Tech Update: GDS and IT Solutions Deals Inked Worldwide

Flight Centre USA to Pilot Sabre Red ‘Intelligent Fare’ Solution
Flight Centre USA Inc. will be the pilot customer for a new Sabre Red product that offers intelligent fare distribution and integration into the Sabre Red Workspace for easy shopping and booking by consultants.  

The deal is part of Flight Centre’s renewal of its longtime relationship with Sabre Travel Network for an additional five years.

Sabre will be Flight Centre USA’s primary technology partner, serving FCm Travel Solutions, Liberty Travel and Gogo Vacations.

Alitalia to Distribute Ancillary Product through Sabre
Sabre Travel Network signed a multi-year agreement with Alitalia to sell its ancillary products through the Sabre GDS.

The products will be immediately available to agents in Italy, followed by the U.K., Spain, Belgium and other European markets.

Agents will be able to shop and book ancillary services such as pre-paid baggage and access to airport lounges, seamlessly integrated into the reservation process.

Alitalia, which already has a full-content agreement with Sabre, will sell its ancillary products through Sabre using industry technology standards developed by ATPCO and IATA.

Travelport Tests Chauffeur Service in Asia
Travelport is testing a new service called Travelport Drive Me that allows travel agents to book chauffeur-driven airport transfers via the GDS. In its initial phase, the test enables selected Galileo agents in Asia to book transfers to 21 airports in China, India, the Philippines and Singapore.

Travelport said it is working with “two of the world’s leading car rental companies” in the program. The company expects to make the service available to Galileo agents worldwide on completion of a successful trial.

By booking with Travelport via the GDS, agents are able to automate a tedious manual process, and bookings are integrated back into the PNR. All bookings through Travelport Drive Me are commissionable.

Jet Airways to Implement Amadeus Ticket Changer
Jet Airways, one of India’s largest carriers with 52 domestic destinations and 22 international destinations, will implement Amadeus Ticket Changer.

The solution automatically manages the calculations to reissue a ticket and stores the results in the correct ticketing formats, allowing travel agencies in India to change and modify flight bookings quickly.

Travelport Signs Air China, LOT to New Full-Content Pacts
Travelport signed a new multi-year global full-content agreement with Air China. As part of the agreement, Air China enhanced its connectivity with Travelport to the highest level of GDS functionality, providing Travelport agencies with the most accurate access to the carrier’s inventory. Air China will also implement online check-in on Travelport’s ViewTrip website.

Travelport’s new global full-content agreement with LOT Polish Airlines secures full access to all of LOT’s fares, seat availability and schedules for Travelport-connected travel agencies worldwide.

New Sabre AviancaTaca Agreement Includes Ancillary Distribution
Sabre Travel Network extended its agreement with AviancaTaca to distribute its full content, including fares, schedules and ancillary products and services, to agencies and corporations using the Sabre GDS.

Amadeus to Develop IT Solutions for Hong Kong Agency
Amadeus signed a 10-year agreement with Lotus Tours Ltd., a Hong Kong travel agency and ticketing wholesaler, to develop a customized set of IT solutions. The end-to-end solutions and consultancy services will streamline work flows and automate manual tasks.

Lotus said the deal is part of its plan to move into new ventures, such as cruise and new retail business models, in an aggressive push to remain competitive with direct suppliers and online channels.

The solutions include a guided booking platform that will eliminate the need for travel consultants to memorize commands for booking flights and a smart quality control system. Amadeus also will build a self-booking website for Lotus’ corporate customers.

Transaction history will be kept in Amadeus’ newly developed mid/back office, Amadeus Travel Office Manager, designed to streamline accounting procedures and strengthen credit line control.