Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
Ryanair, Trip.com
Ryanair, a low-cost airline of Ireland, has announced their
approved online travel agency partnership with Trip.com, an international one-stop travel
service provider.
This collaboration will allow Trip.com to offer Ryanair’s
low-fare flights to travelers and ensure that travelers booking Ryanair flights
via Trip.com will have their contact and payment information provided, which
guarantees direct delivery of flight information without additional customer verification.
Civitatis, Flybondi
Civitatis,
a Spanish marketplace for tours and activities, has announced a new partnership
with Flybondi, Argentina’s first low-cost airline.
This
collaboration will offer customers all of the activities offered by Civitatis in
the 23 domestic routes the airline currently operates.
Nicolas
Posse, country manager of Civitatis Argentina and development manager of the
company in Uruguay and Chile, said, “This alliance is part of our
objective to further strengthen our presence in the Argentinean market –
the second most important market for Civitatis in Latin America – where we aim
to be category leaders.”
AirAsia MOVE, Smartryde
AirAsia MOVE has
announced a partnership with pre-booked private airport transfer provider SmartRyde.
By combining AirAsia MOVE’s network and Smartryde’s global
coverage, the companies have planned to launch new services that will boost
efficiency, reliability and cost-effective transportation options for travelers.
Tan Suan Sear, group head of AirAsia Ride said, “Our goal is
to provide travelers with the utmost convenience and value. Similar to how
travelers can choose the best value flights via AirAsia MOVE, the new feature
on the app allows you to compare each provider in terms of price and service to
ensure you get the best value when booking your travel with us.”
Daytrip expands to Arizona
Travel platform Daytrip has expanded its door-to-door car transfer operations to Arizona. The company, which secured Series B funding of $10 million earlier this year, already has a presence in California, Florida and Texas.
Lucio William Fontana, head of expansion at Daytrip, said: “Backed by the State's fertile environment for Daytrip's business mobility model and the growing visitors' trend, offering affordable long-distance transfers throughout Arizona were key points for our team's plans. We truly believe that booking a Daytrip transfer from one city to another or simply getting to a desired point of interest escorted by a vetted private driver is the best solution for Arizona's visitors. Daytrip will transform a long car trip into an amazing, safe, and affordable travel experience by offering sightseeing stops along the way.”
Emerging travel group, Sabre Hospitality
Travel tech company Emerging
Travel Group has partnered with software technology provider Sabre Hospitality on an integration of SynXis platform to provide revenue
opportunities to hoteliers and streamline their connectivity and distribution
processes.
Simon
Large, Emerging Travel Group’s head of direct supply, said, “Emerging Travel
Group has a comprehensive list of integrations. However, adding SynXis is
pivotal in the development of our direct supply strategy and will help us
increase our global coverage. By integrating with SynXis, we will be better
positioned to increase our portfolio with diverse high-quality properties of
hotel chains, which are particularly sought after by our retail customers,
while enabling hoteliers to expand their visibility among this high-valued
segment.”
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Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance
Women in Hospitality
Leadership Alliance, a consortium of organizations dedicated to advancing women
in hospitality, has introduced an interactive speaker directory featuring over
700 senior-level women with subject matter expertise across all facets of the
hospitality industry.
Lan
Elliott, principal of Acacia Hospitality and interview host for alliance member
DEI advisors, commented, “In my experience, the women know the women! We
hope the directory leverages women’s ‘Rolodexes’ to create a quick and useful
tool for conference organizers to connect with many more women leaders for
their events.”
Rachel Humphrey,
founder of the alliance, added, “Every event benefits from having
greater diversity of thought and balance across its speaker lineup. Showcasing
speakers with a wide range of perspectives on the stage is a benefit for
attendees while simultaneously ensuring greater visibility for these leaders,
which will move the needle further on overall representation in the hospitality
industry.”
Justfly.com, Accrue
Online travel agency justfly.com
has announced the launch of its new "Pay by Bank"
feature, powered by Accrue, a fintech company that enables partners to launch
customized banking, loyalty and payment solutions.
The new
feature allows users to make payments directly from their bank accounts,
eliminating the need for traditional payment methods such as credit cards or
buy now, pay later solutions.
Christina
Alen, vice president of partnerships at justfly.com, said, “This new
payment option aligns with our commitment to providing our customers with
seamless and rewarding travel booking experiences and making travel more
accessible. The loyalty rewards and faster settlement times are just the
beginning of the benefits we aim to offer.”
Hotel Engine
Business travel booking platform Hotel Engine has announced a suite of group bookings enhancements to its Partner Hub, which helps hotels manage bookings and reach active businesses booking travel in Hotel Engine’s member network.
The new enhancements include rapid responses to request for proposals,
streamlined RFP management, actionable competitive intelligence and effortless
communications. In addition, with Hotel Engine’s member network growing, personal
travelers will gain access to group bookings and will be able to sign up for
Hotel Engine and receive loyalty points, consolidated travel billing and
round-the-clock customer service.
Hotel Engine CEO Elia Wallen, said, “To thrive in today’s
market, hotels need better tools and insights to win more group travel. We’ve
created a streamlined, modern
platform that reduces the manual work, complexity and hassle of the entire
process while providing industry-leading insights for our hotel partners. It
all adds up to a more efficient process, more bookings and an even better guest
experience.”
Amadeus, WestJet/Malaysia Airlines
Travel technology solutions provider Amadeus has expanded and renewed its distribution agreement with WestJet, one of Canada’s largest airlines.
WestJet will make its future new distribution capability-based offerings available to travel sellers on the Amadeus
Travel Platform which will allow NDC content from WestJet to be fully
integrated into travel sellers’ booking environments.
In addition, Amadeus’
partnership with Malaysia Airlines is now strengthened with the
deployment of the airlines’ NDC-sourced content for Amadeus connected travel
agents in Singapore.
Dersenish Aresandiran, chief commercial officer of airlines
from Malaysia Aviation Group said, “Malaysia Airlines' adoption of NDC is
a significant step towards modernizing airline retail. Our partnership with
Amadeus has been crucial in achieving our transformation goals. With NDC, we
look forward to enhancing the shopping experience and allowing customers to
personalize their travels, supporting our vision of becoming Asia’s leading
travel and aviation services group."
International SOS
Health and security services firm International SOS has appointed Giles Hill as head of global security services.
Hill will spearhead the
innovation and development of international SOS’ global security services.
Arnaud
Vaissié, co-founder and CEO of International SOS, said, “In today’s
complex threat landscape, our clients’ urgent needs demand innovative and
unparalleled solutions. Giles’ extensive military and strategic expertise make
him the ideal leader to elevate our global security services. His extensive
experience in strategic planning and crisis management will be pivotal in
advancing our cutting-edge security solutions at International SOS and what we
need to continue delivering exceptional service and protection to our clients
worldwide.”