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rderonville

Jury sides with US Airways against Sabre in GDS antitrust trial of the century - Tnooz - 0 views

  • The jury has returned its verdict in US Airways’s $134 million antitrust lawsuit against travel technology giant Sabre.
  • The airline’s lawyers successfully argued that Sabre had threatened it, saying that it had to accept a contract on Sabre’s terms or else be cut off from a network of thousands of travel agents worldwide who depend on the inventory that the tech giant provides via desktop software.
  • During contract negotiations, Sabre never offered a deal for less than full-content, the airline said. Full-content contracts typically require an airline to provide the same fares it offers via any other channel, such as its own website, to Sabre, too.
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  • full-content contracts are widespread between major airlines and the three major global distribution systems (Sabre, Amadeus, and Travelport), who act as middlemen for plane ticket sales worldwide.
  • Sabre argued that its fees are justified relative to the cost an airline would incur to distribute its fares comparably by other methods. It said consumers benefited by agents having a full array of options for price comparison.
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    The role of GDSs in the travel industry has a major impact on revenue, competition, and reservations. In this article, Sabre, one of the largest known GDSs was sued by US Airways for failing to provide a fair contract to the airline. The lawyers from US Airways claimed that Sabre threatened to "cut off the airlines from a network of thousands of travel agents worldwide who depend on inventory that the tech giant provides via desktop software". The jury concluded that Sabre indeed violated antitrust law. Sabre, apparently, charged US Airways increased fees though their cost per transaction decreased because of the advances in technology. According to the article, Sabre argued that the fees were justified relative to the cost that an airline would incur to distribute its fares by other methods. This helped the agents have access to a plethora of information regarding price comparison. In my opinion, this is just a messy situation. However, it goes to show how important and how much of an impact that GDSs have on airline companies. They determine what consumers or agents readily see on the site. They determine how much of a presence a company has. The GDSs provide company information to a worldwide network that markets to consumers. Having a GDS system hold back or increase fees has proved to be detrimental. Ethical issues have come into play. The fact cannot be ignored that the technology being used by Sabre is helping lower cost for transactions. This decrease in cost should have resulted in a decrease in fees for the airlines. Nevertheless, the key to this article is that GDSs have the power (though Sabre did illegally) to determine which avenue a company goes through in regards to apparent competition and markets. The advancement of GDSs is resulting in lower cost transactions and giving agents and consumers "more bang for their buck". So it is important that the relationship between GDSs and airline companies remain ethical in all ways, especially dealing with
jasdhami95

British Airways taps fintech startup Banked for new loyalty offering | PhocusWire - 1 views

  • British Airways Executive Club members who make an online purchase with a Banked merchant can collect Avios, the rewards currency of BA Executive Club
  • far more accessible and fair loyalty system”
  • Merchants, meanwhile, can offer Avios to customers without having to accept credit cards with high processing fees
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  • Merchants that integrate the Banked and Avios checkout option stand to gain increased customer loyalty, conversion rates and a higher average order value.
  • With 78% of consumers making purchasing decisions based on loyalty points, being able to offer Avios through the Banked network will help our merchants increase conversion rates and improve customer loyalty
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    Fintech startup company, Banked, has partnered with British Airways to provide a new and effective form of payment for their airline loyalty members to pay for online purchases using BA Avios. BA Executive Club members can now use their bank account via Banked and merchants will be able to offer the Avios option at a fraction of the cost of credit card processing fees. (2-4% vs 0.1%) This new partnership will lead to increased customer loyalty, conversion rates along with higher average order value. Banked is currently integrated with may of the largest banks in the United Kingdom, including Barclays and HSBC. Banked CEO stated that 78% of consumers in the UK are making purchasing decisions based on loyalty points, which will extremely increase customer loyalty from the British Airways Executive Club members. In my opinion, this is an excellent way for loyalty club members, especially airline and hotel rewards members, to be able to utilize their points or miles that have been of no use due to the pandemic. This has already been integrated in the United States through Chase, American Express, and Citibank where rewards points can be used for purchases online and even on Amazon. This was the correct step for BA because they will be able to retain loyal customers until travel restrictions are lightened.
anonymous

Rak signs with Travelport : TTR Weekly - 0 views

  • Travelport confirmed that the deal formed part of its ongoing strategy to offer the broadest range of airline content through its GDS channel to its travel agency customers worldwide.
  • “It very much forms part of our strategy to work with the country’s national carriers to maximise growth in this important travel region.”
  • “The deal will enable RAK Airways to widen its distribution base considerably,
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    RAK Airways of the United Arab Emirates Travelport, service provider has just announced their GDS partnership. RAK Airways inventory and fares will now be available to Galileo and Worldspan connected users. I personally am shocked by the fact there are still some air lines that are not part of a GDS. I think that this new agreement will increase RAKS presence in the rest of the world and help them expand to other regions. 
marvahb

British Airways Adds a Fee That Could Weaken Airline-Ticket Middlemen - Skift - 0 views

