CEO: E-Travel Gains Momentum, GDSs To Push Own Tools First

Although one loudly trumpeted feature of many corporate self-booking tools is their capability to work with multiple GDSs, E-Travel CEO Scott Gutz yesterday acknowledged that GDSs will push their proprietary products first. Asked about the possibility of booking tools becoming optimized for certain GDSs, Gutz said, "That additional functionality will happen in the next generation, but before that, you'll see cost incentives associated with using GetThere from Sabre or E-Travel from Amadeus." Nonetheless, he noted, "the plan will always be to offer all functionality across all GDSs, because the customers demand it." As part of E-Travel's commitment to multi-GDS solutions, Gutz anticipated that its E-Traveler product will begin running on the Amadeus GDS by spring.

Meanwhile, Gutz was optimistic in describing E-Travel's momentum under its new parent company. Although E-Travel did not attain a goal of processing 1 million transactions in 2001--partly due to the effects of Sept. 11--the company did raise transactions by 200 percent in 2001 over 2000. E-Travel enjoyed record monthly transaction and revenue levels in August, which were matched in October. In November and December, E-Travel posted the lowest monthly operating losses in its five-year history, Gutz said. He now is predicting 2002 growth of 50 percent to 75 percent in revenues and 100 percent in transactions.

Gutz also said E-Travel is "poised to release" the 2.0 version of Delta Air Line's Mind Your Own Business Travel Web site for small companies, which will offer a "substantial improvement" in its airfare shopping functionality with the addition of technology from Cambridge, Mass.-based ITA Software. Delta last month announced a widespread partnership with ITA, which also provides faring technology for the Orbitz consumer site.