Articles tagged “gds”

When comparing the total CEO compensation of the three major travel distribution companies it is ironic that Luis Maroto, the CEO of the largest and most profitable company of the trio, Madrid-based Amadeus, took home the lowest compensation.

Delta, American, United and Southwest are enjoying their moment now, with industry consolidation stabilizing the market, so they aren't likely to risk the disruption that Lufthansa's actions are likely to trigger.

The big question for the Lufthansa Group is whether other airlines will follow its lead. Either way, things are about to get nasty.

Some of the weaker online travel agencies in Europe and Asia are getting squeezed out. Sabre sold LastMinute.com to Bravofly Rumbo Group for next to nothing, and TUI Group gave up on AsiaRooms.com in the face of stiff competition.

The global distribution world has long offered vacation rentals to travel agents but the investments by Amadeus Ventures and former Sabre CFO Jeff Jackson in BookingPal symbolize new and more serious interest.

The Roaming Gnome himself whispers to us that he is very happy about the Expedia acquisition of Travelocity. It was touch and go under Sabre ownership for such a long time as Sabre, with priorities elsewhere, totally bungled ownership of Travelocity and Lastminute.com.

Expedia is expected to retain the Travelocity brand. It would be foolish not to because the whole value proposition is to tap into the allegiances of Travelocity loyalists. And that leaves Orbitz out in the cold. It is unable to achieve scale and Expedia and the Priceline Group are apparently not interested in scooping Orbitz up.

This is an odd, yet astute pairing of mobile-oriented startup, Silvercar, and a global distribution system, Travelport. This is a smart way for Silvercar to broaden its service to business travelers who are looking for a premium rental during their employee travels.

After brutal battles between airlines and travel agencies over the last few years, IATA realizes it can't push through the changes in distribution that it seeks without some buy-in from the other side. New battles may be in the offing so enjoy the peace while she reigns.

TCV's investment will help SiteMinder scale on a global level as well as signifies diversified venture firms' growing interest in the hospitality sector.