Asian LCCs continue to embrace GDS sales
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More Asian low-cost carriers are committing to the travel trade.
Scoot, the Singaporean LCC, has become the latest airline to renew its distribution agreement with Amadeus, ensuring that the carrier’s fares and inventory continue to be made available to Amadeus’ global network of travel agencies via the GDS. The deal also sees Tigerair, which will be merged under the Scoot brand this year, join Scoot on the Amadeus system.
More than 90 LCCs and hybrid carriers now work with Amadeus, and the company saw a 15% jump in LCC bookings in 2016, compared to the previous year. Other Asian LCCs now distributing their fares via Amadeus include AirAsia, Jetstar and Cebu Pacific.
“We believe the travel agency channel plays an important role in an LCC’s distribution strategy, and our partnership with Scoot and Tigerair reaffirms that,” said Hazem Hussein, executive vice president of Amadeus’ Airline Group for Asia Pacific, Russia, Turkey & CIS. “The appetite for budget travel keeps growing, and we’re making sure travel agents are well-equipped to serve it.”
Trevor Spinks, Scoot’s head of sales & distribution, said he is using the GDS channel primarily as a means of targeting business travellers.
“We have a great range of products and services for the corporate travel segment, and capturing a wider share of this market is important,” Spinks said. “The travel agency channel is an effective way to reach business travellers, and the agreement with Amadeus is essential for our business.”
Asia Pacific is the world’s biggest and fastest growing market for business travel – traditionally a more lucrative segment for airlines than leisure travellers.
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