m-Travel.com and Travel Distribution News

Archives for June 2007

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Pushing traditional European "package holiday" to the dustbin of history

easyJet has introduced easyJetHolidays offering the flexibility of hotel and
low-cost flight combinations.

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Kayak.com expands its operations in Europe

Travel search engine Kayak.com has announced the beta launch of its French site Kayak.fr.

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Avis optimises its customer service with usage of dynamic data mining solution

Avis is implementing Panoratio software to optimise its business processes.

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Zuji.com sites to allow real-time online bookings for Hong Kong Disneyland Resort hotels

Online travel company Zuji and Hong Kong Disneyland have signed a a distribution agreement to market the resort’s hotel rooms online via Zuji’s sites in Asia Pacific.

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Northwest partners with PayPal for online payment solutions

Adding a new payment channel in its arsenal, Northwest Airlines has tied up with PayPal, an eBay company, for payment of tickets on its website.

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Online booking grows by up to 200% in Central and Eastern Europe

EyeforTravel research (2007) has found impressive growth in online booking in Central and Eastern Europe.  The period 2005/6 saw a 200% increase in online booking growth in the Czech Republic with figures of up to 50% in Slovenia and Slovakia.

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How travel search engine Bezurk is gearing up for creating loyalty through usefulness?

Sales and Marketing in Travel Asia Pacific 2007 Special

The recent past has proved to be quite an eventful period for Asia Pacific travel search engine Bezurk.com.

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Assessing share of online distribution channels in hospitality by 2010

By Max Starkov and Jason Price

What will happen to traditional and online distribution channels in hospitality in the next few years? How will the direct web channel outpace competitors and third-party intermediaries? With online travel growing, how do hoteliers get their fair share? These questions reflect important trends in the marketplace. Consider how these trends will impact your hotel, resort, and brand.

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lastminute.com re-launched in the US

Online travel company lastminute.com has re-launched in the US to cater to the last second summer travel.

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Amadeus signs international rail distribution agreement with Wandrian

Amadeus has signed an exclusive deal with Wandrian, a global rail specialist, to distribute rail content to travel agents outside Europe who want to book rail globally.

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Southwest slows its growth plan, targets more than $1 billion in incremental revenue

Southwest Airlines is targeting more than $1 billion in incremental revenue over the next few years to overcome higher fuel costs and reach its financial targets.

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Sabre introduces Rate Assured hotel certification programme

Sabre Travel Network has introduced Rate Assured hotel certification programme.

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LAN Airlines raises US$320 million

LAN Airlines S.A. and its related companies have successfully completed equity offering, raising a total of US$320 million in the Chilean and United States markets.

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Thomas Cook to shut 150 stores, integration could cost 2,800 jobs

Thomas Cook Group plc has indicated about it plans to close 150 stores as it announced its proposed UK and Ireland location, retail and branding strategies.

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"No intention to transfer control of Expedia to Liberty Media Corporation": Barry Diller

Expedia Inc. Chairman Barry Diller has stated that he "has no plans to cede
control of the online travel company to fellow major shareholder Liberty Media
Corp."

Continue reading ""No intention to transfer control of Expedia to Liberty Media Corporation": Barry Diller"

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Goldman Sachs to invest in business-class airline?

Investment bank Goldman Sachs is reportedly looking to invest in a business-class-only airline.

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Thomas Cook Group decreases first half losses

Thomas Cook Group plc has stated that the combined Group successfully reduced the pro forma seasonal loss before tax in the six months to April 2007 by €25.4m, or eight percent to €293 million. (2006: loss before tax of €318.4m).

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High volume keywords value can often be "hidden" if they are judged in isolation

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent
   
Steak Media's Director of Strategy Duncan Parry recently shared his viewpoint
on turning off expensive PPC keywords with a high natural ranking and how this
can have a negative impact, especially in the context of ceding a slot in the
advertising space at the top of the page to a competitor.

Continue reading "High volume keywords value can often be "hidden" if they are judged in isolation"

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New online market intelligence tool for hotels to assess their SEO and PPC campaigns

TravelCLICK Inc. has come up with SearchVIEW, an online market intelligence tool that showcases the effectiveness of a hotel’s search engine optimisation and pay-per-click campaigns, online travel agency placement, and online customer reviews.

