GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus - June 2012

Product news, releases, projects and more from the global distribution systems during June 2012 – all here, in one easy read.

More recent updates first:

Friday 29 June 2012:

Amadeus signs distribution deal with Trenitalia. The global agreement gives Amadeus-connected agents the ability to book rail tickets provided by the Italian operator. High speed will be introduced first, due in the third quarter of 2012, with medium and long distance routes and ticket to follow.
The online travel ecosystem [INFOGRAPHIC]
Issue in new travel markets: Connected and savvy users, but they still like paying in cash

Wednesday 27 June 2012:

Amadeus and Microsoft see major adoption rate of corporate travel booking tool. The e-Travel Management system, now in use in 15 markets across EMEA, having first been introduced in 2008. Microsoft offices in Germany have had an 85% pick-up rate; 82% in France; 53% in Russia (in six months).
Travelport claims agent joy in Canada with new Ticket Exchange system. The app allows agents to automate calculations, avoid green screen commands and, according to agents in the country, reduce exchange times by ten to 30 minutes. Beta testers included Lobstick Travel and The Travel Group.
Hipmunk opts for Amadeus to take agony out of international flight searches
Airlines: Under-investing in technology because every carrier is doing the same
Orbitz CEO Barney Harford goes on warpath against Wall Street Journal over Mac article

Tuesday 26 June 2012:

Sabre renews technology deal with Expedia. The multi-year agreement gives Expedia access to a number of Sabre services, including fare search technology and supplier content. The latest deal is the latest in a line between the pair since 2005 in North America, stretching to other territories such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
Travelport unveils latest Universal Desktop test partner in FCm Travel Solutions Ireland. The Dublin-based division of FCm, a corporate travel and expense management consultancy, will begin testing UDK over the summer. It is the first Ireland agency to take delivery of the platform and adds to the list of other partners in regions around world which are working with Travelport during the testing phase.
Weep or laugh, then learn – brutal and hilarious spoof exposes cliches in startup world
Are small tourism businesses really ready for the mobile revolution?
Hotels: What are some of you guys smoking?

Monday 25 June 2012:

Amadeus confirms annual dividend of a Euro 165.6 million total fund. The pay-out represents 36% of the company’s 2011 reported profit, marking a Euro 0.37/share, part of which (Euro 0.175) was paid as an interim dividend in January 2012.
Travelport signs distribution agreement with Nakhal & Cie. The deal is an extension of an existing distribution partnership for the Lebanon-based agency and tour operator to use the Galileo GDS for a further three years. Travelport will continue to power Nakhal’s Hoojoozat online presence – content from which will also be fed back into Travelport’s Rooms & More product.
Datalex CEO Cormac Whelan in sudden exit, sales boss steps in for interim role
Travelport pulls back iron curtain for further drive into Eastern Europe

Friday 22 June 2012:

Sabre releases latest version of web booking engine for hotels, Guest Connect Flex. The upgraded system supports 31 languages, new filtering tools, tracking tools to measure ROI and so-called grouping functions for those trying to book large numbers of rooms together.
Kayak and Amadeus strengthen partnership as reliance on ITA Software falls
Ford: thinking about integrated and Big Data-driven transport systems of the future [VIDEO]

Thursday 21 June 2012:

Sabre Travel Network inks distribution deal with China Eastern Airlines. The full-content package will see fares and inventory from the airline made available to all Sabre-connected agents. The deal also includes using market intelligence tools from Sabre Airline Solutions, covering flight scheduling, resource management and flight operations.
BalticMiles crowdsources loyalty programme partners and rewards
Feeding The Beast in travel might work for startups but is not helping in the long term
American Express: 5 ways to boost business travel savings and compliance
Apple Passbook and its potential impact on the travel industry
Priceline: Why the online agency model still works for us, especially in Asia-Pacific
WorldPay report highlights gap between consumer wants and airline perception

Monday 18 June 2012:

Abacus signs Air Busan as first deal with Korean low cost carrier distribution. The agreement is for five years and marks the first time a low cost carrier in Korea has worked with Abacus for distribution. Commencing in August 2012, Abacus-connected agents will have access to fares and in inventory across its network of routes. Air Busan started scheduled services in October 2008 and operates to destinations in Taiwan, China, Japan and the Philippines.
Mozio tries to soften the hardest part of the journey — airport to hotel
Hotel prices in North America – June to August 2012

Friday 15 June 2012:

Travelport signs distribution agreement with Kulula. The deal with South Africa’s first low cost carrier gives Galileo-connected agents in the country access to all tickets on the airline, including promotional fares. Kulula will also have a “higher participation” in the wider Travelport GDS such as IATA ticketing.
Global Hotel Exchange launches with Adam Smith on board
Sabre latest to get China access with TravelSky hotel deal

