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

More recent updates first:

Monday 31 December 2012:

• Best of Tnooz in 2012 – Most popular, most commented and more
• The real-time market: fun, efficient and the future?
• Data shows the Series A crunch is real, but many consumer travel tech startups may still survive

Friday 21 December 2012 (II):

• Travelport and American Airlines agree another extension to distribution deal. The latest agreement comes nine days before the existing partnership was due to end. Officials say the pair will “continue to negotiate in the hopes of reaching a new long term agreement”. Opt-in programmes for the carrier for Galileo, Worldspan and Apollo subscribers will remain unchanged, a statement says.
• Why is there no HotelTonight for airline tickets?

Friday 21 December 2012:

• Amadeus signs content agreement with Malaysia Airlines. The extension to an existing distribution partnership gives Amadeus-connected agents around the world access to the Kuala Lumpur-based carrier’s fares, inventory and schedules. The deal between the pair will be for five years.
• All you need to know about travel technology in Asia in 2013
• More on 2013: Seamless integration, share-of-wallet and the single truth [VIDEO]
• A tech reality: If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less
• Tnooz Predictions 2013 – The biggest and best list in travel technology
• Google reckons 2013 will be the year everyone loves what it is doing in travel
• A quick guide to revenue management in hostels
• Middle East hotel prices – December 2012 to February 2013
• Social media touchdowns in airline loyalty
• Pitching apples against oranges in travel innovation produces the wrong type of fruit salad
• Sky high loyalty: New ways airlines and travel companies can soar

Tuesday 18 December 2012:

• Sabre creates managing director of Benelux role. Luc Dethaey takes on the new role after spending the past two years as a consultant to the company. Based now in both Brussels and Amsterdam and reporting to Stephane Aita, Dethaey has previously worked for IBM and ICSAT and consulted for Galileo and Billian IT Solutions.
• Searching on websites – some very uncomfortable truths [VIDEO]
• How to love the Doctor Evil of the hotel world

Monday 17 December 2012:

• Travelport appoints Global Solutions Travel as its distributor in Morocco. The agreement will see GST given exclusive rights to distribute Galileo technology and services in the country. The organisation will be run by Houcine Assouel.
• Bangkok Airways renews technology agreement with Sabre. Extending an existing agreement from 2003, Bangkok Airways will continue use of the SabreSonic Customer Sales and Service platform.
• Sharaf Aviation Services Academy signs partnership with Travelport. The collaboration will see the travel, cargo and aviation education facility in the Middle East given accreditation from the Travelport Academy.
• Airlines! Who needs a new distribution platform, just bundle and add a supplement
• Ancillary agenda: American Airlines rolls out new pricing structure and booking path
• Turning tides: Travel agents losing steam as a cruise distribution channel
• Travelocity sells Asia-Pacific agency Zuji to Webjet for $25 million
• Managing travel itineraries: Easier said then done even with digital tools

Tuesday 11 December 2012:

• Korean Air and Amadeus sign full content partnership. The global deal allows agents using the Amadeus plaform to access the airline’s full range of fares and inventory. The distribution agreement is a renewal of an existing pact and also coincides with the airline migrating to the Amadeus Altea Suite in 2014.
• Travelport reveals merchandising move with Air New Zealand. The agreement sees Travelport GDS-connected agents in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK given the ability to book extra bags through the carrier’s electronic miscellaneous document tools. The service may be purchased at the time of booking, or up to three hours prior to departure for international journeys and up to 30 minutes prior for domestic New Zealand trips, Travelport says.
• Abacus to sponsor Kowloon Rugby Football Club. The agreement means the Hong Kong-based club will be renamed Abacus Kowloon Club.
• Hotel prices in Asia – December 2012 to February 2013
• New IATA distribution project hits European legal stumbling block

Friday 7 December 2012:

• Amadeus celebrates ground handling IT milestone. The company says it has secured 20 long-term agreements since it launched the a Departure Control System as part of its Altea suite for grand handlers 18 months ago,. Swissport International and SATS are the latest two to sign up to the service.
• Travelport research shows room for travel agents at the digital inn
• European hotel prices – December 2012 to February 2013

Wednesday 5 December 2012:

• Amadeus and Virgin Australia seal content agreement. The multi-year package gives agencies connected to the Amadeus GDS the ability to access the airline’s full range of fares, inventory and schedules. Last-seat availability will also be on the GDS as a result of the agreement.
• Travelport hires a head of commercial strategy for the Middle East and Africa. Stuart Laird-Smith will report to president and managing director for MEA, Rabih Saab. Prior to joining Travelport, Laird-Smith was head of commertcial and operations finance at South African Airways.
• Tnooz-Sabre Webinar VIDEO – App explosion: how B2B apps reinvent travel and create new services

Tuesday 4 December 2012:

• Travelport and IBM strike software and hardware agreement. The agreement extends a 35-year partnership between the pair and covers equipment for Travelport’s data centers and other hardware requirements. Full spec here.
• Sabre ties up ancillary service with Finnair. The new services comes as part of the existing distribution deal between the pair and sees Sabre-conencted agencies given access to additional services. This will begin with pre-paid baggage and will extend in 2013 to pre-paid seats.
• Pintrips wants to remove flight search hassle with tool to pin, compare and track changes

Monday 3 December 2012:

• SJ rail operator and Amadeus agree content partnership. The extension of an existing deal puts SJ’s content through the Amadeus Global Rail Sales Platform, allowing connected agencies to access fares and schedules on Agent Track and Web Services Track. Amadeus says the agreement is the first Scandinavian rail operator to integrate at this level and follows deals signed with other European service providers.
• Travelport signs distribution agreement with Pakistan International Airlines. The full content and multi-year partnership with the Pakistan national carrier gives Galileo and Worldspan-connected agents to its full range of published fares, inventory and also web fares.
• A-Z of business travel trends in 2013 – expect more of the same
• Priceline brand Agoda moves quickly to scoop up affiliates after demise of Octopus Travel

Previous GDS updates:

• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – November 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – October 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – September 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – August 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – July 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – June 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – May 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – April 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – March 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – February 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – January 2012
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – December 2011
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – November 2011
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – October 2011
• GDS news from Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – September 2011
• GDS news: Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – August 2011
• GDS news: Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus – July 2011
• Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus briefs – June 2011
• Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus briefs – May 2011
• Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus briefs – April 2011
• Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus briefs – March 2011
• Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus briefs – February 2011
• Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus briefs – January 2011
• Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre, Abacus briefs – December 2010
• GDS Bitesize – January 2010 to November 2010

NB: Globe technology image via Shutterstock.