Suppliers Seek XML Standard

<B> Suppliers Seek XML Standard</B>

By Mary Ann McNulty

Trying to leverage technology in the emerging era of electronic commerce, a broad base of air, car and hotel suppliers have formed the OpenTravel Alliance to promote a new communication standard using XML (Extensible Markup Language).

Unlike the rigid computer languages used in the travel system today, XML represents a common framework for creating Internet-compatible messages, the alliance stated in a white paper. The industry needs to define various terms or tags that suppliers then could assign to data elements within their systems. So, a hotel could continue using the term "guest," while car rental companies use the term "renter" for the same element: the customer name.

After working behind the scenes for more than two years, alliance organizers now will present their concepts on May 25 at the Atlanta Airport Hilton. They hope to garner enough support--beyond the founding nine airlines, seven car rental and six hotel companies--to make the standard a reality. The need for standards and XML are detailed in a white paper on the alliance Web site, www.opentravel.com.

Steve Cossette, Continental's vice president of distribution planning, has been among those urging adoption of XML. He believes a common dictionary, the first step in getting the industry to begin writing applications in XML that other parties can understand, can be completed by year-end.

A software developer who has long focused on interfaces to various GDSs, Nick Lanyon, president of both Lanyon Ltd. and Xou Technologies, said links were difficult enough to build for simple text. "When you put graphics in there, it's really quite difficult to link systems." Lanyon founded Xou to serve as a cross-industry catalyst for the OpenTravel Alliance, and now is heading the alliance's non-supplier working group. Other Alliance working group leaders include Theresa Fox of US Airways on air, Tom Grubbs of Avis on car rental and Lisa Muret of Bass Hotels & Resorts on hotel.

Beyond the ease, cost savings and capabilities to interface to various systems, moving to an XML platform also might benefit corporations in retrieving data on the back end, many noted. Enterprise resource planning vendors, including Oracle, have begun to embrace XML big time, Lanyon said, as the common framework would allow corporations to merge direct booked data into their ERPs. This very well could offer corporations a means to economically build travel data warehouses or merge hotel folio and expense data.

E-commerce consultant Timothy O'Neil-Dunne of T2N International Ltd. said it "will enable, with some work, direct secret bilateral communication with suppliers, without reinventing the wheel."

"I absolutely think this is something travel managers ought to be paying attention to," said former BBN travel manager Terry Sullo, now business development manager for BBN Speech Solutions in Cambridge, Mass. "As in any organization trying to standardize its communications, the medium is important. I see XML as the next standard."

While the big issues for suppliers are substantial costs savings and easier distribution, they also might be able to enhance their data if XML becomes the standard industry language, Lanyon said.

"It fits our vision of where we're going with a lot of new relationships," said Ray Kopsa, vice president of Internet strategies for RezSolutions in Phoenix, who participated in the hotel working group. "Using XML as a standard could help to reduce the cost per connection, which varies greatly today. The cost of connecting a hotel to a large GDS to garner substantial bookings might be a justified expense today. However, it can't always be justified for Internet or other connections. By adopting XML as the standard, it will be much easier and financially feasible for hotels to link to multiple systems."

Adopting a standard also might encourage third parties to innovate and provide new connection opportunities, he added.

Internet Travel Network co-founder and product development vice president Dan Whaley said, "We've been waiting for this to happen for a long time. ITN absolutely supports XML as the standard and believes that in the long run, it will make the industry much better for the end user and therefore for corporate travel decision makers."

Although they didn't yet have all the details of the alliance, both Amadeus and Worldspan said they support any industry effort aimed at efficiency and will attend the meeting to learn more. Galileo and Sabre were unavailable for comment by press time.

Hotel distribution concern Pegasus said it too has been looking at the new XML technology for some time, but is not currently using it. Officials plan to attend the Atlanta meeting.

Companies currently participating in the OpenTravel Alliance include: Alaska, American, Continental, Delta, Midwest Express, Northwest, TWA, United and Vanguard airlines; Bass, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Sterling and Swiss&ocirc;tel hotels; and Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National and Thrifty car rental. The Air Transport Association and Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association also have been supporting the effort.

Since the World Wide Web Consortium published its own standards on XML as a Web language more than a year ago, numerous developers and entire industries have flocked to this common format for exchanging information over the Internet. While it is still early to detail results, most agree that the huge interest in a publicly owned language will further grow its use.