  • On Friday, International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), parent company of British Airways and Iberia, said that it will add a fee of £8 (about $10.63) per leg of a trip on tickets that are booked through the three largest middlemen for distributing tickets to travel agencies: Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport.
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    In their attempt to cease the use of "middlemen", British Airways and Iberia will attempt something so bold that not many other airlines have done. The airline plans to add surcharges to the tickets consumers purchase through GDS's in hopes that they will book directly through them. Although many predict that they will fail, they originally got the idea from the airline Lufthansa, which implemented this approach back in the summer of 2015 and have not seen a loss in revenue since. Sabre did try to sue the airline for this however the case remains in limbo.
obena010

EasyJet admits security hack of 9 million passenger records | PhocusWire - 0 views

  • The Europe-based airline says the attack captured names, email addresses and travel details, including 2,200 customers that had their credit card details stolen.
  • At this stage there is no evidence of any personal information having been misused, EasyJet says in a statement.
  • The BBC reports that the incident first came to light in January this year and that EasyJet only informed those passengers whose financial details have been exposed some three months later.
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  • The incident is the latest in a growing number of data breaches at travel companies, affecting high profile brands such as the 500 million accounts that were hack at Marriott/Starwood over four years and British Airways in 2018.
  • "The easyJet data breach further demonstrates that even well run companies are unable to protect our personal data.  
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    This article showed how even a well prepared company can be Hack, but what surprised me was the company took over three months to inform their customers of the hack. The company should've done a better job of alerting their customers so they can protect themselves and know what's going on.
Chengcheng Feng

Global Distribution Systems in Present Times - Four Major GDS Systems; Amadeus, Galileo... - 1 views

  • Among the “shelves” on which buyers search for travel services are world’s global distribution systems and the Internet distribution systems
  • The airlines realized that by automating the reservation process for travel agents, they could make the travel agents more productive and essentially turn into an extension of the airline’s sales force. It is these original, legacy GDSs that today provide the backbone to the Internet travel distribution system
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    October 2002 - The travel marketplace is a global arena where millions of buyers (travel agents and the public) and sellers (hotels, airlines, car rental companies, etc.) work together to exchange travel services. This is a good article talking about four major GDS System companies in the world nowadays. When we do some research in GDS area, it is better for us to know some information about these four companies. They are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan. The author said that Aadeus is Number 1 inlocations worldwide compared to other three companies, Galileo International is a cautions follower when it comes to technology when compared to other GDS companies. Sabre's competitive strenghs are market position, global reach, stable product line, diversification of revenue streams and intellectual capital. And Worldspan has successfully developed the strategies and solutions to ensure the company's long-tern success. After read this article, I think I have the big picture of what GDS System is. The author gave us the strength of different systems. I know what are these GDS companies doing right now in the world. And what is the best is that the author used some accurate data to support the point. So in my point of view, I don't only understand the knowledge related to GDS System, but also learn the way to write my paper, that is using lots of numbers.
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    I don't know why but I was failed to highlight this article. I did it in My Library.
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    It is a great article that provides some detailed information on the four most famous GDS. and it was separated into four parts by explaining the four major GDS one by one. It is talking about the history, current status and development of these four major systems to help readers understand what exactly it is and how it works. I like this because it helps me create an overview of GDS systems.
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    Interesting article that summarize important information about major GDS companies. GDS companies such as Amadus, Galileo and Sabre are platforms in which a range of travel related services are offered through electronic switches and routers .
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    This article introduces four major GDS systems' characteristics and strength. I think these information will be useful for hotels when they choose the GDS systems.
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    According to the World's Leading CRS/GDS System 2011, Sabre is the winner profile. And the Amadeus, Galileo, Worldspan and Zurich Systems were nominated.
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    This is about GDS!
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    In the travel marketplace it is global where buyers and sellers work together to exchange travel services. Global distribution systems and the internet distribution systems have become electronic supermarkets linking buyers to sellers and allowing reservations to be made quick and easy. Travel today is sold most on the internet, it is a vast networks of suppliers and a wide customer pool in a centralized maket. Currently today there are 4 major GDS and they are continuing to grow. This article pretty much summed up what we learned in the past 2 classes
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    SUMMARY A global distribution system (GDS) represents a computerized system used for managing different transactions within the air travel and hospitality industry There are currently four major GDS systems: 1. Amadeus (2) Galileo (3) Sabre (4) Worldspan Amadeus Founded in 1987 by Air France, Iberia, Lufthansa, and SAS, Amadeus is the youngest of the four GDS companies. Amadeus is a leading global distribution system and technology provider serving the marketing, sales, and distribution needs of the world's travel and tourism industries. Its comprehensive data network and database, among the largest of their kind in Europe, serve more than 57,000 travel agency locations and more than 10,500 airline sales offices in some 200 markets worldwide... Galileo International Galileo International was founded in 1993 by 11 major North American and European airlines: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Olympic Airlines, Swissair, TAP Air Portugal, United Airlines, and US Airways. It is a major player in the GDS business throughout the world: North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia/Pacific region. Galileo International is a diversified, global technology leader. Sabre For more than 40 years, Sabre has been developing innovations and transforming the business of travel. From the original Sabre computer reservations system in the 1960s, to advanced airline yield management systems in the 1980s, to leading travel web sites today, Sabre technology has traveled through time, around the world, and has touched all points of the travel industry. Worldspan Founded February 7, 1990, Worldspan was originally owned by affiliates of Delta Air Lines, Inc., Northwest Airlines, and Trans World Airlines, Inc. It is currently owned by affiliates of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (40%), Northwest Airlines (34%), and American Airlines, Inc. (26%). Since its 1995 advance into the world of Internet technology fo
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    This article is about the GDS system, and it introduced four major GDS system in present times. GDS is a worldwide computerized reservarion network used as a single point of access for reserving airline sears, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations. The for major GDS systems, Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan owned and operated as joint ventures by major airlines, car rental comopanies, and hotel groups. GDS is also called automated reservation system (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS). Among the four major GDS systems, Amadeus is the youngest one and has done remarkably well during its short tenure. With its strong company infrastructure worldwide, impressive product set, and growing customer base, Amadeus is one of the most significant players in shaping the future of the GDS. Galileo's competitive strengths include market share, well-balanced and global presence, relationships with diverse groups of travel vendors, technologically advanced information systems, highly skilled personnel, and a stable product line. Gralileo is a follower when it comes to technology, but is has established successful relationships with entities such as Go, UK's best low-cost airline. Sabre's competitive strengths include market position, global reach, stable product line, diversification of revenue streams, and intellectual capital. Sabre business model is a strong one, and continues to make significant progress in advancing both its electronic travel distribution and its information technology solutions businesses. The last one Worldspan has a legacy of industry firsts that are not well known. It continues to look at benefits of creating its own consumer brand and has been partnering with different companies to expand the services that it can provide to its customer base.
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    GDS is started on the airline industry. And with it development, the airline company recognized that the GDS is becoming more and more important and necessary. And in my opinion, the GDS can not only focus on the airline. It can be on the internet. That is means they should built some sub-company around the world and it will help to form a kind of net that can cover all over the world. So that it is reduce the pressure of airline and increase the short distance distribution. it will be more efficiency for the guest and less human labor.
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    More and more customers rely on global distribution system to buy hospitality products in present time. This article introduces four major type global distribution systems, Ama dues, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan. There are also some smaller GDS existed in the world. Amadeus is the youngest of the four GDS companies. Galileo International is a diversified, global technology leader. Galileo's competitive strengths include well-balanced and global presence, relationships with diverse groups of travel vendors, technologically advanced information systems and a stable product line. Sabre's competitive strengths include market position, global reach, stable product line, diversification of revenue streams, and intellectual capital. Worldspan provides worldwide electronic distribution of travel information, Internet products and connectivity, and e-commerce capabilities for travel agencies, travel service providers, and corporations.
danakissane01

