Global distribution firm Amadeus today detailed its Airline Retailing Platform, which will be rolled out gradually over two years to offer merchandizing, upselling, unbundling and further product differentiation options to airlines. Amadeus said it is seeking to make airline distribution more consistent with how carriers sell through direct channels.
Amadeus introduced the new platform today to airline clients at its annual conference in Bangkok. Though Amadeus director of marketing Owen Wild during a media presentation said carriers across the globe have "shown strong interest," the GDS did not name any airlines that have signed on to adopt the platform.
Wild said, "Airlines want the same control through the GDS as they currently enjoy on their own Web sites." That means the ability to compete not only on price and schedule—as currently offered—but to differentiate on products and service, he said. Through the platform, Amadeus is hoping to offer "something for everyone in the distribution chain" and move Amadeus from "purely a distribution channel to a retailing platform."
Amadeus next month plans to launch the first phase of the platform's functionality, enabling airlines to place targeted banner ads that highlight special offerings through Amadeus channels, show product attributes at the point of sale and prompt agents to product differentiators. Within two years, Amadeus said it would enable airlines to upsell, unbundle and sell by fare family, among other options, creating an environment that allows airlines to sell how they want to sell.
Amadeus also said the platform would include a new a graphical user interface for airlines to manage their distribution through Amadeus. Wild said travel agents have connected through a GUI for "almost a decade," while airlines were "stuck with green-screen entries." Wild noted that all features would be integrated into the current interface for agent subscribers.
The major GDSs last year said they were enabling new merchandizing options that enable airlines to sell their products as they do through their Web sites, as more carriers have flirted with unbundling to gain new forms of passenger revenue and further differentiate their offerings
(BTNonline, July 23, 2007).
Since then, Sabre has launched its Branded Fares product with Qantas
(BTNonline, Aug. 20, 2007) and an XML interface with AirTran
(BTNonline, Dec. 17, 2007). "Sabre is working with hosted airlines, allowing them to introduce cross-sell and upsell, support their branded fares, etc., in their direct channel, while at the same time working with both hosted and non-hosted for distribution solutions in the GDS channel," the GDS said in a statement today.
Travelport GDS last year connected to Air Canada—the poster child of airline unbundling—through an application program interface that the GDS called a "hybrid" between a direct connect and GDS integration
(BTNonline, Sept. 10, 2007). A spokesperson could not immediately be reached at press time, though president and CEO Gordon Wilson this year told BTN that the Travelport GDS continues to explore new distribution features for airlines, expecting many different flavors in airline distribution approaches through the GDS
(BTNonline, Feb. 4).