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Worldspan adds a new layer of marketing power to its car rental technologies

Travel technology provider Worldspan has introduced an advanced car rental marketing tool to help suppliers and travel agents increase revenues.

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Richard Branson exploring a stake in AirAsia’s new long-haul airline?

Virgin Group’s Richard Branson is reportedly eyeing a stake in Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia’s new long-haul airline.

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Travelzoo’s new UK website results in additional 600,000 unique users

Travelzoo attracted over 1,250,000 UK Internet users in May, an increase of more than 600,000 unique users on the previous month.

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Kuoni Travel’s new structure centred on three strategic business divisions

Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd. has decided to adopt a new group structure, transforming the geographically-based organisation into a business-driven divisional structure.

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Content conundrum: to develop on your own or to outsource it?

Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007: By EFT Correspondent

As travel companies strengthen their feature-rich online experiences, it is critical to understand the potential of various options available.

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Significance of extending the “personal offline touch” to the Internet for online travel companies

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent

Social networking and user generated content is providing suppliers an avenue to enable consumers to share information and experiences but what will trigger real differentiation in the days of product commoditisation?

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TravelCLICK acquires Blue Square Studios

TravelCLICK Inc. has acquired Blue Square Studios, a provider of Internet business solutions for the hospitality industry.

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Expedia Corporate Travel strengthens presence in Europe

Expedia Corporate Travel (ECT) is to expand its operations in Europe as the online corporate travel agency is set to introduce full-service travel offering in Italy.

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Google expands pay-per-action for Google AdWords

Google has announced the worldwide expansion of its pay-per-action advertising beta.

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Asia Pacific LCC share to double to 25 percent by 2012

The new orders by low cost carriers in the Asia Pacific region will propel the sector to 25 percent of total seats in the region within five years double their current penetration, based on latest estimates from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).

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Delta.com enhances cross-sell and merchandising strategy

Delta.com has become a full-service travel gateway that offers airlines’ customers the opportunity to purchase a global set of relevant lodging, rental car and trip amenity options.

Continue reading "Delta.com enhances cross-sell and merchandising strategy "

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Kuoni Group acquires UK’s specialist tour operator CV Travel

The Kuoni Group has acquired UK-based CV Travel as part of its strategy to expand within the premium and specialist leisure travel segments.

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Northwest expects $102 million in non-ticket revenue this year

Northwest Airlines Corp. expects to make $102 million in non-ticket revenue this year from fliers who purchase seat upgrades, one-day airport club passes and more online or using self-service kiosks.

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Integration is King: See how successful travel companies have integrated their strategies, systems and campaigns to cut costs and boost profits

EyeforTravel has identified the key factors that are affecting online travel industry executives in North America: Consumer empowerment, distribution technology and data management.  Technology has paved the way for systems and departments to integrate their data and processes to generate the maximum number of bookings and the best possible price. At the same time, innovative travel companies are leveraging customer empowerment tools such as UGC and social media to improve their marketing and CRM strategies.

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Google makes steady headway in travel search market in Australia and NZ

Sales and Marketing in Travel Asia Pacific 2007 Special

The digital advertising market in Australia had crossed the $1billion sales barrier for the first time last year.

Continue reading "Google makes steady headway in travel search market in Australia and NZ"

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Worldspan and Home&Abroad to offer agents a destination planning application

Worldspan and Home&Abroad have signed a travel services agreement, resulting in new destination planning application for travel agents in the US and Canada.

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Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 gears up for global expansion

Yahoo Inc is set to introduce a faster, enhanced version of its Internet services for US mobile phone users, while expanding into key markets in Asia, Canada and Europe.

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Emphasis on broadcast and social media in new AAdvantage Milestones e-Magazine

American Airlines has launched what is being termed as “the industry’s first rich-media, web-based e-magazines combining broadcast and social media.”

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“People are disgruntled when websites don’t remember them and their preferences”

Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007

Transat A.T. Inc., an integrated company specialising in the organisation, marketing and distribution of holiday travel, is focusing on educating the consumer on the value of dealing with a travel agent, and ensuring that there is value through training and recruitment strategies.

Continue reading "“People are disgruntled when websites don’t remember them and their preferences”"

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Ryanair releases three million £10 seats, challenges Easyjet

Europe’s largest low fares airline Ryanair has announced three million £10 seats (taxes and charges included) for travel in July, August and September.