How contactless technology is defining the customer experience post-COVID-19 - 0 views

  • Contactless technologies have proven to be a game-changer for the air transport industry and beyond in recent months.
  • touchless technology remains a high investment priority between now and 2023.
  • Amazon and Disney have implemented in order to minimise the spread of viruses and reduce the interaction between passengers and staff – ranging from contactless check-in and security processes, to ‘Zero-Touch’ IFE and contactless food & beverage pre-ordering.
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  • in April Etihad became the first airline to trial new contactless self-service technologies, which can estimate a passenger’s vital signs, to allow for touchless health screenings at airport kiosks and bag drops.
  • AirAsia also quickly followed suit and in May the airline introduced several contactless procedures for essential travel including contactless kiosks, Passenger Reconciliation System (PRS), contactless payments at the airport, as well as enhanced features on its mobile app to help ensure a smooth and safe travel experience.
  • Biometrics technology also has a major part to play in creating a touchless travel experience. The implementation of the technology in the aviation industry has been well underway in the past few years, but its potential to facilitate a more contactless travel experience has accelerated the adoption even further in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  •  Southwest Airlines, for instance, launched a series of improvements across its Inflight Entertainment Portal, which allows customers to stream inflight content without having to download an app before they board.
  • Qatar Airways announced plans to offer passengers touchless technology for its Oryx One inflight entertainment system (IFE) across its A350 fleet. The Zero-Touch technology, introduced in partnership with the Thales AVANT IFE system, will enable passengers to pair their personal electronic devices (PEDs) with their seat-back IFE screen by connecting to ‘Oryxcomms’ Wi-Fi and simply scanning a QR code displayed on the screen. They can then use their PEDs to navigate and enjoy more than 4,000 options on offer through the airline’s Oryx One IFE system.
  • in Europe, Schiphol Airport launched a pilot which allows passengers to pre-order food and drinks at Schiphol’s food & beverage outlets after security control. Passengers can now scan a QR code from one of the physical banners or media screens located at and after the airport security check. The QR code will allow them to place their order, pay online and choose a time to pick up their order after going through security.
  • The MagicBands let customers do everything seamlessly – from unlocking their Disney Resort hotel room doors and entering the theme parks, to making food and merchandise purchases. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Disney has brought even more contactless engagement, by using signage with QR codes throughout the park to encourage guests to use features on the park’s mobile app.
  • Disney has also highlighted that last year food and mobile order utilisation skyrocketed from 9% to 84%, and nearly 90% of all payments are now cashless. The company is also implementing contactless security screening using artificial intelligence at its theme parks and Disney Springs centre.
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    This article explains how due to Covid-19 more and more companies for developing and investing in contactless technology for customer experience.
jessielee214

