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Posted Aug 20, 2010
Air France-KLM U.S. vice president and general manager Christine Ourmières recently updated us on corporate contracting among SkyTeam's joint venture partners (including Delta). I also asked her about a few distribution topics. Joint alliance-GDS negotiations? Don't hold your breath. Revised agency compensation programs for Delta's TMC clients? There were some questions at first, but now everything is cool, according to Ourmières.
Posted Aug 13, 2010
After Rearden Commerce announced plans to provide clients access to Southwest Airlines fares and inventory, Rearden vice president of worldwide sales Tony D'Astolfo noted a "slightly" higher transaction fee than bookings on other carriers. Why? Neither company would say.
Posted Jul 20, 2010
United Airlines parent UAL Corp. posted a second quarter profit of $273 million, emerging from a long financial slump and improving on some closely watched year-over-two numbers. The company cited favorable corporate and premium booking trends and particularly strong transoceanic performance. Analysts speaking with the company's executives on a Tuesday conference call sounded generally impressed. UAL's stock closed the day up more than a buck to $22.01. Why? According to UAL executives, capacity discipline and fees.
Posted Jul 9, 2010
What do the airline execs think of Google's planned acquisition of ITA Software? They're not really saying, and in many cases they probably don't know. Contacted Wednesday, most carriers declined to comment, although Lufthansa and Southwest Airlines offered some words.
Posted Jun 7, 2010
IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani today once again took the occasion of the group's annual general meeting to lash out against global distribution systems. Two years ago, he suggested airlines are "held hostage to GDSs." Last June in Kuala Lumpur, he said that airlines "cannot accept" $4 per transaction fees charged by "Western" GDSs. Today in Berlin, it was clear that his language had become more colorful and combative.
Posted Apr 30, 2010
Some airlines have said they support use of ARC's electronic miscellaneous document as a means to better equip themselves to sell and account for ancillary revenue items, while others haven't publicly said a thing about it. AirTran is one exception. It's not interested.
Posted Apr 30, 2010
We published in The Beat an interview with US Airways president Scott Kirby that not only echoed American Airlines' view that it should not have to pay global distribution system firms for distributing ancillary services, but did so again and again.
Posted Apr 30, 2010
US Airways executives this week during the carrier's annual media day in Phoenix fielded a question on language in the Senate version of the FAA Reauthorization bill which deals with required fee disclosures.
Posted Apr 30, 2010
The three major global airline alliances aren't for everyone, including several airlines represented at this week's Phoenix Aviation Symposium. Representatives from those carriers pointed to the costs associated with alliance participation, tech challenges and other concerns.
Posted Mar 22, 2010
A recent report by American Express Business Travel includes lists of airline service fees charged by U.S. and non-U.S. carriers, as well as other stats, a good overview of the ancillary fee topic and some advice on how to manage through the complexities. It is available here.
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