This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel DISTRIBUTION in tourism and hospitality for September 2014.
Friday 26 September 2014:
Travelport signs long-term deal with BCD Travel
- Travel management company BCD and Travelport are building on their existing relationship with the signing of a new long-term distribution agreement. Under the agreement Travelport's desktop system Smartpoint will in time be extended to BCD agents. They will also get access to the distribution giant's rich content and merchandising. Travelport has also renewed its agreement with online travel agency, Otravo.
Tuesday 23 September 2014:GTA increases South east Asia presence through Compass Hospitality
- GTA has partnered with Compass Hospitality to increase the number of hotels it offers in South east Asia. The deal adds 43 three, four and five-star properties in Malaysia and Thailand.
GermanWings and
Amadeus finalise ancillary integration
- The European low cost carrier will have both full and light ticketing options made available to agencies from this week. Amadeus claims it is the first airline in the world to do so. The system allows agencies to book LCC and hybrid carriers using the same booking process as network airlines, regardless of the tech interface (such as XML).
SiteMinder integrated with
Jetsetter- The TripAdvisor-owned hotel deals brand will now be able to take a feed and accept direct bookings to and from SiteMinder-distributed properties. Live rates and inventory from the portfolio of properties will be integrated into Jetsetter if a hotel is selected to feature on the site.
Travelport signs
Pegasus Airlines- The Turkey-based carrier will distribute its fares and inventory to agents via the Worldspan, Galileo and Apollo platforms as part of the new multi-year agreement. In addition, Pegasus will also participate in the Travelport Sponsored Flights platform, giving it access to point-of-sale advertising on agency desktops.
Monday 22 September 2014:Travelport renews Carlson Wagonlit Travel contract
- The new, multi-year agreement will give the corporate travel agency giant access to inventory, fares and ancillaries from network and low cost carriers fed through Travelport. The global agreement also includes use of merchandising and desktop technology powered by Travelport. Travelport says it hopes to generate more businesses via CWT in countries in the Europe and Pacific regions.
Thursday 18 September 2014:Travelport snatches South African Airways for Rich Content and Branding
- The carrier becomes the first in Africa to sign up for the system, part of the Travelport Merchandising Platform. The agreement gives the airline the opportunity to manage and display its flights, fares and other products on agency desktops, including Smartpoint users later this year. Other carriers using the service so far include Delta, British Airways, Iberia and United.
Tuesday 16 September 2014:FreeToBook passes TripAdvisor test for mobile booking
- The hotel switch will be one of the first to give its properties access to the new Instant Booking feature on TripAdvisor's metasearch product. The certification process means that independent hotels will be able to feature alongside other, large chains connected to the system allowing users to secure a booking for a device (mobile web or app), rather than being sent to the hotel's own website.
Thursday 11 September 2014:Vayant releases Smartsearch meta protector
- The airfare shopping platform says the "mixed live-transaction and precomputing shopping API" will be used by agencies and airline to handle high volumes of search queries emanating from metasearch engines. It will also incorporate services such as maps, calendars and other social and mobile tools.
Travelport signs
Alitalia to new content agreement
- The pair have signed the distribution partnership as part of a multi-year deal so Travelport-connected agencies can access fares, inventory and ancillary products. The deal includes opting for Travelport's Rich Content and Branding service, part of the wider Merchandising Platform launched in April 2014, giving it the chance to manage and display its flights, fares and other products on agency desktops.
Wednesday 3 September 2014:Travelport seals Premier Inn distribution agreement
- The new package will see Travelport-connected agencies around the world given access to 670 properties on the Premier Inn portfolio in the UK and Ireland. Some 55,000 beds are available via the agreement with the budget hotel brand.
Vayant secures Czech agency group deal
- The Fischer brand will use Vayant to power its dynamic packaging distribution services online, as part of a move to secure new revenues for the operator. The company expects dynamic packaging to boost sales by up to 30% within a year. Vayant's Pricing Cache platform will be used with the company which claims to book around 250,000 customers every year.
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NB2: Travel distribution image via Shutterstock.