Travel Data Collective - 0 views

  • What is New Distribution Capability (NDC)?
  • NDC aims to transform the airline industry by addressing the current limitations in distribution
  • What is NDC?
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  • New Distribution Capability (NDC) is a new technology created by IATA to streamline the airline distribution process.
  • It's an XML-based communication standard originally developed by Farelogix in 2010 to create direct connections between airlines and third party distributors.
  • This was standardized in 2012 by IATA to replace the old EDIFACT messaging standard, which global distribution systems (GDSs) rely on.
  • NDC was orginally created as a way to bypass the GDS providers, but slowly these providers have become more involved in the process. The basic idea is that NDC is supposed to give indirect distribution channels, such as GDS and metasearch, the same capabilities as an airline’s website.
  • Who's Involved in NDC?
  • There are several different players involved in the NDC process: travel agents, airlines, aggregators and IT providers.
  • Travel agents and airlines are straightforward. The aggregators are the different intermediaries involved in communicating the travel agent's request to different airlines.
  • IT providers are responsible for integrating NDC into the airline’s IT infrastructure.
  • The integration layer method is less complicated, and companies such as Openjaw, Farelogix, and Paxport have created solutions by sitting above the airline’s PSS.
  • third party distribution process works as follows when a traveler needs to reach their destination at a certain time and price:
  • The traveler goes to their travel agent who then queries the GDS system.The GDS pulls information about schedules and fares from a third party. The GDS builds the offer, then goes to the airline to get information about availability. When the offer is available, the information is relayed back to the travel agent and passenger who can then see the airline, price and schedule.
  • In a complete NDC solution, the process goes like this:
  • A travel agent will create a shopping request which will be sent to an aggregator. The aggregator will then create an offer request to be sent out directly to airlines. The airlines will then determine a product that fits the offer.
  • The product is sent back to the travel agent through the aggregator and the offer will "evaporate" after a certain amount of time.
  • According to IATA, this process will eliminate confusion over what's included in the offer. It will also be able to simplify the airline ticketing process.
  • How Can NDC Be Implemented?
  • wo recommended ways
  • One is by integrating directly to the airline passenger service system (PSS), the other is an integration layer outside of the PSS.
  • Third Party Distribution Today and Under NDC
  • In order to set up a full NDC suite, airlines have to create an offer and order management system, which will interact with the PSS.
  • How is NDC Being Used Today?
  • There are currently 62 airlines who are either NDC Certified or XML-capable.
  • NDC connections mostly use it in limited cases, and not to its full potential. United has partnered with Amadeus to have an NDC connection to their GDS for selling their economy plus product.
  • Many airlines are piloting these simple types of connections through NDC (instead of developing their own direct connection) as it will be easier to increase the scope with other distribution providers.
  • Other carriers such as GOL are using NDC connections for offer and order management, providing ability to purchase seats, bags, upgrades, meals, car rentals, and travel insurance, as well as ability to bundle the products (this is being done with Navitaire as their IT provider).
  • What's the Future Outlook for NDC?
  • In the future, there are hopes that NDC will be able to connect to chatbots, allow purchasing and upsell through things such as Amazon and Alexa.
  • Part of the challenge is getting airlines, travel agencies and GDSs to spend money on the infrastructure needed to implement NDC.
  • Airlines are hoping that by using NDC connections either through GDS or directly to travel agents/metasearch they will be able to pull in additional revenue for each ticket sold
  • Some airlines such as Lufthansa, IAG (British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus), Meridiana, and Ukraine International Airways are introducing fees for tickets booked through GDS, however the fees are waived for tickets booked through NDC connections.
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    The article talks deeply in NDC from the past to now and is very clear about how it works. NDC can help airlines to know the need for customs and without the commission. I think one day, NDC can instead of GDS, but it still needs to take such a long time.
Angelica Saez

Global Distribution Systems in Present Times - Written By: Samipatra Das - HVS Internat... - 0 views

