This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel SYSTEMS in tourism and hospitality for August 2015.
Friday 28 August 2015:
Qunar taps Cybersource for global payments
- Chinese OTA Qunar has linked up with payments specialist Cybersource. Qunar will use CyberSource to process international online and mobile payments from various card types, brands and issuers, which Qunar said will keep costs low as it looks at expanding globally. Qunar is also signing up to Cybersource's automated fraud detection products.
StaySmarter wants safer roads
- With a mission to make roads safer, a former Marriott exec has created StaySmarter, a hotel booking application for truck drivers. The service enables truckers to search using various criteria including parking and pet-friendly. it also enables them to collect points across all brands. StaySmarter is part of the same stable as StayFaster (startup pitch here).
Travelauto integrates payment system
- Car rental marketplace Travelauto is now using Dubai-based Payfort payment gateway to make credit card payments easier. The Payfort integration should make payments for US and Middle East customers easier.
Amadeus upgrades business travel system
- Amadeus has increased personalisation and improve usability as part of an upgrade to its e-Travel Management system. The online booking technology now offers Smart Search displaying full-service and low cost carriers and takes into account elements such as traveller search behaviour. Further enhancements include details of what services are included or excluded in a fare and baggage allowances. MyCab has also been added as a partner for online taxi bookings.
Friday 21 August 2015:Hotelogix integrates with PriceMatch
- Hotelgix's hotel customers will be able to use the PriceMartch revenue management and dynamic pricing service. The connection will be available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Travelport signs new agency agreements in Singapore and Malaysia
- The agencies - Reliance, Miri Borneo, Smart Travel, and Lintas Travel in Malaysia, and Airserve Marine and Aviation Services in Singapore - will use Travelport's Smartpoint desktop search and booking platform as well as mobile agent and the Agentivity workflow system.
Monday 17 August 2015:Sabre picked by Air Seychelles
- The airline will use SabreSonic for reservations, inventory and departure control as part of the agreement. Other elements included in the deal will see Air Seychelles manage its check-in process and personalised offers through Sabre's technology.
Wednesday 11 August 2015:UATP selects WEX for virtual card plan
- The multi airline-owned payment network will use WEX to provide a virtual credit card system for the entire UATP network of carriers. Delta has been named as the launch carrier for the service, with others to follow, in a move to improve card acceptance for hotel and car rental purchases via airlines.
Etihad and
Pros in the clouds
- The pair have expanded their long-term agreement to place the airline's revenue management system to an upgraded cloud-based platform. The strategy is to put more of the airline's tools into new systems so that they can used remotely in different locations around its growing empire.
Tuesday 4 August 2015:FlyDubai picks Farelogix for merchandising services
- The Middle East-based carrier is now using the FLX Merchandise system provided by Farelogix. The platform will allow FlyDubai to offer ancillary products to both business and economy passengers, with other products expected in subsequent releases.
Monday 3 August 2015:Intuitive finds voice
- Intuitive is enabling travel companies to take payments securely by phone has developed interactive voice response for its iVector reservation platform. The IVR technology enables companies to be PCI compliant by using an external automated system which is secure.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel pilots reporting tool
- CWT says 30 of its corporate customers are involved in a pilot of AnalytIQs, its new reporting service. The technology has been developed around a dashboard, which is customisable, and it enables travel managers to see their own data compared with other companies and CWT client averages. The plan is to extend the service to all customers later this year.
Multicom secures Middle East customer
- Dubai-based Afamia Tourism has signed up to use MultiCommerce, the card payment system developed by Multicom. Afamia will use the technology for international business transactions and hopes the system will remove time-consuming processes.
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NB2: Cogs and wheels image via Shutterstock.