The name Travicom is enough to make even hard nosed folk in travel tech glisten with nostalgia, momentarily at least.
Travicom was billed as the world’s first multi-access reservation system, eventually supporting distribution in the UK for 49 airlines around the world including British Airways, TWA, PanAm, Qantas, Air Canada and Cathay Pacific.
Created in 1976 by reservation system provider Videcom, 11 years later it was handling around 97% of airline business trade bookings in the UK alone.
Unfortunately the company later became embroiled in a scrap with Sabre when the US-based distribution system tried to enter the European marketplace and was angered at the stranglehold Travicom supposedly had on agents.
Travicom was eventually replaced by a new platform called Galileo in the UK – a system and company which ended up in the hands of Cendant, and later Travelport.
Here, arguably at the peak of its powers in 1984, is a promotional video for Travicom. Add names of anyone identified (try and look beyond the big glasses and classic haircuts) to the comments section below 
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxr8HxgMOpE
Super! Got to love that fantastic 10, 9, 8 etc countdown at the start!
@riaan – video production doesn’t get much better than this.
The ping at 03:20 is exactly the same alert sound my iPhone uses to tell me about incoming email.
02:04 – DC Tosh Lines
03:13 – Juliet Bravo
06:46 – Nothing says “first class service” like a Ford Escort Estate
08:57 – Christopher Hitchens
It’s funny now how ahead of their times Travicom were, as this seems to be exactly what the airlines want the travel agents to use now!
@Jan –