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Next generation corporate booking tool from Galileo

Galileo has shared plans for its next generation corporate booking tool Galileo Traversa.

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Local.com ties up with Expedia, adds online booking capabilities

Local.com Corporation has added online booking capabilities and travel-related content to its Local.com site.

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AOL launches Travel Guides

AOL has announced the beta launch of AOL Travel Guides, an online resource that provides information on more than 1900 national and international locations and over 100,000 hotels.

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China's Outbound Travel up 14% since 2006 but still immature…

June 15, 2007

Wu Wenxue, deputy director of the China National Tourism Association, says China's outbound tourism is changing the business patterns of the world's tourism industry.

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New online resource for unmanaged business travelers from Expedia.com

Online travel company Expedia.com has launched a new offering for unmanaged business travelers, who book their business travel on their own as opposed to through a corporate travel department or full-service corporate travel management company.

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Nearly one third of UK consumers distrust big businesses/organisations: survey

A new survey has attempted to find out what it takes to win the approval of the British public, and the identities of the organisations they most like and dislike.

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CWT appoints Dave Knudsen as MD of Business Development

Business travel management specialist has promoted Dave Knudsen to the role of MD of Business Development.

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WebFlyer Network launches new Web 2.0 Site

Iloho (www.iloho.com), a travel-centric online community focusing on user-generated news stories, social networking and in-depth route reviews, has been launched.

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travelsupermarket.com launch B&B search offering

Travel price comparison website travelsupermarket.com has launched a UK bed and breakfast search option.

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Travelocity renews pact with InterContinental Hotels

Travelocity has extended its longstanding distribution agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group.

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Evaluating the success of social media initiatives

EFT Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007

Mid-way through 2006, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts had launched new sheraton.com, then described as the first hotel industry website to embrace social media and feature user generated content.

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"GDS renegotiations have come and gone and it wasn't exactly revolutionary"

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent
   
In response to the emerging dynamics of travel distribution, Datalex had
launched its Travel Distribution Platform (TDP) last year.

Continue reading ""GDS renegotiations have come and gone and it wasn't exactly revolutionary""

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"Stake sale rumours are not true": SpiceJet

SpiceJet has clarified that stake sale rumours are not true and the company
has no plans of a stake sale at present.

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iBooking.com offers hotels free pay-per-click marketing

iBooking.com has introduced a new service, encouraging more independent hotels
to adopt online booking direct from the hotel website.

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Zoom Airlines partners Hotelopia for accommodation service

Online hotel booking specialist Hotelopia has signed a partnership with Zoom Airlines to provide accommodation services on www.flyzoom.com.

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“The Internet has provided a perfect medium for customer confusion”

Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007: By EFT Correspondent

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts recently indicated that it has several projects slated this year that address new online activities such as video, social networking and user-generated content.

Continue reading "“The Internet has provided a perfect medium for customer confusion”"

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VLM Airlines signs deal with CarTrawler for strategic car hire distribution

VLM Airlines and car rental distribution system CarTrawler have signed a three-year agreement enabling the European airline to offer a dynamically packaged and standalone car rental offering for visitors to www.flyvlm.com.

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First Choice’s pre-tax losses widens to £82.5m

First Choice Holidays posted underlying loss before tax of £82.5m (2006: £76.5m) due to higher financing cost resulting from increased spend on acquisitions in the six months to April 30.

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TripAdvisor adds social networking to its site: media

TripAdvisor is set to introduce a social-networking component to its site.

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GoQuo to deliver booking portal in Persian and Arabic languages in Iran

Iranian travel agency Shakiba Travel has commissioned GoQuo Ltd to implement Persian and Arabic language online booking portal in Iran.

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InterContinental’s Asia Pacific CEO resigns after review of academic qualifications

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) has announced the resignation of Patrick Imbardelli from his position of Chief Executive, Asia Pacific Region.

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In 2008 China will leapfrog Germany to become the world’s third largest economy.

There is no better time to consider the opportunities, learn about this market and network with some of the most senior travel professionals in China at the Travel Distribution China Conference 2007, 29-30 August, Hilton, Shanghai.

Continue reading "In 2008 China will leapfrog Germany to become the world’s third largest economy. "

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Mobile distribution will be a logical extension of the online reservation systems of major OTAs

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent

What is critical when it comes to fueling the growth of travel-related services via mobile phones?

