Eurostar has belatedly achieved top-level distribution through global distribution systems in the United Kingdom and United States, but remains unavailable through GDSs in other countries.
A number of teething problems mean that Eurostar has not yet officially announced its GDS presence, but
BTN has learned that the Channel Tunnel passenger rail operator achieved primary screen access through Amadeus in April and Galileo and Sabre in June. That means agents and self-booking tool users can compare Eurostar times and fares alongside those of competing airlines on London-Paris and London-Brussels services.
Eurostar originally announced in summer 2006 that it expected to achieve primary screen access in the first quarter of 2007, but the technical obstacles proved much greater than anticipated. "We are a train company trying to distribute in an online environment and the complexities of it were relatively unknown," said Eurostar UK director of sales and marketing Emma Harris. "This is setting a precedent. We are the only train company in the world with primary screen access."
The new distribution method means bookings now can be issued as e-tickets, with passengers able to collect from self-service machines in the United Kingdom and France. However, there are a number of difficulties still to be resolved, one of which is the lack of GDS access in France or Belgium, preventing U.K. and U.S. agents from booking one-way tickets from Paris or Brussels.
"I would say that GDS access for Eurostar is 80 percent done, with 20 percent still needing to be sorted out," said a senior executive at a travel management company in the United Kingdom. "However, there is nothing major wrong. It is definitely better than it was a year ago."
Harris said Eurostar is looking to secure primary screen access in continental Europe as well. "We do have a project plan to roll out in certain markets but it is really important for us to get it right in the U.K. first," she said.
Meanwhile, Eurostar departures have not yet returned to normal following a fire in one of the Channel Tunnel's two operating tunnels on Sept. 11. On Oct. 1 service will be restored to 93 percent of its normal frequency.
Separately, Amadeus today announced it had integrated its rail-distribution technology with that of recently acquired reservation system Onerail
(BTNonline, July 21) to create the Amadeus Rail Business Group. Amadeus said Diane Bouzebiba will be responsible for sales, marketing and product management and former Onerail COO Doug Howe will be responsible for product definition and delivery.