Travel SYSTEMS roundup - January 2014

This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel SYSTEMS in tourism and hospitality for January 2014.

28 January 2014:

American Airlines has tapped Sabre as its unified hosting provider

AA has agreed to have Sabre run a unified reservation system for it and its merger partner US Airways. Migrating both airlines to a single technological platform will take up to two years, the companies say. A Passenger Service Systems (PSS) component is included for luggage tracking and other services.

Air India set to offer Wi-Fi onboard

Indian flagship carrier Air India is planning to offer paid Wi-Fi service onboard its domestic and international flights.

24 January 2014:

EzYield channel manager fully integrated with TravelClick products

TravelClick has fully integrated the EZYield channel management solutions (that it purchased two years ago) with its suite of products, and it will be renamed TravelClick Channel Management.

AirPlus launches end-to-end Billback solution based on Concur technology

AirPlus's new Billback solution enables companies using AirPlus A.I.D.A. Virtual Payment Card together with Concur to easily book, settle and reconcile business travel, leveraging data captured throughout the process.

Amadeus unveils baggage reconciliation system for Icelandair

Amadeus has signed an agreement with Icelandair to develop a baggage reconciliation system, Amadeus Airport BRS, capable of offering real-time, automated loading, tracking and management of baggage. As launch partner, Icelandair will deploy this solution as of mid-2014 on all its worldwide flights handled from its hub at Keflavik International Airport.

22 January 2014:

Chief product officer Zacharia has been appointed chief technology officer (CTO), replacing English, who left the company in December to focus full-time on his newly formed incubator, Blade. Zacharia joined the company in 2008 as chief scientist.

Amadeus secures Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines for merchandising services

The agreement allows Amadeus-connected travel agents to book advance seat reservations in Economy Class for travellers flying on domestic and European routes. Passengers will also be able to purchase seats offering extra legroom on both continental and intercontinental routes. The Amadeus system can also reserve preferred seats in advance (for a fee).

Shenzhen Airport has selected NCR Corporation to provide a self-service airport check-in solution for its new T3 terminal which opened last year. The purchase includes 35 NCR TouchPort kiosks and support services, and was made possible through co-operation with TravelSky Technology, the company that provides passenger departure information system to the airport.

14 January 2014:

Preferred Hotel Group claims double-digit growth in 2013

The accommodation distribution and marketing company says it generated $834 million in revenue on behalf of its hotel customers last year, 14% higher compared to the previous 12 months. It also claims a 17% increase in bookings, 20% jump in room nights.

12 January 2014:

CarTrawler renew Hawaiian Airlines rental brief

The carrier has worked with Ireland-based CarTrawler since 2009 and will continue to receive car rental services on its main website through the partnership. CarTrawler captures 800 car rental agents in over 30,000 airport and city locations across different 174 countries.

Serko acquires expense management service Incharge

The Australasian online travel management company has snapped up Incharge for an disclosed fee and will rebrand it Serko Incharge in due course. Serko works mainly with government agencies and corporations from its headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. Incharge works with companies in 26 countries around the world.

10 January 2014:

Google ITA Software to power China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines, a SkyTeam member and the largest airline in Asia, has become the first Chinese airline to use ITA Software's QPX pricing and shopping technology to improve shopping experience for the airline's online users. With this implementation, the airline expects the distribution cost to cut down, and drive online direct sales. In November 2008, All Nippon Airways became ITA Software's first customer in the Asia Pacific market.

8 January 2014

Bangkok Airways introduces new check-in facility

Bangkok Airways recently introduced new check-in procedure (via mobile, website) through common-use self-service Kiosks (CUSS) at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Tigerair Australia announces Harbour IT as the new IT outsourcing partner

Tigerair Australia has appointed local technology provider Harbour IT as its strategic cloud, managed services and IT infrastructure solutions partner. Harbour IT will replace a Singapore based service.

NB: Send links or releases for travel devices direct to Tnooz via email.

NB2: Travel systems image via Shutterstock.