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New portal enables search for holidays through Google Earth

A new online travel portal is offering an option to take a virtual tour of holiday destinations through Google Earth.

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Worldspan strengthens its hotel content in Latin America

Worldspan has signed a long-term distribution agreement with hotel distribution and reservations management company CMNet.

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Southwest’s revenue growth slower than expected

Southwest Airlines Co. may not meet its earnings targets this year due to a combination of fuel costs and weakening revenue growth.

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Lessno.com forms distribution partnership with Kelkoo

Discount airfare website Lessno.com has signed a distribution partnership with Yahoo! Travel network’s Kelkoo.

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"There is a lot of buzz and hype about Web 2.0": WestJet's David Jones

Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007: By EFT Correspondent
   
Two years ago Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet wasn't involved in any online
marketing.

Continue reading ""There is a lot of buzz and hype about Web 2.0": WestJet's David Jones"

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Can association of business-class airlines and GDS' change mix of travelers?

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent
   
The recent past has proved to be an intriguing phase in the context of
burgeoning battle for supremacy on the transatlantic routes.

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Cheapflights chooses Francesca Ecsery-Merrens as GM for UK operations

Internet travel media company Cheapflights Ltd. has chosen Francesca Ecsery-Merrens for the role of General Manager, UK. The appointment will come in effect from the beginning of August.

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lastminute.com works on new virtual travel agent booking engine

Online travel and leisure retailer lastminute.com has worked on its new virtual travel agent booking engine.

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HotelsByCity focuses on packing content in an inspiring and entertaining blog format

Adding a new dimension to the concept of consumer generated content, HotelsByCity is looking to their customers for hotel and travel content, then packaging it in an inspiring, entertaining blog format.

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American Airlines ties up with popular radio host, targets African-American consumers

American Airlines, “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” and Premiere Radio Networks have signed a marketing agreement to reach out to African-American consumers.

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Budget comes up with road-trip-themed blog

Budget Rent A Car System has introduced a road-trip-themed blog, Up Your Budget.

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LCCs after experimenting are returning to GDS

EFT Special: Insight from Worldspan on Latin American market

The emergence and growth of low cost carriers in Latin America has made air travel more affordable in the region, allowing an increasing number of consumers to add air to their travel plans.

Continue reading "LCCs after experimenting are returning to GDS "

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Do Brits trust strangers online for holidays? Is trust in travel agents fading away?

A majority of Brits place their trust in strangers online when it comes to researching and booking their holidays. This finding emerged from a new research published by boo.com.

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AEBT to implement automated ticket re-pricing and refunding

American Express Business Travel has launched Quick Exchange, a new technology solution powered by Worldspan’s Rapid Reprice technology.

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Avis plans major expansion in China

Car rental company Avis is set to strengthen its presence in China.

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Priceline.com drops booking fees for its Summer Flights Sale

Priceline.com has decided to drop booking fees for all domestic and international flights purchased by July 4th for travel up to 330 days from date of purchase.

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Travelocity selects iCrossing for paid search management

Travelocity has chosen digital marketing firm iCrossing as its agency of record for paid search.

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Ctrip.com to open a travel agency in Beijing

Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (Ctrip), a consolidator of hotel accommodations and air tickets in China, is to set up a travel agency in Beijing in order to target the high-end group and FIT tours to 10 overseas destinations.

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Qatar Airways ties up with Bezurk

Qatar Airways has signed a marketing partnership with Asia Pacific travel search engine Bezurk.com.

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Capitalising on customers’ propensity to shop across multiple travel providers

EFT Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007

For a site, that focuses on making itself the best place to plan, coordinate, and share any gathering that involves travel, TripHub’s core competency is to provide the mechanisms that make it easy for people to connect, communicate, inspire each other, and build excitement throughout the planning process.

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Strike the correct balance between information, relevance and retention strategies

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent in London

“Commoditisation of some sort is inevitable in any market as it matures.  Each company has to take on that challenge and find ways to differentiate.  Those who get that right will survive and thrive, the others won’t.”

Continue reading "Strike the correct balance between information, relevance and retention strategies"

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Denmark TV 2 buys stake in Momondo.com

Flight search engine Momondo.com recently sold a part of Momondo Denmark and a part of Momondo.com to Denmark TV 2 (www.tv2.dk).

