Carlson Wagonlit Travel today announced it had signed an agreement with US Airways, making the carrier the fifth major U.S. airline to give CWT direct access to ticket inventory through CWT Symphonie.
This summer, American Airlines joined Continental, Delta and United airlines in linking directly to CWT agents and clients through DirectNet, a non-global distribution system booking channel provided to users of CWT's Symphonie platform
(BTNonline, Aug. 7)."We're obviously thrilled with US Airways' decision, as well as the continued momentum it provides," said Rob Deliberto, CWT executive vice president of supplier relations in a statement. "Ultimately, their addition further broadens the opportunity for CWT customers to take advantage of our added-value technology."
"This enables us to bring better content to our corporate clients, through a more economical distribution channel for all parties," added Steve Tracas, US Airways vice president of sales and marketing.
Through this arrangement, both travelers and agents have direct access to airline inventory via the CWT Symphonie service platform. This direct connect technology is made possible through the pairing of CWT Symphonie and Navitaire's DirectNet airline booking channel technology.
The CWT statement said the agency has plans to integrate "more carriers, clients and countries in a tiered and deliberate approach, while ensuring optimum benefit for corporate travel clients."