Industry supports technology standards
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Travel management companies, online agencies and global distribution systems (GDS) have all announced their support for plans to implement industry-wide technology standards. Recently developed technology will be used to enable the shopping, booking, payment and reporting of ancillary services in an attempt to help agents confused by unpackaged deals. “Travelport’s mission is to deliver informed choice, which means ensuring that each and every search results in a complete and comparable display of competitive travel options,” said Travelport Deputy CEO Gordon Wilson. “In this context, accelerating the adoption of industry-wide technology standards for airline ancillary services will bring greater transparency and choice to travellers.” It will also allow airlines to differentiate through the sale of ancillary services across all direct and indirect distribution channels. “These standards pave the way for making a la carte airline products more transparent and accessible to leisure travelers, which in turn will lead to higher adoption rates,” explained Expedia President Gary Fritz. Companies including Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Expedia, HRG, Amadeus, Sabre Travel Network and Travelport have agreed to support technology methods to sell airline ancillary services. Airlines such as British Airways, Delta Air Lines, LAN and WestJet have supported its development as an area to sell new products and services. “Everyone wants a healthy travel industry, and it’s clear that ancillary sales have been successful in helping airlines increase revenues,” added President of Sabre Travel Network Greg Webb. Full capabilities from GDSs are expected to be available for customers later this year. “We believe supporting these technology standards will benefit everyone in the travel value chain, from providers to travellers,” concluded Amadeus Executive Vice President for Commercial Philippe Ch
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