Sinead Reilly, Country Manager for Travelport Ireland, officially opened Travel Technology Europe 2014 (TTE) at London’s Earl’s Court Two Exhibition Centre on Tuesday 4th February and took to the stage again in the afternoon to talk about ‘The Future of Air Distribution’.
Senior Product Manager for Open Platform at Travelport, JP Ephithite, showcased the new Smartpoint software development kit and opportunities available for developers and travel agencies with this new technology. JP also joined Gray Dawes and KDS on a panel session to talk about the best ways to bring content together from a wider range of sources.
On the second day, Sinead participated in a panel discussion alongside representatives from Cornerstone and FCm Travel Solutions to talk about how the travel industry can drive efficiencies through technology. Duncan Barraclough, Head of OTA in Western Europe, Travelport, brought the second day to a close when he talked about how the online travel agent space is developing, featuring the latest research, developments and market outlook for 2014.
US Agents to Sell United Economy Plus Seating
Meanwhile, Travelport and United Airlines have announced that Travelport-connected agents in the USA can now sell United Economy Plus extra-legroom seating, Travelport thus becoming the first GDS to re-launch the capability for travel agents to sell Economy Plus while maintaining the processing efficiency of GDS bookings. In addition, Travelport-connected US agents now have the ability to access Economy Plus seat availability and prices within the agent workflow, as well as book complimentary Economy Plus seats for qualified MileagePlus customers and their companions.
Chris Engle, Vice President, Air Services, Travelport, said: “This is a prime example of Travelport executing one piece of its merchandising strategy: to partner with airlines to enable them to distribute their fares and ancillary content exactly how they choose to, to do so through the travel agency channel, and to do it in a way that supports the integrity and efficiency of the GDS booking and management process for travel agents.”
“We are extremely pleased to join with Travelport to sell United Economy Plus seating to our mutual customers through this channel,” said John Slater, United’s Vice President of Sales for the Americas. “This next-generation travel technology enables our travel management company partners to utilise the same dynamic pricing and to provide the same Economy Plus shopping experience as we do on united.com.”
