Booking.com, Apple, Amazon, Priceline, TripAdvisor, Flight Centre, Travelfusion, GuestLogix, and vStream Digital Media all appear in our roundup of the stories making news and driving opinion on 16 October.
DEVICES
Today Booking.com released an update to its free iPhone app that synchs up with Apple's new Passbook feature. The app update is a reaction to its analytics research which found that half of the users visiting its mobile website via devices with iOS 6 use Passbook.
The news means it has been a short five days for HRS to enjoy exclusivity as launch partner on the Passbook app.
Amazon may shortly acquire the Texas Instruments's microchip making unit. The online retailer plans to compete in tablet-building with Apple and Samsung, both of whom already design their own chips.
Priceline just launched its enhanced iPhone app, that now includes airline ticketing along with hotels and rental cars. The free app makes better use of the slightly larger, 4-inch iPhone 5 screens. That means Priceline beat Starbucks to the punch. Starbucks's app still has letterboxing when viewed on the latest devices.
GuestLogix, the seller of retail and payment technology to airlines, reported another profitable quarter yesterday.
DISTRIBUTION
Flight Centre, continues to grow its profits on its $12 billion in annual turnover. Australia's largest travel agency plans to add 1,000 staff in overseas outlets, and expects international sales to contribute to about half of its profits by 2017.
Today Travelfusion unveiled its desktop solution for agents. The UK-based aggregator of 160 low-cost carrier and full European rail content says it now works directly with all GDS desktop applications. The company says: "Agents will now be free from manual processes when they book non-GDS content.”
Agilysys has killed Guest360, its next-generation property management system. It had been designed to help Agilysys sell software to midsize hotels and casinos, but didn't work out.
DIGITAL MARKETING
Dublin-based vStream Digital Media has been appointed by Aer Lingus to create and produce its new passenger in-flight safety video. Quite the coup for the Irish boutique agency.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The Harvard Business Review's blog worked with top executives at TripAdvisor to write a post focusing on the company's two critical pivots. Called The Secrets to TripAdvisor's Impressive Scale, the post is a follow-up to the Harvard Review's case study on the user-generated review giant.
THANKS!
The Tnooz team wishes you a productive day. Feel free to e-mail us your tips, theories, and ideas for travel apps for Amazon's tablets.
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