS. Other new features include the ability to automatically create PNRs, multi-city trips and modify bookings within the system.
Sabre gears up to debut new TripCase platform. The new version of TripCase, Sabre's mobile trip management service, will be unveiled at the annual GBTA conference in the US and is being touted as the "traveler's home base", allowing them manage, track and share a user's trips. Features will include alerts for weather disruptions, flight delays, gate changes, as well as multiple itinerary view and ability to have branded messages from agencies and corporations.
WorldMate upgrades its itinerary management app with hotel booking suggestions
Yapta ends search for new CEO, appoints EZYield boss James Filsinger

Wednesday 18 July 2012:

GetThere expands ground services with Park N Fly addition. The Sabre-owned travel management tool will now allow users to search and book airport parking products in the US via PNF. The service will be part of GetThere Ground, a range of products also covering chauffeured taxis and shuttle products.
Three ways hotels can drive revenue keeping a close eye on social media data
Cancelon claims pioneering position in marketplace for unused hotel reservations

Monday 16 July 2012:

Chan Brothers Travel selects Amadeus for mobile customer service. The Singapore-based leisure travel agency will use Amadeus Mobile Traveller to run its device handset, allwing users to plan and book trips, check itineraries and flight status, synchronise with calendars and perform some social media functions.
Hey! Wise up, Feeding The Beast in travel is not such a bad thing
Farelogix sets up merchandising unit, extends tech beyond direct connect airlines
Open Travel Exchange seeks to wrap up distribution for small hotels and hostels
How destinations can use data to reach their target audiences

Saturday 14 July 2012:

Air France adopts Amadeus SaaS system. The partnership sees the carrier use the Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services (AAAS) platform to distribute its ancillary products to its GDS-connected travel agencies. The package will initially be available in France so travel agents can offer Seat Plus for customers with EMD (Electronic Miscellaneous Document).
Why travel companies should spend more on IT than they do on an Indian takeaway

Thursday 12 July 2012:

Amadeus hires new R&D boss. Hervé Couturier will become executive vice president of development and replaces the retiring Jean-Paul Hamon. Couturier has previously worked for SAP (as executive vice president), IBM and Business Objects. The R&D division at Amadeus claims to have around 4,500 people working on various software development projects.
The economics of peer-to-peer travel marketplaces and collaborative consumption [Part 2 of 2]

Wednesday 11 July 2012:

Alaska Airlines signs distribution deal with Sabre. The airline will use the multi-year agreement to push fares and availability to all agents connected through the Sabre Travel Network. The pair will also explore how the carrier's ancillary services can be integrated in the future.
Abacus signs new partnership agreement with Cox & Kings. The deal will see the company in India use the Abacus WorkSpace, Abacus TicketingExpress and Abacus Mobile tools, as well as the GDS's training services for staff covering both leisure and business travel.
Apple iTravel comes closer as design patents are approved by officials

Tuesday 10 July 2012:

Delgado Travel completes distribution move to Travelport. The multi-year agreement will see Delgado use the Worldspan platform as its preferred GDS, covering air, hotel, car rental and cruise product. Delgado is based in hte US and serves customers looking for trips in Latin America.
Change is coming to travel technology, driven by access to data and eager developers
Kayak prices IPO at up to $25 per share, hopes to raise $100 million

Monday 9 July 2012:

Amadeus signs CCRA Travel Solutions distribution agreement. The five-year deal with the Fort Worth, US-based travel technology provider will see Amadeus provide distribution services and other technology as part of the company's plans to build an international network of travel agents. CCRA claims it has so far secured deals partners in Poland, Ireland, Portugal, Benelux, Singapore, India, Thailand, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, South Africa and Egypt.
More chaos in the purchase funnel – meta-meta travel search
The economics of peer-to-peer travel marketplaces and collaborative consumption [Part 1 of 2]

Friday 6 July 2012:

Aerolinas Argentinas taps Sabre for revenue tools. The airline, which has a long-standing partnership with Sabre, will use the upgraded Revenue Manager platform to obtain real-time marketplace pricing and other competitive data when calculating fares, availability and routes.
Goal-line technology – a shift of the goalposts in the airline vs GDS match
What are the best cities around the world for travel tech startups?
Travel startups: Please focus on the customer, not on the VCs and your exit

Thursday 5 July 2012:

Travelport brings in new general manager for Asia-Pacific region. Alexandra Fitzpatrick starts in Sydney on July 9 and joins from TMS Travel Management Solutions, where she ran the London office for the Australia-based travel management and procurement service provider. She will report directly to president and MD for Asia-Pacific, Simon Nowroz, but she is no stranger to the company, having worked at Galileo in product management and as director of distributor sales in the past. She also had stints with Sabre and IATA. The GM position has been vacant in Asia-Pacific since January 2011 when Shelley Beasley left for Webjet.
Precise Systems to act as Galileo distributor for Travelport in Tanzania. The company (a division of Precision Air) will have exclusive rights to distribute Galileo technology and services to agents in the region. The division will be overseen by Eliasaph Mathew.
Amadeus admits ALTEA crash was a result of Leap Second bug
SITA sharpens Horizon focus with ecommerce upgrade via Datalex
Hotel prices in Asia – June to August 2012
Taking the travel ecosystem into the design of websites
What is new in hotel distribution? Not a lot actually
Hotel chain lawsuit MUST BE a security wake-up call for the travel industry

Monday 2 July 2012: