Articles tagged “travelport”

Southwest Airlines is upping its corporate travel game by significantly expanding its presence in the global distribution system (GDS) network. This is set to enhance the relationship between the airline and its corporate buyers and agencies.

The exact reasons for wanting to terminate the content deal aren’t clear, but Lufthansa’s direct-selling drive might have something to do with it.

It is likely back to square one for Travelport, which has tried to sell its hottest commodity, payments provider eNett, for years. It's possible another buyer may emerge, but at a price far below the $1.7 billion deal that the parties struck in a now-vaporized bygone era.

It's a significant step since the launch of Southwest Business last year, designed to tap into the travel management community. Before the crisis, roughly a third of the airline’s traffic was corporate travel. This move could help it boost that market share.

Travelport CEO Greg Webb tells us that the travel distribution giant's private equity investors support a major technology overhaul and that it will involve minimal heartache for agencies. It'll be notable if Travelport's backers defy the reputation of private equity investors for mercilessly extracting value.

With this deal, Wex now becomes a powerhouse in assisting business-to-business travel payments worldwide. The deal also gives cash to seller Travelport, which might use the money to expand its airline tech offerings.

Much is at stake for global distribution systems and travel agencies as struggling Air India uses airline distribution as a means to stay afloat. The real winners and losers in this battle are still up in the air, with Amadeus back in the game after pulling out over a year ago.

Emerging destinations and changes in travel styles are fueling a need for human interaction in the travel planning process among younger generations. Companies would be wise not to neglect the human element instead of betting the bank on booking and personalization technology alone.

Venture capitalists are turning their sights on airline distribution. Duffel's backing by VC firms Index and Benchmark brings hope to the sector. New ideas and technologies may help create more efficient and user-friendly ways for travel agencies to access airline data to sell tickets and other products.

Many airline executives insist that their so-called New Distribution Capability, or new method of sharing data for selling tickets, will hit a major target next year. But industry insiders say the target will be missed. To cope in the meantime, several airlines will expand the marketing for bundled fares under a confusing array of brand names.