  • There are currently four major GDS systems: Amadeus Galileo Sabre Worldspan
  • Amadeus
  • Amadeus is the youngest of the four GDS companies. Amadeus is a leading global distribution system and technology provider serving the marketing, sales, and distribution needs of the world's travel and tourism industries.
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  • serve more than 57,000 travel
  • agency locations and more than 10,500 airline sales offices in some 200 markets worldwide
  • 58,000 hotels and 50 car rental companies serving some 24,000 locations,
  • The three founder airline shareholders currently hold 59.92% of the company: Air France (23.36%), Iberia (18.28%), and Lufthansa (18.28%).
  • Galileo International
  • 11 major North American and European airlines: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Olympic Airlines, Swissair, TAP Air Portugal, United Airlines, and US Airways.
  • In October of 2001, Cendant Corporation acquired Galileo International for approximately $1.8 billion in common stock and cash. Currently, the company is represented in 116 countries, and serves travel agencies at approximately 45,000 locations. Other travel suppliers include 500 airlines, 227 hotel companies, 33 car rental companies, and 368 tour operators.
  • Sabre
  • connects more than 60,000 travel agency locations around the world, providing content from approximately 400 airlines, 55,000 hotel properties, 52 car rental companies, 9 cruise lines, 33 railroads, and 229 tour operators.
  • In 2001, Travelocity.com's 32 million members used the site, generating more than $300 million in revenues.
  • Worldspan
  • Samipatra Das joined HVS as a Consulting and Valuation Analyst in May of 2001.
  • HVS Marketing Communications provides sales, marketing, public relations, and operational strategies for the hospitality industry in order to boost occupancies and provide more effective rate/yield management.
    • Angelica Saez
       
      GDS is a global distribution system is a computerized network system owned or operated by a company that enables transactions between travel industry services.
  • As the youngest of the four GDS companies, Amadeus has done remarkably well during its short tenure. Yet, in many ways, the company remains an anomaly. Amadeus has the greatest number of travel agency locations with the highest productivity per terminal in the world, yet its booking share is Number 3, and its revenues are dwarfed by Sabre and, to a lesser degree, by Galileo. While the company is Number 1 in locations worldwide, serving the greatest number of countries, it provides the fewest U.S. destinations of the top four GDSs.
  • HVS Technology Strategies is a division of HVS International, the world's largest hospitality specific consulting firm. The division was formed in mid-2000, following two years of hospitality technology market research. Our findings revealed a growing demand for unbiased, technology-focused consulting throughout the hospitality industry.
  • These systems have become electronic supermarkets linking buyers to sellers and allowing reservations to be made quickly and easily. Nowadays, more travel is sold over the Internet than any other consumer product. The Internet is a perfect medium for selling travel as it brings a vast network of suppliers and a widely dispersed customer pool together into a centralized market place.
  • However, any discussion of the Internet as a distribution channel for travel needs to start with an
  • sting electronic distribution infrastructure, the Global Distribution System (GDS). The airline industry created the first GDS in the 1960s as a way to keep track of flight schedules, availability, and prices.
  • understanding of the exi
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    Global distribution systems have grown immensely in the last couple of years. This article mentions the biggest and first companies to have created and used GDS. These were and are important companies with in the hospitality industry, they started using these systems to track themselves and created a monster that is now the best way for consumers to book and edit their reservations.
kelseybarton

Protecting the Hospitality Sector With Security Intelligence - 1 views

  • A decade ago in 2009, hospitality was — by some reports — the most widely attacked industry of all. And while other industries have now surpassed it, a 2019 report by Trustwave still ranks hospitality as the third most-breached industry, accounting for 10% of all breaches.
  • the average hospitality data breach costs $1.99 million to contain, at a cost per record of $123. These high costs are due in part to the time needed to adequately respond to a breach. On average, it takes 200 days to identify a hospitality data breach and a further 75 days to contain it
  • attacks targeting the hospitality industry are mostly aimed at stealing payment card data.
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  • Why Is Hospitality So Hard to Secure?
  • 1. They often have large, complex networks.
  • 2. Customers are onsite — and attackers could be too.
  • 3. Staff churn.
  • 4. Franchising.
  • 5. Third-party risk.
  • Protecting the hospitality industry from cyber threats isn’t an easy job. Security professionals in the industry are tasked with defending highly complex networks with many endpoints against a constant barrage of attacks and a constantly churning workforce. On top of all of that, they have limited security resources to work with.
  • Comprehensive security intelligence helps security teams identify unknown threats to the organization, and make informed decisions about how and where to allocate time and resources for maximum effect.
  • Threat intelligence provides the context analysts need to quickly distinguish between valuable alerts and false positives, drastically improving their ability to respond to genuine cyber threats.
  • Threat intelligence can help security teams drastically reduce the time needed to identify and contain a breach by alerting them the moment stolen assets (e.g., guest or passenger data) are made available for sale via the dark web.
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    (1 of 2) "The hospitality sector has always been a popular target for cyberattacks." This is the first line of this Recorded Future article published in January. The article discusses breaches that happened for both Marriott and British Airways and how this is a regular occurrence in the industry as it is such a big target with so many possible points that can be attacked. While the statistics for the hospitality industry have improved greatly in the last decade, in 2019, they were still accounting for 10% of all breaches. Not only does a breach affect the way an organization operates, but also it also severely effects their bottom-line and takes quite a but of time for them to recover. "According to Ponemon's 2019 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average hospitality data breach costs $1.99 million to contain, at a cost per record of $123. These high costs are due in part to the time needed to adequately respond to a breach. On average, it takes 200 days to identify a hospitality data breach and a further 75 days to contain it." The article continues by stating that hackers are typically seeking payment card data when compromising the hospitality industry.
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    (2 of 2) The article then discusses the many reasons why it is so difficult for hospitality-oriented companies to secure their assets versus other organizations of similar stature. Some of these reasons include the large, complex networks which are typically publicly accessible and contain many customers in the databases, the fact that customers are always onsite and so are attackers, the high turnover leading to inconsistent training and sharing of credentials, franchisers owning the responsibility of security yet not knowing much about it, and the risk associated with all of the various third parties the hotels do business with. While intelligence has come a very long, "security professionals in the industry are tasked with defending highly complex networks with many endpoints against a constant barrage of attacks and a constantly churning workforce… [AND] they have limited security resources to work with." Comprehensive security intelligence systems are now capable of protecting many aspects of the organization. Some of these updated features include responding rapidly to security incidents, blocking online brand abuse and impersonation, managing third-party risk, reducing breach containment times, and better allocating security resources. Property data security is so important to the hospitality industry. If a business does not take the proper precautions to protect their systems and their customers, then it could lead to a devastating event for the business. While security intelligence has progressed within the last decade, a business needs to make sure that they have chosen a reliable agent to partner with who will produce consistent service. If the business keeps up with their system updates and protections, they should not have to worry about their security system failing.
anonymous