Continue reading "Denmark TV 2 buys stake in Momondo.com"

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Carlson Wagonlit enhances its online hotel image content

Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has chosen Leonardo Media to supply image content for online hotel bookings through CWT traveler and travel counselor booking tools.

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AgentFactor focuses on bridging the buy-side and sell-side network beyond connectivity

AgentFactor has announced the availability of its Push XML/API Web Services.

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RSS will never truly make email redundant: Farecast.com’s David Shim

EFT Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007

Considering the growing prominence of video, social networking and UGC tools, the success of communicating via online medium, too, is posing intriguing challenges for online travel companies.

Continue reading "RSS will never truly make email redundant: Farecast.com’s David Shim"

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Hilton’s CRM mantra: Strive for true customer centricity

EFT Special: Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007

The concept of “CRM” is not new but what does it mean for a big travel supplier like Hilton?

Continue reading "Hilton’s CRM mantra: Strive for true customer centricity"

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Price comparison engine for business class travel

Meta-search engine Global Travel Market has launched what is being termed as the first price comparison platform dedicated to business class flights.

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JetBlue Airways and Google Maps to provide real-time flight tracking feature

JetBlue Airways Corporation has formed a partnership with Google Maps to provide customers with a real-time flight tracking channel on its signature seatback televisions to map the aircraft’s route.

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Orbitz offers a new way to customise own packaged deal via desktop application

Orbitz has launched a new desktop application Orbitz Insider Deals.

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Despegar.com expects to process 700,000 bookings in 2007

EFT Special: Insight from Despegar.com on Latin American OTA market

Despegar.com, an online travel site dedicated to Spanish and Portuguese-speaking communities worldwide, has over four million registered users and 2.5 million unique visitor per month.

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"Packaging is truly becoming dynamic in a real-time sense": Pros' John

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent
   
How has the definition of dynamic packaging changed with improvements in
time-to-market over the last year?

Continue reading ""Packaging is truly becoming dynamic in a real-time sense": Pros' John"

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Is consolidation in US’ OTA segment round the corner?

As travel suppliers continue to target consumers with a “direct” approach in the distribution chain, the pressure is mounting on online travel agents to differentiate themselves.

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India’s Via gets US$5 million investment from VC firm

NEA-IndoUS Ventures, a venture capital firm which provides early and mid-stage funding to new or growing businesses in India, has invested $5 million in Bangalore-based travel services company Via.

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Vayama.com emerges as new option for planning international travel

Vayama, described as the “only dedicated international travel website that allows consumers to search from the largest selection of international airlines, flights and fares”, has been launched.

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Sabre Travel Network appoints Martin Cowley as SVP for EMEA

Sabre Travel Network has chosen Martin Cowley as SVP of its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business. Cowley will step into his new role on 1 July.

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Qatar Airways focuses on `five-star’ Internet presence

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent

For one, who describes the speed with which consumers have adopted the Internet as the first source to book a flight as a phenomenal one, Qatar Airways’ Manager e-commerce Peter Pohlschmidt has a lot on his agenda in the next year or so.

Continue reading "Qatar Airways focuses on `five-star’ Internet presence"

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“The days of spammy aggregator listings seem to be coming to an end”

Affiliate Marketing Special: By EFT Correspondent

“Learn to respect your affiliates, and they will continue to reward you with bookings at a considerably lower cost  - up to 75 percent lower - than all of your other marketing channels.”

Continue reading "“The days of spammy aggregator listings seem to be coming to an end”"

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European Capital invests US$73 million in Go Voyages

European Capital S.A. SICAR has invested euro 55 million (US$73 million) in Go Voyages, an online travel agent in France.

Continue reading "European Capital invests US$73 million in Go Voyages"

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Sabre acquires E-site Marketing

Sabre Holdings has acquired E-site Marketing, an Internet marketing company specialising in online business solutions exclusively for the hospitality industry.

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Lonely Planet integrates user-generated content into its online offerings

Lonely Planet and Endeca, an enterprise information access software company, have introduced a new search and information access experience on www.lonelyplanet.com.

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Galileo Desktop 2.0 introduced

Galileo has launched Galileo Desktop 2.0, the latest release of its suite of access products, which enable travel agents to access a wealth of content including 450+ airlines, 66,000 hotels and 23 car suppliers.

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Dynamic cross selling of car hire through airline sites gains prominence

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent

In April this year, CarTrawler had come up with the first real-time car rental booking engine, a solution resulting in an immediate guaranteed booking on car rental suppliers own inventory system.

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Increasing consumer control stresses on importance of lower site abandonment

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent

Site performance and site scalability continue to be core issues for growing travel content providers as they focus on increasing their online bookings and building customer loyalty. 

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Ryanair reports record profits of €401m

Low fares airline Ryanair has posted net profits of €401m, a 33 percent increase over the prior year figure and €11m ahead of previous guidance.

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Gulf Air engages independent agency for confidential reporting

Confidential reporting website tool, Ethicspoint, will assist Gulf Air management and employees to work together to address fraud, abuse and misconduct in the workplace.

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American Airlines launches a new price and schedule booking tool

American Airlines has introduced a new price and schedule travel booking tool on its site AA.com.

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Expedia Corporate Travel to offer JetBlue and AirTran flights on its site

Online corporate travel agency Expedia Corporate Travel (ECT) has expanded its airline offering by adding flights from JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways to its corporate travel site.

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GTA by Travelport/OctopusTravel to discuss how ‘Speaking with a Single Global Voice’ is enabling its global expansion

On Thursday 7th June at 11:30am EDT, 4:30pm BST (UK), Max Yousaf, Head of Sales EMEA for GTA/OctopusTravel will be presenting on a live webinar to uncover how the company has established an effective global web presence.

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Do the affiliates produce incremental business and add value?

Affiliate Marketing Special: By EFT Correspondent

Holiday Extras considers the ability to work with a partner in their most desired format, be that a straightforward hyperlink or embedded forms through to fully integrated XML solutions among the major developments in affiliate programmes. 

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Establish "consequence-free" browsing for boosting mobile-oriented services online

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent
   
Directski recently launched its B2B travel trade product, providing additional
distribution options for its wide range of ski product.

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Employ a disciplined stepped and measurable approach to rollout CRM plan

Sales and Marketing in Travel USA 2007 Special
   
To varying degrees, each of the top OTAs offer personalised email and site
offers. And the most frequently used of these is the post-search email - which
by nature contains extremely relevant and targeted content.

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BA no longer attractive to private equity

British Airways Plc CEO Willie Walsh has brushed aside “hopes of an imminent bid from a private equity player.”

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British Airways to have Iberia ownership guarantee: media

British Airways will be guaranteed the right to take over Iberia under a crucial agreement among the consortium bidding for the Spanish flag carrier, according to a media report.

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Delta insiders to offer travel tips via downloadable video podcasts at delta.com

Delta Air Lines is to tap the expertise of “Delta flight attendants and employees to offer travel tips, fun facts and hidden secrets”.

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Google expands its advertising reach with the acquisition of Feedburner

Google Inc. has announced its acquisition of FeedBurner Inc., a service focused on making money from the steady stream of information flowing from blogs, podcasts and traditional news sites.

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"Many affiliate entry programmes fail due to lack of support within the organisation"

Affiliate Marketing for the Travel Industry Special: By EFT Correspondent
   
As customer acquisition costs increase to "unsustainable" levels, online
businesses need to find more cost-effective ways to attract customers to their
sites.

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"Conversion rates from users finding results on a specialised travel search are much higher"

Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2007: By EFT Correspondent
   
As the online travel distribution evolves, it is imperative for meta-search
engines to define and quantify their incremental contribution especially to
suppliers.

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Sabre Travel Network’s Hotel UpSell reaches 5000 properties

Sabre Travel Network’s merchandising tool Hotel UpSell has nearly tripled the number of hotel properties in its network during the first five months of 2007, reaching the milestone of 5,000 hotel properties in May.

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Kingfisher Airlines to buy 26 percent in Air Deccan for US$135 million

United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd., which runs Kingfisher Airlines, is to buy 26 percent of Deccan Aviation Ltd, which operates the low-cost carrier Air Deccan, for US$135 million.

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American Airlines and Expedia sign agreement

Online travel company Expedia, Inc. has signed a new agreement with American Airlines, under which all of American’s published fares, schedules and inventory will be available to travelers through Expedia.com and Expedia.ca, as well as Expedia Corporate Travel.

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