February 16, 2005

Live From the Masters – The True Cost of Distribution

Tweet A great panel…Tim Claydon -Jet Blue, Al Lenza- NWA, Dean Sivley -Cendant, John Stow- Sabre, Jeremy Wertheimer-ITA Software, NWA- Al chided Sam about the $7.50 charge, he said that he would ” like to have a bill for his NWA segments at that rate”. He commented on $4 , or $5 as the cost.Cendant – Costs should evolve (following […]
February 16, 2005

Live from the Masters – Sam Katz

Tweet “Owning the Value Chain” – having the most value to you. Sam began by emphasizing the global aspect of travel echoing Trip’s initial comments. He mentioned that one focus must be on the stability of provider (an obvious reference to the GNE startups) Goal is to take best practice from all Cendant entities. Strategy for Travelport / Orbitz, travelport […]
February 16, 2005

Live from the Masters Conference in DC- G2 Switchworks

Tweet First up Alex Zoghlin…”Myth Vs. Reality” What exactly is the “new” distribution model?”Alex began with Sam Gilliland quote saying the GNEs are a solution looking for a market, comparing it to H.M. Warner Bros. comment regarding talkies. He went on to compare quotes from Worldspan and Amex with comments about the birth of telephone or other “new” technology at […]
January 31, 2005

Strategic sourcing and travel distribution

Tweet In travel procurement terms, “Strategic Sourcing” has traditionally been defined as the standard bidding process for airline, car, hotel and travel agency services. With the dramatic changes emerging in travel distribution technology, strategic sourcing can take on new meaning. These changes reflect the urgent need of traditional airlines (AA,UA, DL) to lower distribution costs and the emergence of lower […]
January 31, 2005

NY Times Coverage

Tweet I was interviewed last week by Bob Tedeschi from the NY Times. The article appeared in today’s issue and can be found here http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/technology/31ecom.html It is significant that a general media publication such as the NY Times has recognized the changes in travel distribution as a news worthy. 2005 seems to be shaping up as a year of radical […]
January 21, 2005

Finding a Middle Ground

Tweet The noise around alternate distribution is getting louder. The United Airlines meeting last week has triggered a new urgency to look at new distribution alternatives, but many TMCs face significant challenges in this march toward GDS bypass. There are a number of issues this trend has surfaced: (1) One crucial question is whether these new platforms from ITA Software, […]