Data Privacy and Security in the Travel Industry - Security Boulevard - 0 views

  • As COVID-19 mauls the travel sector and hotels, airlines and cruise lines shutter their doors or park their planes and ships, this interlude may present them an opportunity to address how they handle passenger information. Each of these sectors of the travel industry collects personally identifiable information and each has suffered considerable breaches or lapses in how data is handled.
  • Like British Airways, the hotelier Marriott Corp. was socked with a £99 million fine by the ICO for its 2018 exposure of 383 million customers booking information.There is no doubt that the hotel industry is awash with personal data on their guests and are ripe for targeting by cybercriminals.
  • Every infosec professional will tell you, don’t collect what you can’t protect. These examples from within the travel industry serve to drive home that point. In the case of the Gekko Group and Spice Jet, their attempts to protect their data revealed configuration errors or a lack of understanding. With respect to Marriott, British Airways and Carnival, they were subjected to an attack that managed to maneuver through their defenses. What is inexplicable is the time delay between discovery and disclosure
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    The article breaks down Data Privacy in the Travel Industry. It explains how the pause due to the pandemic is a good time to address security concerns. The article covers examples in the cruise sector, the airline sector and the hotel sector. It also warns companies that it shouldn't collect what it cant protect.
Morgan Staley

Airlines vs GDS: is cooperation the way forward? | Travel Industry News & Conferences -... - 1 views

  • IAG-owned British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air France-KLM have all implemented a GDS fee.
  • The aim, of course, is to ensure that more bookings are made directly through the airline websites.
  • These branded fares represent an easy way to book a ticket with the desired amenities and they often offer a discount relative to purchasing the same amenities on an ala carte basis
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  • So today, the airlines and the GDS’s are both motivated to work together to increase the available content.
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    This article discusses the relationship between airlines and GDS corporations.  Airlines are going a different route to drive customers to book direct by tacking on additional fees to consumers for using the booking sources.  This came as a surprise to the GDS corporations and they have since been trying to work together with certain airlines to have the fee waived for using their site ie: expedia.  With so many add on options when booking flights, such as baggage, seat upgrades, and in flight entertainment, many GDS companies are working with airlines to offer bulk packaging on their sites as well to provide a bump in revenue for both industries.  If both industries continue to maintain a good working relationship the future will be bright for them. 
zport003

Global Distribution System (GDS) » BNG Hotel Management Kolkata - 3 views

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    The article states that the Global Distribution System (GDS) as a link for the buyers and sellers of tourism services. The buyers are travel agents and members of the public while sellers are hotels, airlines and car rentals. The history of GDS as describes in the article is that GDS was created in the 1960's by the airline industry for use in keeping track of flight schedules, availability and prices. The article describes GDS as "a network operated by a company that enables automated transactions between third parties and booking agents in order to provide travel-related services to the end consumers." GDS is also "a global distribution model refers back to the reservation instrument journey sellers use when making an air, lodge, auto or other journey service booking." The article describes some of the GDS companies that include Galileo, Apollo, Worldspan, Amadeus, and Sabre. These companies are owned and operated as joint ventures with the aid of essential airways and inn groups. The advantages of GDS for hotels are giving publicity for the organization, B2B and B2C distribution, and constant online access to a company's inventory.
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    I think what is stated in this article is very important to travel/tourism and hotel industries and also flight workers because it is good to know this for pricing, availability and flight schedules.
espence13

Marriott Hotels: Series Of Data Breaches Reveals Lack Of Security Awareness - 0 views

  • The data breach hitting Marriott Hotels Group was huge. The joint-second largest to have ever taken place, in fact, after Yahoo’s disastrous 2013 breach (and on par with Yahoo’s 2014 breach). While the amount of data that was taken from Starwood Hotels’ reservation systems (a company acquired by Marriott in 2016) was vast, what’s most staggering is the fact the breach went undetected for four years, and an acquisition also took place but the alarm still wasn’t raised. Since news originally broke of the release, it’s also been revealed that the hotel group’s own security team was hit by an attack in June 2017. Clearly something has gone amiss.
  • The issue is compounded by the fact that security is still not high enough up the list of priorities for business leaders. Despite well-known organizations frequently hitting the headlines for data breaches (in 2018 alone we’ve had Ticketmaster, Quora, British Airways, Under Armour and plenty more) and a ‘when not if’ warning  being peddled by the security industry for years, many businesses still haven't got to grips with just how critical proper security is. The fact that reviewing security may not have been part of the acquisition process of Starwood by Marriott – and if it was, not well enough – is further evidence of this apparent blindness to the impact of poor security. So, what’s going wrong? A research report from security company Bromium earlier this year suggested that the average large enterprise spends $16.7 million per annum on security, with the vast majority found to be on ‘the human cost of maintaining cyber security systems’. While most firms clearly aren’t 2,000 people sized enterprises, the research provides a good indication that spending on security isn’t the issue. Instead, it’s people.
  • We need to look at different approaches to skills development and, in many ways, imitate cyber criminals themselves who are continually iterating ideas to solve problems, rewarding perseverance and curiosity as well as encouraging further development. The ‘white hats’ need to approach their roles the same way – not rely on what they heard in a classroom six months previously.
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    The recent cyberattack at Marriott International Inc. has many hoteliers wondering what are the legal and business risks associated with security attacks? The recent breach at Marriott further proves the point that businesses should prepare now or be willing to pay for it later. In November 2018, the Bethesda, MD-based hotel company revealed there had been unauthorized access to the Starwood guest reservation database, which contained guest information relating to reservations at Starwood properties on or before Sept. 10, 2018. Businesses face a multitude of risk when looking at the potential consequences resulting from a cyberattack or breach. As we've seen recently with the Marriott breach, there can be significant impact to brand equity in the marketplace. This impact can be far reaching for publicly traded businesses, resulting in material impacts to businesses and business valuation, and long-term impact to user adoption. In addition to the downside risk from the market, businesses must also mount expensive defenses against litigation that increasingly takes the form of class actions. Reputation is important in every trade but is especially important in the hospitality industry. This, coupled with the fact that consumers are becoming more sensitive to privacy and security related issues, means that businesses in the hospitality industry must manage against these types of risk and allocate appropriate levels of funding toward information security. What should hoteliers learn from the Marriott breach? Pay attention. Marriott was aware that there was a potential issue shortly after it acquired Starwood, but did not, apparently, investigate in detail. Marriott may not have created the problem, but it bought the problem and didn't treat it with the seriousness that was necessary.
vale0715

Three Hospitality Technology Innovators of 2018 - LODGING - 0 views

  • For nearly a decade, ADARA has been steadily and rapidly growing its collection of real-time data captured through agreements with travel brands around the world, says Scott Garner, ADARA’s president of data and analytics. Its early partners included Hilton and U.S. Airways, before it was acquired by American Airlines. From there, big partners like Marriott gave the collection meaningful boosts when they joined the family. “We now have about 200 brands that contribute data and 700 million active unique profiles.
  • Designed by Knightscope, the robots—named Buddy and Rudy by the Pechanga staff—take 360-degree night-and-day video and auto-detect license plates, people, and abnormal temperatures in the event of a potential fire. They can recognize abnormal patterns, pick out discrepancies that may go unnoticed by the human eye, communicate a threat, and even assist a person in distress.
jalipman

Sun, Sand and Cyber: Does the Hospitality Industry Need to Invest in Cybersecurity Now?... - 0 views

  • To ensure businesses are in the best possible position to compete during and long after the Coronavirus pandemic is over, both customers and employees need to be educated on the security measures on offer to feel comforted in this brave new business climate. 
  • For businesses to feel empowered against today’s many challenges, a consistent approach to risk management is absolutely crucial. A CISO with the authority to carry out real change and impart strong governance across the business would be hugely valuable.
    • jalipman
       
      An entity to regulate and update cyber security in order to keep all information safe would be very helpful. But it could be argued that an organization that has access to all systems could pose a larger risk to cyber security than it would negate.
  • These burdens come into sharper focus when you consider the digital environment in which hotels are operating. Individual hotels are often connected to the organization’s national or international network, meaning only one hotel has to be breached before the entire company is at risk of hemorrhaging huge volumes of its data.
    • jalipman
       