Thursday 14 June 2012:

Amadeus signs performance improvement package with Akamai. The agreement will see Amadeus customers able to use Akamai’s Intelligent Platform, a system which optimises ecommerce platforms so they run faster, reliably and securely. The full partnership comes after a trial period with five Amadeus customers, including online travel agency and airline websites.
American Airlines direct-connect has a pulse — Preferred Seats and possibly Expedia on the way
Super-creepy! Privacy in the age of Big Data and personalization in travel
Treovi claims first completely free web booking and listing system for hotels

Wednesday 13 June 2012:

Sabre signs distribution agreement with Kulula. The South African low cost carrier will provide its fare and schedule information to Sabre-connected travel agencies as part of the multi-year agreement. The deal includes the selling of ancillary services and products on the airline.
Tnooz-Amadeus webinar VIDEO: Rethinking airports for future connected travelers
All bets are off — American Airlines to abandon HP reservations project for new partner
Ground transport – the exciting new battleground in travel distribution
Venture capital funds bulk up for hospitality technology disruption

Monday 11 June 2012:

EgyptAir signs full content distribution package with Travelport. The deal, effective immediately, gives agents to the Travelport GDS via Worldspan, Galileo and Apollo the ability to search and book the airline’s full range of published fares and inventory. The multi-year agreement extends an existing deal between the pair.
Abacus signs exclusive distribution agreement with Jetstar Pacific. The deal sees Abacus-connected travel agents gain access to the Vietnam-based carrier’s range of domestic and international fares and inventory. The multi-year agreement adds to Abacus’s existing deals with low-cost carriers such as AirAsia (Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia), AirPhil Express, Sapsan and Angkor Air.
Limos.com picks up first Sabre Red Appy prize. The private car rental company created a search, compare and booking service which integrates into a customer’s itinerary via the Sabre Red suite. A mobile translation service from TripLingo won second prize. A further five apps were shortlisted for the $10,000 winning pot.
Open Hospitality closes ranks in Pegasus Solutions coup
How to pick a credit card for business travel – it is more difficult than you might think
Pegasus Solutions shuffles CEOs
Tnooz-ITB Academy webinar VIDEO: Hotels and mobile – What is next?
China opens up again as state-owned TravelSky inks hotel distribution deal with Abacus

Thursday 7 June 2012:

Amadeus and Ural Airlines sign technology agreement. The carrier will adopt the Altea system from 2013, including the Departure Control automated check-in platform. The airline carried around 2.5 million passengers in 2011 on its fleet of 24 aircraft.
HP storms ahead with airline cloud services as Interjet trains pilots

Wednesday 6 June 2012:

Sichuan Airlines inks content distribution agreement with Sabre. The Chengdu, China-based carrier will make its fare and inventory available to all Sabre-connected agents as part of the long-term deal. The move comes ahead of the carrier’s first international service between Chengdu and Vancouver in Canada in late-June this year.
Amadeus releases Corporate Responsibility Report. The document [here] outlines the company’s efforts to boost awareness of its CSR programme internally and includes details of its various initiatives in 45 countries around the world. Almost 17,500 working hours were dedicated to granted by volunteers to support community programmes last year, Amadeus says.
HotelTonight slam dunks with $23M in funding
TrekkSoft wants to make a splash in the tour and activity payment pool
10 worst ancillary fees for business travel and the technology gap
Credit card safety and cyber attacks in travel – everyone must take responsibility

Tuesday 5 June 2012:

Sabre and EgyptAir sign multi-year distribution agreement. The deal between the pair means Sabre-connected agents have access to the carrier’s full range of fares covering 76 destinations in 62 countries. The new agreement extends a previous ten-year relation between the GDS provider and EgyptAir.
Concur wins up to $1.4B US government travel and expense contract
Orbitz CEO tightens control of hotel business as CFO and supplier exec depart
The importance of branding in travel search

Monday 4 June 2012:

Delta and Travelport agree economy ticket ancillary deal. Under the agreement, Travelport GDS-connected agents will be able to sell the carrier’s Economy Comfort premium product, giving passengers the opportunity to upgrade to a higher class with more legroom in the cabin. The agreement, said to be the largest ancillary service partnership, will kick in later this year.
Google Hotel Finder — OTA advertisers commandeer hotel pages
Are airports the final frontier in travel technology?
Gen Y versus corporate travel policy – stalemate in an online travel world

Friday 1 June 2012: