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Posted Mar 16, 2010
Former Sabre executive Scott Alvis resurfaced this week at Amadeus to become senior vice president of client management in the company's Americas region airline IT and distribution business group. He reports to executive vice president Dwayne Ingram. Alvis spent 19 years at Sabre, after which he "ran his own travel distribution and marketing consultancy where he advised executives on strategy, marketing and technology planning," according to an Amadeus announcement.
Posted Jan 4, 2010
With the industry still lacking innovation and being driven by incentives, as well as travel management companies continuing to put all their eggs in the global distribution system baskets as it seems, technology providers are forecasted to face a downturn.
Posted Dec 3, 2009
Limited access to fares and inventory from Brazilian airlines Gol and Tam has frustrated corporate travel agencies and buyers for years. Gol last week announced expanded participation with the global distribution system providers, but a Gol representative nevertheless indicated that "there is no GDS provider with Gol's full content."
Posted Sept 25, 2009
The Millennium Foundation officially launched its global initiative to finance healthcare for the world’s poor by presenting their initiative to the United Nations on Sept. 23.
Posted Sept 17, 2009
Click for European coverage of both Amadeus and Travelport lining up bankers for pubic share offerings. Gotta figure private equity has wanted out for a long while.
Posted Apr 2, 2009
Though it has already been years in the making, a ubiquitous, common IT platform for the Star Alliance is one step closer to reality now that system provider Amadeus announced a 10-year pact with SAS Group. Though not the largest, SAS is a cog in Star. Skepticism regarding Amadeus' ability to actually bring Star founder United Airlines into the common IT fold was somewhat lessened when vice president of strategic airline and partner programs Hans Jorgensen in March told The Beat that United's planned migration to the system still is on track.
Posted Mar 23, 2009
Expedia last week said its European president and a member of the board of directors resigned and was replaced by José Antonio Tazón, who is non-executive chairman of the board at Amadeus IT Group. He was appointed Amadeus chairman in January after a November announcement said he would pass the president and CEO post to David Jones.
According to an Expedia filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the departing Expedia executive, Simon Breakwell, revealed his "intention to resign" as an Expedia board member on March 17 "effective upon the election of his successor." Expedia elected Tazón two days later. "Breakwell confirmed that his resignation was not due to a disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies or practices," according to the filing.
Posted Feb 26, 2009
RECAP: Sabre Travel Network claims nearly 100 participants in its authorized developer program, which requires fees for certain services. The program recently lost a member when Sabre expelled Farelogix for "actively encouraging fragmentation." American Airlines wants Sabre to play nice because AA said Farelogix is "developing" merchandizing technology for diversified airfares and ancillary products. Pioneered by the likes of Air Canada and Ryanair, such unbundled pricing is found on an increasing number of airline Web sites. Sabre, too, is working to enable such functions in its agency interfaces and thus far has activated a limited set of fare flavors with a short list of airlines. That list as of this week includes United Airlines, which is offering the extra-legroom Economy Plus seats to users of Sabre's MySabre and Turbo Sabre interfaces. In the midst of all this, a column by the head of a third-party developer that works with Farelogix raised ire in the GDS community. Travelport responded last week with a piece in The Beat and here's a comment from Amadeus ...
Posted Feb 20, 2009
Posted Feb 10, 2009
The European Parliament and European Council recently finalized the effective date for new rules governing global distribution systems (or, computerized reservations systems, in the European vernacular): March 29, 2009.
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