      This is a good example of why every hotel needs to be constantly updating and on alert for cyber attacks because if one hotel server is compromised the entire national system is at risk.
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  • Most crucially, a cybersecurity strategy must include a solid plan for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery in order to prepare for any worst-case scenarios. In the era of COVID-19, incidents of the worst kind are fast emerging and businesses deserve a fighting chance to succeed.
  • The root of this cyber crisis lies in the way hotels are hampered by disparate legacy systems and out-of-date software where breaches are rife for the taking, particularly on hotels’ Point of Sale (POS) systems and other external vendors. Adding to this, hotels often outsource their customer IT connectivity but unfortunately forget to consistently monitor and audit suppliers’ security measures. 
  • Today, the systems used for various functions in a hotel’s back and front operations are manned by employees who are not yet well-equipped to pick up on and counter large-scale cyber-attacks until it’s too late.
    • jalipman
       
      Simply put, hotels are not focusing enough on these attacks and their security systems are made primarily to identify and ongoing attack rather than preemptively stop them.
  • Mobile phones, tables and laptops connected to open networks become a hunting ground for hackers to harvest banking details through card payments. 
    • jalipman
       
      Not only is personal information stored but guests use these open networks for many different things allow hackers a direct link to the guests devices as well.
  • Worth billions of pounds, the hospitality industry is a perfect victim for cyber-criminals. Its make-up of luxury resorts and hotels alongside huge volumes of high net-worth individuals has fast become prey for hacker
  • While financial services and the public sector have been forced to endure an endless stream of cybercrime, the hospitality industry has also become a prime contender for hackers in the wake of its rich data-base. 
    • jalipman
       
      The constant influx of new information makes hospitality company databases prime targets for hackers.
  • No matter the size of the business, inefficient cyber support diverts crucial time from business activities and relationships with customers.
    • jalipman
       
      Not allocating for proper cybersecurity not only puts you at risk but takes away from time you spend on business when you are dealing with potential or ongoing threats that would have been better addressed by a proper cyber security system.
  • With global business fighting relentlessly to survive against the chaotic threat of the Coronavirus, all industries are exposed to criminal cyber-threats, and so the security of highly sensitive data must be handled appropriately.
    • jalipman
       
      In unprecedented times like we are currently going through things like cybersecurity will be put on the back burner in order to deal with issues at hand but this can create environments for cyber attacks.
  • British Airways and Marriott International are two major hospitality companies to be victims of high-profile breaches in recent memory. They serve as a stark reminder of the heavy costs faced when the safety of customers’ data is compromised. 
anaslip

New Distribution Capability (NDC) in air travel: Airlines, GDS and the impact on the in... - 0 views

  • New Distribution Capability (NDC) in air travel: Airlines, GDS and the impact on the industry By Altexsoft Team On Mar 3, 2019
  • Two fundamental needs connect all airlines: revenue and passenger satisfaction.
  • Considering that getting in touch with the end user is nearly impossible via the channels provided by global distribution systems (or GDSs), a new standard emerged to resolve the issue. The air travel industry confronted big changes when the New Distribution Capability (or NDC) debuted in 2012. Lufthansa, British Airways, American Airlines, and Iberia were the first to adopt NDC. And the technology continues to make its way in airline distribution, as well as other means of improving airline operations.
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  • NDC stands for the New Distribution Capability, which is essentially an XML standard created by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) to allow airline service providers to deliver rich content and ancillaries to their customers.
  • Personalised shopping experience and access to customer information. Currently, most of the customer personal data remain in the hands of middlemen, OTAs and GDSs. This means that airlines get just basic information about their clients, which doesn’t allow for personalising the shopping experience, the thing that has become a standard in modern travel eCommerce.
  • Content and pricing autonomy.
  • Currently, most airlines publish their tariffs via ATPCO, the tech provider and main source of pricing data.
  • Rich content offers, ancillaries, and discounts. Distributing the flight data via GDS’s EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport), airlines are unable to include ancillaries in their offers.
  • Product differentiation. The traditional GDS model only permits airlines to display prices and schedules.
  • Reduced reliance on legacy systems. Most airlines use legacy passenger service systems (PSS) that contain reservation info, fares, and schedule.
  • As a result, NDC was supposed to break the oligopoly of GDSs that formed over time.
  • According to the latest IATA NDC program update, the list of certified deployments reached 65 carriers. The number seems to have grown significantly since 2017 when IATA reported only 50 airlines adopting NDC. But, compared to the overall number of airlines connected to the major three GDSs, which is over 400, NDC adopters seem to be a minority.
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    NDC or New Distribution Capability is a new subset within GDS systems to provide airlines with detailed information about customer in order to enhance the personalized service. NDC will be able to provide pricing independence and direction information to airlines about their passengers. The system is more flexible and accurate in order to improve the experience from what GDS would provide.
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    This article tells us about a new communication protocol which is called NDC. NDC stands for the New Distribution Capability. You can also find some information about how airline distribution works in general.
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